Naruto: Shifts In Life
by The Engulfing Silence
Summary: A few small changes can make a world of difference. Knowledge given at the beginning of ones can career can turn a hopeless loser into a shinobi of strength and skill. Differences in a history that have long since passed can create a totally different outcome from what we might expect. This is the story of Naruto Uzumaki. This is the tail of these small shifts in life.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so I'm going to be square with you all. This story is at least half of the reason that I have not updated my other stories much. I found this one invading my head one day and it refused to let me think up anything for my other stories. And so I decided to start writing, and I wrote, and I wrote and then guess what… that's right, I wrote some more. I have like thirty something chapters of this already written and just did not stop and put them out because I was afraid that if I stopped writing I would forget what I had for the story. The only thing that is left to do is get these chapters beta'd, either by myself reading each chap several times or finding someone willing to work fast (and by fast I mean the day after I mail it to them). In any case, you should get a chapter every other day until I run out.**

**Now the basis for this story is simple. What if Sarutobi gave Naruto the key to success after Mizuki's betrayel. That's right people, I am talking about the secrets behind the kage bushin no jutsu. It has honestly ticked me off that someone like Kakashi was the one to unveil this method of training, when Sarutobi Hiruzen the Sandaime Hokage, The Kami No Shinobi, the MOTHERFUCKING professor did not tell Naruto about this jutsu.**

**Honestly the way and time that Kishimoto brought this method of training to the fore was so late in the series that the only reason I can think of why he made it at all was because he realized that Naruto was still too weak and too stupid to actually stand even a remote chance of fighting against the likes of Akatsuki and Sasuke. So what did he do? He decided to make it so that kage bushin's could be tools of learning.**

**Anyways that is enough of my rant, no one came to here me bitch and so LETS GET ON WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

**Dsiclaimer: This is just a reminder to anyone who has not realized it yet, I do not own Naruto. I mean really, if I did, do you think I would be writing this and posting it on ? Where I DON'T get paid for it? I think not.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life.**

**Chapter 1: A Change of pace**

* * *

It was early morning in Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves. The sun was just starting to rise, painting the sky in oranges and yellows. People began to slowly wake up and start their day, merchants getting there shops ready, parents making breakfast for their children, and children getting ready to go to school. Like always it was a normal day.

As the sun shone into his apartment, one Uzumaki Naruto groaned, turning over so the light wouldn't hit his eyes and he could remain asleep and dream of Sakura feeding him ramen as he was named Hokage.

Unfortunately it was not to be as the alarm clock Naruto had set began blaring loudly.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

"GAH!" Naruto shouted as he fell out of bed. Blinking he looked around as his vision began to clear. He stood up and shut off his alarm, yawning loudly as he stretched. He looked back at the alarm clock, it was fairly old and worn from use, Naruto had found it in a trashcan and fixed it up.

However he had never actually used it before. For a moment Naruto tried to remember why he had set the alarm clock in the first place. He scratched his belly for a moment in thought before his eyes caught sight of his calendar, more specifically the date with the large red circle.

"That's right, it's the final exam before I become a ninja!" Naruto shouted in a frantic voice as is eyes widened.

He rushed into the bathroom, turning on the water of his shower as he took off his pajamas and stepped into the shower. the water was cold, freezing cold in fact, but Naruto had long since learned to ignore it. The owner of the complex was a rather cranky old lady who, like most of the villagers, meaning around ninety eight percent of the population, hated his guts. She had long ago turned off all the hot water that went to his apartment, forcing him to take cold showers.

Finished washing Naruto turned off the water, grabbed a towel and dried himself off. Moving back into his room, Naruto moved over to the closet. Opening it up revealed his entire collection of clothes, all of them were a bright orange track suit that he had managed to get, he had actually not even bought these, they had been too expensive since he had been charged triple the price for what most people would pay for normal clothing. Naruto had actually been forced to wait until the store owner had finally gotten rid of them, which was what the man had been going to do anyway when Naruto wanted to buy them, and then snatched them from the trash can. He grabbed one of them and went over to the dresser, opening a drawer and grabbing some underwear. He soon put his clothes on and made his way to the kitchen.

Opening his cupboard the blond grabbed one of his cups of ramen, opening it up and pouring some water in it. He moved over to his microwave and opened it up, placing the ramen in it and setting the timer for three minutes. Like all the appliance he had, the microwave was beaten and battered, having been found and fixed up by Naruto after someone had thrown it out.

As soon as the beep sounded Naruto opened the microwave grabbed the ramen and a pair of chopsticks and made his way out of the apartment. Not bothering to lock the door on his way out, after all, no one ever bothered coming here anyway.

* * *

Naruto opened the door to the room where he had spent the last six years in training to be a ninja. He looked around for a seat and was disgruntled when the only open one he could find was the one next to Uchiha Sasuke, brooder extraordinaire and his ultimate rival.

Naruto had never understood the brooding emo king. Everyone loved Sasuke, the girls in his class, the teachers in his class, the civilians and other shinobi in the village, everyone. The boy was handed everything on a silver platter, Konoha's golden boy. But for some reason Sasuke remained a cold and aloof bastard. It irked Naruto, who would do anything for the kind of love and attention the raven haired kid had.

Not being able to find anywhere else to sit Naruto moved over to sit next to the last Uchiha.

"Teme." Naruto said by way of greeting.

"Hn."

Naruto merely rolled his eyes at the response he received, having grown used to that kind of response. Hell, that was the only response Sasuke gave anyone, even the teachers had trouble getting more out of him. The only one quieter then Sasuke was Aburame Shino, a member of the famed Aburame Clan, and Naruto was convinced that kid was mute.

"I hope your ready to bask in my awesomeness as I kick ass today teme!" Naruto said, seeing if he could get some kind of reaction out of the boy.

"Hn."

Naruto grit his teeth in frustration. He was just about to start yelling when Haruno Sakura walked through the door.

Sakura was a girl with bubble gum pink hair, and wore a red Chinese style dress with a white circle in the middle, black mid thigh length skin tight shorts and blue shinobi sandals. Like the other girls in his class, she was a complete Sasuke fan girl. However to Naruto she was one of the most beautiful people he had ever met and was the girl he had been crushing on for nearly his entire time at the academy with no success.

Not that something as insignificant as six years of no success would stop him.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically as he waved at the girl. "Hey, hey about after school you and I-"

"Shut up Naruto Baka!" Sakura shouted as she smashed a fist into Naruto's face, sending the boy sprawling back onto his seat. "I don't want to hear your annoying voice today! And move so I can sit next to Sasuke-kun!" With nothing left to say on her part Sakura grabbed Naruto by the jacket and bodily threw him off the seat.

"So Sasuke-kun, I was thinking maybe after school we could go on a date together?" Sakura asked in a hopeful voice as she twirled her hair in her fingers and gave Sasuke a shy look.

Sasuke didn't even spare her a look as he continued to stare out of the window. "Hn."

Naruto winced a bit as he stood up, sighing he took the seat on Sasuke's left. He had grown used to this over the years. He had lost count of the number of times that Sakura had rejected him for a date, as well as the number of times she had hit him for asking. Sometimes after her particularly more harsh rejections, he would often wonder why he even bothered.

Of course those bouts of depression never seemed to last more then three seconds or so.

After awhile Iruka, the Chunin academy instructor for the academy, came in with Mizuki, his assistant, following close behind him.

"Alright class, it's time for the test to see who among you are ready to receive their head band and become ninja of Konoha," Iruka said.

Naruto grinned. _I can do this._ He thought with confidence. Naruto had been up late last night training. He was positive that he could complete any test set before him.

"Now when I call your name I want you to come into the next room and perform the Bunshin No Jutsu (Transform)." Iruka continued, looking down at his roster as he began to call the names of the genin hopefuls.

With those words Naruto began to feel despair. _Out of all the things he could have asked us to do, why that one?_ The Bunshin had always been Naruto's worst jutsu. For some reason, no matter how hard he worked at it, he just could not get it down.

Naruto watched as the other kids came out, their head bands proudly displayed on their heads. It was nearly enough to make him loose confidence. However the blond quickly shored up his determination. He was not going to fail again! He was Uzumaki Naruto damn it!

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Iruka called out.

Naruto grinned, masking his nervousness behind a confident smile as he walked into the other room. Iruka took a seat behind his desk next to Mizuki.

"Alright Naruto, show us what you can do," Iruka said. He was not quite sure what to think about the blond boy. He had only recently (Yesterday) started to try and understand Naruto, after having had a talk with the Hokage after Naruto had done a prank of painting the Hokage Monument. The kid in some ways reminded Iruka of himself when he had been an academy student, the pranks, the constantly being loud in order to get attention.

In the end he just decided to silently wish the boy luck.

Naruto went through the hand seals required for the jutsu as he began to channel his chakra. "Bunshin No Jutus!" he shouted. A large puff of smoke was created and when it cleared everyone's attention was on the clone next to Naruto. The completely dead looking clone that was laying on the ground and twitching spastically.

Several tic marks appeared on Iruka's head as he looked at the clone. "You fail!"

Naruto's eyes widened. He couldn't understand it. He failed? But he had tried so hard, and he really wanted to pass this time.

"Come on Iruka, I think we can make an exception this time," Mizuke said, surprising Iruka and Naruto. "While he did not manage to create a clone he did try really hard."

Iruka sighed, "I can't do that. Every one else in the class was able to create at least three clones. And Naruto only managed to create one, and look at it, it's pathetic." The chunin instructor looked at Naruto, "I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't pass you."

Naruto felt his world shatter with those words, he dejectedly walked out of the room and took his seat.

* * *

As the class ended and the kids ran up to their parents, showing off their new head bands. Listening with joy as their parents heaped praises on them.

One person however, was not partaking in the joyous atmosphere.

Naruto sat over on a small swing set, staring at all of the students and their parents with a look of longing. Having never known his parents the blond had often wondered about them. The people at the orphanage had told him they had left, not wanting to be with a monster like him. The old man had told him that his parents had died during the Kyuubi attack and no one knew who they were.

Seeing all these kids with their parents hurt, he would never show it and would deny it if anyone mentioned it, but he could not deny to himself how much it hurt.

"I'm so glad that _boy _didn't end up graduating."

Naruto turned his head slightly as he heard the voice. He had always been blessed with enhanced senses, his hearing, vision and smell were far more formidable then most people.

Some times that was more of a curse then a blessing.

"Yeah I know, could you imagine what would happen if he became a ninja. I mean he's-"

"Shh! You know we're not allowed to talk about that."

Naruto frowned as he turned his attention away from the discussion taking place. He had heard many talks of a similar nature with other people when ever they spoke of him and thought he couldn't hear. They would always stop however, as if they had been about to say something taboo. He wished he knew what they were going to say. Maybe then he would understand why he was so hated.

"Hey Naruto."

Naruto turned around to see Mizuki looking at him, "come with me, I wanted to talk to you."

* * *

"You know, Iruka didn't fail you to mean," Mizuke said as he and Naruto sat on the roof of the academy. "He's just worried that your not going to be ready to face the responsibilities of being a ninja."

"I know," Naruto sighed dejectedly. "But I really wanted to pass this time…"

An evil of glint came to Mizuki's eyes but Naruto did not see it. "Then I guess I have to tell you."

* * *

Naruto grinned as he entered the Hokage's office, having sneaked past all of the guards downstairs. It had been notoriously easy for him to do so. In fact a part of Naruto was surprised by how easy it was, but he just chalked it up to his amazing skills.

"Now let's see, where is that scroll," Naruto muttered as he looked around. Naruto had been in this office many times in the past, often coming in after a prank or sometimes just to visit the old Hokage.

The office was fairly standard, it had a wooden oak desk in front of him that had a window overlooking Konoha behind it. On the left was a couch and behind that were the pictures of the four Hokage's. on the other side was a book shelf filled with books and scrolls.

Walking over to the shelf Naruto looked at the scrolls, when he didn't see what he wanted he frowned. He was about to turn around when his eyes caught sight of the stand right next to the shelf. Because Naruto had only given the room a cursory glance every time he was in here he had never noticed it. The stand was really just that, a stand made of wood that had a large scroll on it.

"This has got to be it," Naruto said as he grabbed the scroll. He tied the ends with some ninja wire before strapping it to his back.

He was just about to leave when the door opened up and Sarutobi walked in.

"Naruto," the old Hokage blinked as he looked at the blond, "what are you doing here?"

"Uh… I… well… hehe you see…" Naruto racked his brain to find a way out of this. In his desperation he realized there was only one chance. Naruto quickly made a hand sign and called out the only original jutsu he had.

"Oiroke No Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu)!_"_

* * *

Naruto snickered to himself as he entered the forest. "Hah! I showed ojisan who's boss! With how easy it was for me to knock the old man out, he might as well just make me Hokage!"

Taking the scroll off his back Naruto sat down and unrolled it. He looked at the first Jutsu and groaned, "Kage Bunshin! Not another Bunshin jutsu." The blond sighed, "oh well might as well get to work."

Deciding that it might actually be a good idea to read up on the jutsu in order to help him, Naruto looked over the description of the jutsu first.

_Kage Bunshin No Jutsu- a B rank Kinjutsu (Forbbiden Jutsu) that can only be used by ninja with higher then normal chakra reserves. This jutsu takes the users chakra and divides it equally in order to create solid copies of the original. The more chakra the user has, the more clones they can create. Be warned this jutsu also gives memory feedback every time a clone is dispelled and has been known to kill people who overused it due to this particular trait._

Naruto gulped a bit at the knowledge that this had killed someone, though a part of him wondered what it meant by memory feedback. He shook his head, _it doesn't matter if this killed someone! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to master this! _

Determination renewed Naruto stood up and began getting to work. With a jutsu this powerful he would be Hokage in no time!

* * *

Less then an hour later Naruto found himself staring at ten more copies of himself, the jutsu had been surprisingly easy. Blinking a few times he reached out with a finger and poked one of them.

"Stop, that tickles," his clone said as he swatted the hand away.

Naruto blinked again before a large grin spread across his face. "YATTA! I DID IT!" Naruto shouted as he pumped a fist in the air.

"YATTA!" all of his clones shouted, emulating his actions.

Naruto dispelled the clones since he didn't need them. However, when he did Naruto found himself getting the images of himself and his clones from ten other perspectives.

"What the hell? Was that what the scroll was talking about when it said memory whatever?" Naruto asked himself. He shrugged, in the end all that mattered to him was that he had mastered the jutsu.

He was just about to go over some more jutsu from the scroll when a familiar voice yelled at him.

"There you are!"

Naruto looked up and saw Iruka stomping up to him. The blond grinned as he jumped up and pointed a finger at him, "Hah! Found you Iruka-sensei!"

"Baka!" Iruka shouted as he stopped in front of his blond student. "I found you!"

"Hehe I guess you did sensei," Naruto replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You were pretty fast! I only had time to learn one jutsu!"

Iruka started as he looked around at the ruined clearing. _He has been training hard, I can tell. _

Naruto jumped on the balls of his feet as he spoke to his sensei in a excited manner. "Hey but listen Iruka, now that you're here I can show you this totally awesome jutsu and you can let me graduate! That's how it all works out right?"

Iruka who was just about to go back to scolding Naruto blinked. "What? Graduate?"

Naruto nodded, "yeah that's how it works right? I learn a jutsu from this scroll and you let me graduate."

Iruka looked at Naruto cautiously, while he did certainly look like he had been training, Iruka had no idea where Naruto had gotten this idea for graduating this way. "Naruto who told you, you can graduate this way?" Iruka asked.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Mizuki-sensei did. He told me where to find this scroll and about this place…"

Iruka's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. He was just about to say something when he heard a whizzing sound and shoved Naruto away. "Get down!"

Several kunai came out of the trees and impaled Iruka in the leg and arms. The chunin instructor looked up and scowled, "I see so that's how it is."

"Wow you got here pretty fast!"

Naruto who had been staring at Iruka in shock, looked up to see Mizuki with a large grin on his face. "Mizuki-sensei, what's going on here? Why are you attacking Iruka-sensei?" Naruto mumbled.

Hearing his voice, the two Chunin turned their attention to Naruto.

"Give me the scroll Naruto," Mizuki commanded, holding out his hand.

"No Naruto don't give it to him!" Iruka shouted.

"W-what's going on?" Naruto asked, unsure what he should do.

"Mizuki used you to get the scroll!" Iruka said, "That scroll contains Konoha's secret and forbidden Jutsu. He lied to you so you would do his bidding!"

"Oh I'll tell you who's lying Naruto," Mizuki said with a smirk.

Iruka looked over at Mizuki and saw the smirk on his face, it was then he realized what the white haired traitor was going to say and his eyes widened. "No Mizuki don't say it, you know it's forbidden!"

Naruto looked back and forth between his two sensei's in confusion. "what do you mean? who's lying?"

"They've been lying to you your whole life, ever since the degree of twelve years ago," Mizuki looked at Naruto with an insane grin.

"Twelve years ago?" Naruto shook his head, "I don't understand."

"No! Mizuki don't!"

"Haven't you ever wondered why were you hated?" Misuki questioned, making the blonds eyes widen. "Why you were ignored? Why people treated you like you were worthless! Like less then dirt!""Mizuki stop it now!" Iruka shouted to no avail.

"I'll tell you why Naruto," Mizuki sneered, "you see what they don't want you to know, was that the Yondaime did not actually kill the Kyuubi. Instead he sealed it away inside of a new born baby…"

Naruto began to tremble, while he never paid attention and didn't like to study he had never been dumb. Stupid? Maybe a little. But living on his own since he was five had forced him to develop a little faster then most. No he was not the brightest person, but he did have a decent amount of common sense and a keen ability to read others, something that had helped him immensely in the past when he had run into several drunken villagers.

He knew that Mizuki was telling him this for a reason, that the child who the Kyuubi was sealed into and he were in some way tied.

Mizuki confirmed his theory a few seconds later, "you are the child he sealed the Kyuubi into! You are the nine tailed fox!"

Naruto slumped to his knees. Everything made sense to him now. The glares, the hatred, the people muttering behind his back, telling their children to stay away from him. A part of him was actually angry that he had not realized this. His birthday was the day of the Kyuubi's defeat, people hated him with a passion, the one time he went out during the Kyuubi festival because he wanted to celebrate his birthday he had been beaten by a group of drunken villagers.

All of it made sense.

_So I'm a demon then…?_

Naruto was so caught up in his turmoil that he did not even see the giant Fuuma Shuriken heading his way.

A second later Naruto found himself staring into Iruka's tear streaked face, he looked over to see a giant shuriken sticking out of his sensei's back.

"Why?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Because we're the same," Iruka said with guilt lacing his words. "I was just like you, back when I was in the academy I was so lonely, so I played the fool. I know what it's like to feel that kind of pain, it hurts doesn't it? I'm so sorry Naruto, I should have done more to help you."

"Hahahaha!" Mizuki laughed behind them, "that's a good one Iruka! But we both know you hate him more then anyone! After all, it was the demon who took your parents away!"

Naruto's eyes widened when he heard that. Naruto did the only thing he could do given what he was being told, he grabbed the scroll and ran.

"Naruto!" Iruka's voice sounded after him.

* * *

Naruto continued jumping through the trees as fast as he could to get away from the two chunin.

"Naruto!"

Turning around the blond saw Iruka coming towards him. "Naruto! Mizuki was lying! He was just saying that stuff to confuse you!" The chunin academy teacher held out his hand. "Give me the scroll so we can keep Mizuki from getting it!"

However, Naruto merely spun around and launched himself back at Iruka, smashing his head into the chunin's gut.

The two tumbled down the trees and onto the ground.

"How?" Iruka questioned as he held onto his stomach, "how did you know," there was a puff of smoke. "That I wasn't Iruka?" asked the Mizuki.

Naruto smirked, "because." There was a puff of smoke, when it cleared it revealed Iruka. "I'm Iruka."

Mizuki scowled, "why are you protecting that demon anyways? You know what he'll do now that he has his hands on the scroll. Naruto is just like me. He'll use the power that's inside the scroll to destroy Konoha! That's what demons are like."

"Your right," said Iruka, surprising Mizuki. "That is what a demon would do…"

Naruto who had taken to hiding behind a tree as he listened in, froze at those words. _I see… _he thought sadly. _So Iruka only see's me as a demon too…_

"But that's not what Naruto would do," Iruka's words caused Naruto and Mizuki to snapped there attention back to him. "Naruto is not the demon. He's my student and a proud ninja of Konoha! Sure he made not always get things right and he's a little… well he's really clumsy and doesn't act all that smart. But he's nothing like you! Naruto is a one in a million kind of person and I believe in him!"

Naruto went from depressed to elated, Iruka believed in him. For as long as he could remember only the old man and a nice father/daughter couple at Ichiraku Ramen believed in him. Having another person who believed he could succeed was an elating feeling.

"You know Iruka I was going to save you for later, but I've changed my mind." Mizuki sneered as he began spinning his shuriken on his arm as he got ready to launch it. "Die!"

Just as Mizuki got ready to throw his Fuuma shuriken at the Iruka a blond and orange streak crashed into him, launching a foot into his face. The Chunin traitor scowled as he landed several feet back, glaring at the person who had hit him.

"If you lay one hand on my sensei, I'll kill you!" Naruto declared, giving his opponent a defiant glare.

"Hah! I'd like to see you try demon!" Mizuki shouted with an insane grin.

Naruto put his hands in a ram seal and began amassing his chakra for another jutsu that he had seen in the scroll. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

Both Iruka and Mizuki gaped as hundreds if not thousands of Naruto's appeared within the forest. They were every where, a literal see of orange that almost blocked out all of the green of the forest.

"What's wrong Mizuki-teme? I thought you were going to kick my ass!" one of the clones shouted.

Another cracked his knuckles, "well if your not coming to us, I guess we'll just go to you!"

The clones all jumped up and headed towards the terrified traitor.

* * *

Naruto grinned as he looked down at the mass of black and blue flesh that had at one point been Mizuki.

"Hehe, maybe I went a little too hard on him," the blond said with a sheepish grin.

_Unbelievable,_ Iruka thought in awe. _To be able to have learned such a powerful jutsu in less then an hour… and the number of clones. He said that he wanted to be surpass the Hokage's and I'm beginning to believe he just might do it._

"Naruto," Iruka said, getting the blonds attention. "Come here, I have something I want to give you."

Naruto blinked before walking over to him, "what's up sensei?"

"Close your eyes for a moment," Iruka said. Naruto did so and as he did felt a weight being removed from his head before a new one took it's place. "Ok, you can open them now."

Naruto did so and his hand went to his head, feeling the cold metal and notched grooves of a Konoha head band. Iruka had his goggles in his hand.

"Congratulations! You graduate!" Iruka said with pride. "And to celebrate, we're going out for ramen tonight!"

Naruto smiled and was hard pressed not to cry. He decided to hide his tears by jumping on Iruka in a hug. "Iruka-sensei!"

"Owowow, Naruto that hurts!" Iruka said, though he was pleased to see the boy so excited.

* * *

"Thank you Iruka-kun, you may leave for now," Sarutobi said as Iruka escorted Naruto to his office. It was late and Iruka and Naruto had just gone out for some ramen after a clone had given Sarutobi the forbidden scroll. However he had wanted to talk to Naruto and make sure he was alright.

"Um… sure Hokage-Sama," Iruka said, "I'll see you in a week Naruto."

As Iruka closed the door behind him, Sarutobi turned to look at Naruto.

"Naruto…" Sarutobi started, only to stop as Naruto launched himself at him, grabbing onto the old Hokage as he cried. Sarutobi was actually surprised, in all his years of knowing the blond he had only ever seen him cry once. The one time he had gone out to the Kyuubi festival and gotten beaten by a group of drunk villagers.

_I guess what he learned today was too much for him to take_, Sarutobi thought as he wrapped Naruto in a hug.

"Sorry… Jiji," Naruto said with a small hic up.

"For what?" Sarutobi asked, amused. "The scroll his back, you helped me root out a traitor and just became a genin…"

"I got your robes wet," Naruto pointed at the small wet spot from his crying.

The Sandaime looked down to see that his robes were indeed wet from Naruto's tears. Sarutobi held in a snort of amusement, of all the things Naruto could be sorry for, it was for getting his robes wet.

"Jiji," Naruto said in an abnormally quiet voice. "Is it true? What Mizuki-s- Mizuki said?"

Sarutobi sighed, he had known this was coming at some point and had hoped to have some time to prepare for it. "It is…"

"So I am a demon…" Naruto said, looking down at the ground, tears forming in his eyes.

Sarutobi grabbed Naruto by the shoulders, making the blond look up at him. "Naruto, I want you to listen carefully. You are not a demon. When the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into you, he had made it his dying wish for you to be seen as a hero."

"A hero?" Naruto questioned, getting a nod from Sarutobi. "Why?"

"Because Naruto, it is only thanks to you that the Kyuubi is safely locked away. You are the entire reason that Konoha is still standing today," Sarutobi said.

"Really?" Naruto asked, his voice a little hopeful.

"Yes," Sarutobi said, "you are the hero of Konoha."

"Then, how come every one hates me?" the blond asked.

Sarutobi sighed, "they don't hate you Naruto… They just don't understand, sealing, or fuiinjutsu as it's called, is one of the most obscure ninja arts there is, and the hardest to master. Very few people understand this, and so when something like a demon gets sealed into somebody, they are unsure whether the seal can really hold something like that, a being of such power in. you have to understand that when the Kyuubi attacked, many good ninja died that day, and because of that they are unwilling to accept you, fearing that you are really just the Kyuubi in human form."

Naruto frowned, that made sense, in some sick and twisted way. But now that he knew why he was hated, he had to wonder what he should do. Would people be able to accept him? Could he get people to see past the Kyuubi and look at him as Naruto?

At the moment it didn't seem all that likely. After all, the people of Konoha had twelve years to get over their loss and see Naruto for himself. Then again he had not really helped in that regard. He had been so desperate for attention that he had turned to pranks, since even bad attention was better then no attention.

_But maybe if I show them that how good a ninja I am, and that I'm willing to protect the village, maybe I can change their minds. _Naruto thought to himself.

He looked up at Sarutobi with determination, "I'll show them that I'm not the Kyuubi, that I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Future Hokage of Konoha! I won't let this get to me, ever! Dattebayo!"

Sarutobi smiled at seeing the boys will of fire returning. "That's good Naruto-kun. I have no doubt you will eventually get there. However, it will require a lot more hard work then what you are used to. You won't be able to do your pranks anymore and will have to actually take the time to learn about being a shinobi. After all, a Hokage is not just the most powerful ninja in the village, he is the smartest and most cunning as well."

"So then your pretty smart, huh Ojisan." Naruto said.

Sarutobi chuckled a bit. "Naruto-kun do you know why I earned my nickname of professor?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Uh… Because your smart?"

"Well essentially yes." Sarutobi admitted. "However, it is much more then that. I earned the title of professor because of my ability to read people and react to any given situation both on and off the battle field. In the many years that I have lived, I have amassed much knowledge from reading books. Things that taught me about Shinobi basics, to the more advanced ninja abilities and theories, as well as knowledge on civilian practices like politics, which has become essential for every Hokage to know now."

He took a minute to curse The Nidaime's decision to create the council, the whole reason a Hokage needed to know politics. He had been told by his sensei, Senju Tobarima before the Second Shinobi War started that the he was one hundred percent positive he had been drunk when he came up with the idea. It looked good on paper, having a group of people dedicated to helping the Hokage deal with the everyday affairs of Konoha's civilians. However the reality was far different. Sarutobi had spent more time fighting with the council then anything, and many of the people in it, especially on the civilian side were extraordinarily greedy, always wanting more money and to line their pockets with more coin.

The old Hokage shook his head and banished the thought. "Anyway the point I'm trying to make is that to be a good shinobi requires you to be not just strong, but also smart."

"I guess that makes sense…" Naruto tilted his head for a moment before remembering something. "Oh yeah! Speaking of being strong you know that awesome jutsu I learned?"

"The Kage Bunshin? Yes I know it," Sarutobi said, wondering where the blond was going with this.

"Yeah well I was reading the description of it, and I was hoping you could help me figure out something I read in it. The scroll said something about memory feedback, and that it was really dangerous for some reason. But… I don't even know what that is." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Sarutobi looked at Naruto as he used his cunning mind, the mind that had given him his title of professor to come up with a plan that should help the blond get stronger without really helping him formed in his mind. "Memory feedback is the memories of the clones life returning to the user," Sarutobi answered. "Whenever a clone is dispelled, whether on purpose, by accident or running out of chakra, all of it's memories are given to the person who created them."

"Like when I created those ten in the forest and saw ten different sides of myself and my clones," Naruto mumbled to himself though Sarutobi still heard it.

"Yes, the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu is a powerful technique that way," Sarutobi said.

Naruto looked up and tilted his head in curiosity, "how so?"

Sarutobi tapped his chin, "well originally the clones were created because they were the perfect spying tools. You could have one of your clones infiltrate a base without any danger to the original and when they dispelled, they would give a complete layout of the base."

"So its used to memorize things?" asked Naruto, scratching the back of his head.

Sarutobi nodded, "yes. However, the Kage Bunshin can be used for more then just memorization Naruto-kun. In fact that jutsu is an excellent method to learn new things with. You can learn just about anything from your clones, from chakra control and jutsu, to the books you read, writing and even taijutsu since muscle memory is a mental faculty."

"That sounds almost like it can be used for training!" Naruto exclaimed, excited by the prospect of what he could get his clones to do.

The old Hokage nodded, "it can indeed be used for training. Though I suspect, that only you will be able to use this jutsu to it's full potential."

"Why is that?" asked Naruto, excited at the prospect that there was something only he could do.

"Because you're the only one who has enough chakra to summon enough clones to really make the training worth it. Most ninja, even Jonin, can only make five maybe ten clones if there lucky," Sarutobi answered.

"Ha! I made nearly a thousand in the clearing when I beat the crap out of Mizuki-teme!" Naruto said.

"That you did," Sarutobi chuckled at the boys enthusiasm, "but it will take more then spamming out clones to become a great ninja… you will have to train hard and actually be serious about your profession."

Naruto thumped his chest, "don't you worry old man! I'll train harder then everybody in Konoha! I'll become not only the most powerful Hokage ever, but the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations! That's my promise of a lifetime! Dattebaiyo!"

"I'm sure you will Naruto," Sarutobi chuckled. "And to help, I have some advice for you. But before I tell you what it is I want you to promise me you will listen to everything I have to say and follow the advice I give you to the letter."

Naruto grinned as he thumped his chest. "Don't worry Ojisan, I promise on my honor as the future Hokage of Konoha that I will listen to what you have to say and follow your advice! Dattebeyo!"

Sarutobi smiled before he began. "Very well then. Now since you are a shinobi you will have access to the ninja section of the library, there you will find scrolls on chakra theory and control, ninja basics and I think they even have a few books on Fuiinjutsu if your interested. Though I would also suggest reading books on things like politics and other civilian practices, if your going to be Hokage you will need to know these things. I want you to start off by finding books on basic chakra control and theory, as well as a taijutsu style that will suit you if the basic style does not. I know you do not want to hear this, but the basic principles are the most important aspects of being a shinobi, without them you can not grow because you do not have the essential steps necessary to advance in skill." Sarutobi looked at Naruto. "Promise me you will do this."

Naruto nodded, for once actually paying attention to what he was being told. "You got it Ojisan! I promise, first thing tomorrow morning I will go to the library and look up that information!" Naruto frowned for a moment. "Though, I don't know if they'll let me in."

Sarutobi frowned, he knew that a lot of places did allow Naruto entrance, like many of the shops and restaurants. Thankfully, the library, unlike the shops and restaurants, was government owned, meaning he was the only one who could bar someone entrance. "If they try to bar you entrance, just tell them barring entrance to a shinobi is illegal and that if they try they can take it up with me. Also, might I suggest some new clothes?"

"New clothes? What's wrong with these clothes?" asked Naruto, he liked these clothes. They were orange, and warm, and comfortable, and orange.

"Naruto, I know you like the color orange, however it is not a good color for a shinobi." Sarutobi said. "When you are out on a mission, those clothes will stick out like a sore thumb, and a ninja is supposed to blend in." Deciding to add some incentive Sarutobi added another thing. "Besides if you wear clothes that are more shinobi like it will add a powerful and mysterious image to you, making people recognize how powerful of a ninja you are."

That seemed to get Naruto hooked. "I'll do it Ojisan!" He frowned for a moment as he remembered when he had tried buying other clothes a few times, however he had always been kicked out of the stores before he could even take a look at the clothing selection.

"Good." Sarutobi smiled. "Now you have a whole week to get stronger before you get your Jonin-sensei assigned." The Sandaime said, "I suggest you use this time to get catch up with the rest of your class, with Kage Bushin's you should be able to get a decent level of knowledge and learn the basics. Though you will have to do physical exercise yourself, since clones can't do that for you."

Naruto blinked, "why not?"

"Because a clone is merely a chakra construct, it's not your real body therefore it can't help you grow physically," Sarutobi answered. "Now it's getting late, so why don't you get to bed. That way you can start getting stronger early tomorrow."

"Right!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically, "I'll see you later jiji!"

Sarutobi watched as Nauto left, _with the knowledge of that jutsu he should be able to grow strong. _Sarutobi looked at a picture of Minato, _your son is on the path to being a great shinobi Minato._

* * *

**So I really got nothing to say right now. R&R, let me know what you think, questions, comments, want to tell me I kick ass or that I need to get my ass kicked. Be sure to let me know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, first things first. A lot of people have been asking me about my pairings. I will not tell you what they are. All I'm going to say is that it will not be Ino, Sakura or Hinata, two of them for their overuse and all of them because I dislike these three pairings. When I do make my pairings you will know who they are, it will become obvious. So just be patient.**

**Also some people are worried about this being bassically the same as Canon with the sole difference being a stronger Naruto. It will start off like canon at first. Unfortunately due to how the story is set up there is not much I can do to change that, but it will begin to diverge later on.**

**Next people have been suggesting idea's and concerns for the kage bushin training. The way I see Kage Bushin's is that they evenly divide up the chakra between the clones and the original unless consciously reinforced. That means that the more clones created, the less chakra they have. You also have to take into account Naruto's general lack of control, so he wastes like 50-75% of his chakra when using jutsu. Because of this is clone training will start off slow and work its way up so he will not be godlike nor super powerful, but he will 'eventually' get strong.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: Some people have been asking me if I'm clinically insane recently. I would have to say, yes, I am. Reason being. Because I think that if I get enough people to sign a petition claiming that Kishimoto should give me the rights to Naruto that I can end up owning said previously named anime/manga. So, vote for me so I can own Naruto!**

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**Naruto: Shifts in Life.**

**Chapter 2: Starting Anew**

* * *

The next morning Naruto woke up early feeling fresh as a daisy, despite having been up late last night helping deal with a traitor and the shocking revelations that followed. He stood up and stretched out, working out some of the kinks he had gotten from the night before, and after that he started to get ready for the day, getting showered, getting dressed, eating his ramen and then heading for the library.

As he walked down the street Naruto ignored the glares and mutterings sent his way. While they still kind of bothered him, he refused to let it get to him in anyway. Now that he knew why he was hated, he was more determined to make them see that he wasn't some demon. That he was a proud shinobi of Konoha.

He would start by following his grandfather figures advice and start getting stronger and smarter. Hence the reason he was heading to the library to study. He didn't much like the idea of studying, but he had promised Sarutobi as a future Hokage so he had to go through with it. And if there was one thing Naruto would never do, it was going back on his word.

Who knows, maybe it would actually help.

Naruto entered the library and looked around, feeling his eyes widen at the sight before him. He had never been to the library before and was amazed at how large the place was. There were about four stories in the library all together, and all along the walls and in isles going down the library were books, loads and loads of books.

It was giving him a headache just looking at them.

Just as Naruto was about to make his way towards the ninja section of the library, he was stopped by the custodian.

"I am going to have to ask you to leave _Boy_," the custodian, a woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties said, spitting out the word boy with venom.

Naruto's first desire was to jump at the woman and start yelling about how she couldn't kick him out. However he had promised Ojisan that he would be an amazing ninja and ninja were mature and did not lose their emotions over something as simple as this. Instead he merely looked at the woman calmly as he spoke. "Listen lady, I happen to be a Shinobi of Konoha, and it's illegal to bar me entrance into the library." To emphasis his point Naruto pointed to his head band, making the woman pale a bit.

"Of course, if you feel this is still a problem I am sure that I could escort you to see Hokage-oj-Sama and we can work it out with him." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, he had almost called the Hokage Ojisan, but that would not sound good if he called the Hokage that right now, after all most people could never get away with calling the most powerful ninja in the village an old man.

The woman took a step back in shock for a second, unsure what to do in this situation. The boy had never actually come to the library before so this had not really been a pressing issue. However, like people who worked at other places she did not want the demon to be in her presence, or in the vicinity of stores of knowledge that could potentially help it shed its human flesh. She soon realized however, there was nothing she could do. It was well known that the Hokage was quite partial with the boy, and would favor him over her. Scowling she turned around and left but not before giving him some 'advice'. "Fine you can stay, though I suggest you take care when reading _child_. Should any of these books be out of place or damaged in any way I'm holding you responsible."

Naruto snorted as the woman walked off. Seriously, did she think someone like her could scare the great Uzumaki Naruto with such a lame threat? Shaking his head now that the crisis was averted Naruto made his way to the shinobi section of the library. He put his hands in a ram seal and created five kage bunshin's.

"Alright, I want you guys to grab some books and check them out, anything you can find on chakra, seals, taijutsu and basic shinobi skills will be fine. Also, find a book on… politics, whatever that is, Jisan said it was important for a Hokage to know so I need to know it. Bring them back home and start reading them."

"Wait, what will you be doing?" asked one of the clones, angry that his creator was shoving off his reading on them.

"I'm going to go shopping," Naruto said. He hated that he was going to get new clothes, but again, he had promised Ojisan that he would get new clothes, and the man had made a point. After all, he wanted people to take him seriously, and if this would help then so be it. "After all if I want to be a good shinobi I have to look cool too."

* * *

Naruto sighed as he was kicked out of another store. Walking off Naruto tried to think of a way to get into a store. Unlike the library, which was owned by the government, Aka the Hokage, the stores were all civilian owned, so they could kick him out if they did not want to do business with him. Which basically meant every store he had gone to had kicked him out, not wanting to sell anything to the Kyuubi brat.

Looking around the blond found a store that looked fairly non-descript, the only sign that told him it was for shinobi was the rather large kunai symbol above the door and the sign that read 'Higarashi Weapon Shop'. Deciding to give this place a try Naruto walked in.

Looking around the first thing Naruto noticed was that whoever owned this place had an obvious love for weapons. There were racks upon racks of weapons lining the entire shop. Swords, Staffs, Scythes it seemed that anything anyone could name was there. He had never seen so many different weapons in one place ever, and some of these weapons he had never seen at all. It was enough to make even someone like Naruto, who knew next to nothing about weapons, drool.

"Can I help you?"

Naruto stiffened and almost shouted as he spun around. Behind him was a young girl that was maybe a year older than him, wearing a Chinese style pink tank top, dark green cargo pants and had her hair done up in two buns. To Naruto they made her kind of look like a panda. _Or a mouse._ Naruto did his best not to snicker at the thought.

"Helloooo?" Naruto blinked as the girl waved a hand in front of his face.

"Um… what?" Naruto said, blushing in embarrassment as he took a step back and put a hand behind his head.

The girl just looked at him before she rolled her eyes at the kid's inattentiveness and shrugged. "I was asking if you needed help finding anything?"

"Erm…" Naruto blinked in surprise. "You work here?"

"That's right!" the girl said. "My name is Higarashi Tenten. My father owns this store so I come in and help when I'm not on missions."

"You're a ninja then?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yep, I've been a ninja for about a year now," Tenten replied.

"That's awesome!" Naruto stated with a large grin. "I just graduated…" he blinked as he remembered why he was here. "You know you can help me, I was looking into getting some new clothes!"

"I can see why," Tenten said with an amused smirk. "Your clothes are hideous."

"Hey!" Naruto said, feeling the need to defend his clothes. "These clothes are warm and comfortable and-"

"Ugly," Tenten finished with a grin, "seriously who wears orange?"

"I like orange!" Naruto shouted indignantly. Seriously, what was it with people continuing to diss on the color orange? It was the best color in the world! "It's my favorite color!"

"Even so, it's not a very good color for a ninja." Tenten replied, finding the boys defensiveness amusing. "Especially when it's so bright."

Naruto clenched his fists a bit as he resisted the urge to yell. _Remember your promise to Ojisan. _Naruto had to remind himself. _You promised to act like a real shinobi, and real shinobi do not get upset over things like this_. _Damn him for making me promise this!_ _He's so lucky I promised not to do anymore pranks or I would be pranking his ass into next week!_ He took a deep breath before letting it out. Feeling a little more in control Naruto looked back at Tenten. "Look can you help me with my clothes or not?" Naruto asked when he felt he had calmed down sufficiently.

"Sure," Tenten replied, amused by Naruto's reaction. She took him over to the clothing section of the store. "So what are you looking for exactly?" she asked.

Naruto thought about what he wanted to look like. He needed something that made him look cool and added a mysterious persona to him. Something that screamed powerful and awesome! Something...

"You know… I'm not sure," he said sheepishly. "I've never really shopped for clothes before so…" He had actually tried clothes shopping once when he was six and had just gotten an apartment, however the store owners had kicked him out before he could actually shop, that had actually been the same day he found his jumpsuits in the trash after the same store he tried to shop from had thrown them away.

"You're kidding right?" Tenten looked at him incredulously. When he shook his head she sighed. "Then it looks like we're just going to have to see what works." She pulled him over to the clothing section of the store, where she began grabbing different styles of clothes and then making him change into many styles she gave him, essentially turning him into a life sized dress up doll.

Eventually she found a style that fit. Now Naruto was wearing dark black shinobi pants that tucked into a pair of black steel toed combat boots instead of shinobi sandals. He had a black sleeveless Chinese style shirt like hers but with a dark orange trim, she had tried to talk him out of wearing any orange but was unsuccessful in getting the blond to completely rid himself of his favorite color. At least there was less orange then before and it was in a darker tone then his jumpsuit had been. His hands were covered in fingerless gloves that had metal knuckles that he could channel chakra through to increase the damage done. His arms were also covered in black bandages up to his biceps. Over this Tenten threw on a black cloak that covered his form down to the ankles. Lastly she changed the strap to his head band, giving it a long black fabric that went down to his knees.

"There, you look much better now," Tenten said, smiling at him. Indeed he did look much better, now that she was seeing him without all the orange he actually looked cute. "Now you like a real shinobi."

"You think so?" Naruto blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Of course! So will that be all?" Tenten asked.

"Yes I-" Naruto paused for a moment and his eyes glazed over as the memories of one of his clones hit him.

"Hello, anybody home?" Tenten asked at seeing the blond space out again. _This kid is so weird._

"Actually I do need some more things," Naruto said, turning his attention back to Tenten who was looking at him with her head tilted. "First do you have any training weights I can buy?"

"Of course," Tenten said, leading Naruto over to one section of the store. She went up to a shelf and grabbed a box. "This has a two pair set of training weights, one for the arms and one for the legs. To change their weight you just channel chakra into them and to release the weights you just hold your hand in the release seal and say 'kai'."

Naruto nodded at the explanation as he grabbed the box in her hand. "Next up I need a standard set of kunai, shuriken, explosive notes, smoke bombs, and ninja wire, flash tags, a sealing scroll to put it all in and…" Naruto closed his eyes as the information of another clone hit him, this was going to take some getting used to. "And a Bo staff."

"A bo staff huh? Well you're in luck because we have all of those things." Tenten said, once more leading him around the store. "Now then what kind of staff are you looking for?" she asked as she grabbed some of the other equipment he had asked for.

Naruto blinked as he went through the information of his clone. "It needs to be made of a light material, but have heavier ends for added force, if I can get something that has studs or some kind of protrusions to do more damage that would be awesome too. And I want to be able to channel chakra through it."

"Wow, that's quite a detailed item you want."

"GAH/KYA!"

Both Naruto and Tenten yelled as they spun around.

Naruto found himself staring at a bull of man. Large and built like brick shit house. The man had muscles on every part of his body that Naruto could see; he even had muscles on his muscles! He had brown hair and brown eyes much like Tenten. He was wearing an off white shirt, brown pants and a pair of brown boots.

"Damn it tou-san!" Tenten shouted as she clutched a hand to her chest. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me? And especially when I'm with a customer!"

Tenten's dad merely laughed, "Ah take it easy Tenten. Beside aren't you ninja supposed to be more aware of your surroundings?"

"Do you want to be used as target practice again?" Tenten asked with a maniacal gleam in her eyes and had one of her hands inside her kunai pouch.

Her dad merely sweat dropped before he coughed and turned his attention to Naruto. "So I heard what you want. That's a pretty descriptive weapon. Your fortunate that I have just the thing!"

Naruto watched with a mixture of shock and weariness as the man led him and Tenten to the back room, which turned out to be a forge. Getting a ladder the large man positioned it above a shelf and climbed up. Not finding what he was looking for, he got off and repeating this process several more times.

"I know I put it somewhere… but where- Ah hah! Here we are!" the man said as he came back down the ladder with a large object that was wrapped in cloth. "This was actually custom made for someone else, but well, he had died before I could give it to him. Since it's just been collecting dust over the years, I figured I may as well get rid of it."

Naruto and Tenten followed the large man back to the front where he rang Naruto up.

"Now all that stuff you got there will come to around 10,000 yen," Tenten's dad said.

Naruto cringed a bit but got out the necessary money, it would put him back by a lot, especially since he would no longer be able to gain a stipend from the Hokage since he was a ninja. That meant he would have to find some other way to get food, so he could use the money he had left to pay for utilities.

"Um… I think you missed the staff sir," Naruto said as he realized that the staff should be a lot more expensive then all of his other stuff combined.

"Nah, it's good," the man gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "You can have it to commemorate your first time shopping here."

Tenten gasped, her father had never given anything away, ever. Yet he had just given what Tenten could tell was one of her father's finest pieces of work, and to someone he just met!

Naruto was even more shocked, this man had to know about his status as the Kyuubi container, there was no possible explanation for him not to know. Ojisan had told him that everyone who was old enough to remember that night knew of his status. Yet here he was giving him something that looked like it had taken more time and effort to make then all the time and effort that Naruto had put into all of his pranks combined.

"Why?" Naruto asked in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "You know who I am…" both Tenten and her dad saw Naruto's hand unconsciously go to his stomach, one looked at him with understanding while the other was just confused.

"Because I'm not like most of the fools in this village kid," the brown haired man smirked at the blond. "Besides it's not like I'm giving this away for free!" Naruto looked up at him. "I expect you to come here for all your shinobi needs!"

Naruto looked at the man with shock; he realized that this man was also someone he could count on to see him for who he was and not what he held. He gave the two there one of his most brilliant smiles. "Thanks mister…"

"Kaito," the man replied.

"Thanks Kaito-san," Naruto bowed before grabbing his equipment and running off with a grin. "I'll make sure this staff becomes famous when I'm Hokage!" he yelled out as he left.

Tenten looked over at her father in undisguised curiosity. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Nothing that concerns you for now Tenten," Kaito replied as he looked at where the blond left.

_Minato, Kushina, I hope that this will help your legacy grow; it's all I can do for him…_

* * *

(The Next Day…)

The next day found Naruto in a training field working on several different shinobi aspects. He had summoned around one hundred clones to help him and had them divided into groups of twenty five.

The first group was working on chakra control, from what Naruto's clones had read yesterday, the whole reason he could not do a standard Bunshin was because he had extremely large reserves and next to no control, at least, that was the theory he had come up with from what he read. So he would need to fix that by getting better control.

Right now they were working on the leaf floating exercise, the first and most basic exercise. It was basically floating a leaf over the palm of their hands and making it spin. It was just in one hand at the moment, but Naruto eventually planned on increasing the amount of leaves that he could spin, figuring that the more leaves he could float at the same time, the better his control would be. It was not in the scroll he had read, but Naruto had always been innovative when coming up with pranks, and that ability was easily carried on into other aspects of his life and career if he actually set his mind to it. He wanted to at some point be able to spin a leaf on each finger at the same time, rather than using his palms before he moved on to tree climbing, which was the next exercise he saw when he had skipped to the intermediate chakra control book, just to see what it held of course.

Another group of clones was working on his taijutsu, in the academy he had been told the wrong stances by Mizuki-teme, who had been in charge of the taijutsu lessons, and so he really had no style, fighting more like a brawler then anything. He had originally grabbed a scroll on the basic academy taijutsu style. However he soon found that even with how simple they were, the style simply didn't fit him for some reason. It was odd because he had only started working on it today. But for some reason it felt… wrong, was the best way he could describe it. Like his body type just didn't have what the style called for, or maybe that his mind set did not work for it. Whatever the case the style did not work and he had to find another one.

Thankfully, his clones had found several other styles that they felt would be useful, he planned to learn them all so that he could find out which style would work best and eventually, combine the styles into something that he could call his own style, which would be totally awesome, and then he could shove it in Sasuke-teme's face that he had created his own style.

One of the things he had read (his clones had read) that lead to his decision to eventually create his own style was the knowledge that most shinobi stick with one style that suited them, and only one style. But Naruto had read from one of the basic scrolls that certain styles worked better against other styles, like the Uchiha Clan's fighting style worked well against most styles but was particularly good against styles that relied on taijutsu techniques that they could copy and use against their opponents. But it was susceptible to styles that relied on being faster than your opponent, and styles that relied on unpredictable and un-telegraphed movement. He figured that with the Kage Bushin he could learn them all, even if he was not proficient with them and turn them into something better.

Right now he was learning a style called Muay Thai, a style that relied on stand up striking along with various clincher techniques. The taijutsu was also known as the 'Art of Eight Limbs' because it relied on punches, kicks, knee strikes and elbow strikes rather than just fist and feet. So far this style was the one he was most comfortable with, since it was a more of a straight forward style and Naruto was always a bit of a brawler. Once he got this style down he would start building his own around this one once he started adding other styles to it.

Another group was working with his new staff, he had found an old boujutsu scroll and had decided that a good weapon would help him get stronger. He had decided on the staff because of his admittedly short reach (something he hoped to rectify soon). Like his taijutsu clones they were going through the style katas slowly at the moment, making sure that the muscle memory would be engraved in their minds for when they transferred.

There was only really one problem with using Kage Bushin to train in a physical activity like taijutsu and weapons training. They could learn the kata's of a style due to the fact that muscle memory was a mental faculty, but without a proper sparring partner it would only do so much. He could completely master all of the kata's in a style, yet even then, if he were faced with an opponent with more experience than him, he would lose. Still, at the very least this would mean that he could make his taijutsu as impeccable as possible before he found a sparring partner to really get better.

His last group was divided into two. One group was reading, most of it was on chakra theory, the use of hand seals, trap making, fuiinjutsu and various other shinobi aspects, all of them were beginner books written to teach the basics. The other group was working his calligraphy.

Naruto had decided that he was going to be better than all the Hokage's, and had figured that surpassing the Yondaime in what he was best known for would be the best way to show how just how awesome he really was. The first thing Naruto had learned about the complex art of sealing was that it required a steady hand, and absolutely perfect brush strokes. One wrong mark on a seal and the results could be… explosive. This meant he had to work on his calligraphy, because even if he did not want to admit it, his hand writing sucked.

So Naruto had been forced to delegate a group of clones to getting better hand writing. It was a basic skill he needed to learn, and while it sucked, he remembered Sarutobi's advice about basics being the fundamental stepping stone into more advanced stuff.

At least he was pretty sure that was what he had said. The man had talked so much when he had been giving advice that Naruto was not sure he got it all.

Meanwhile Naruto himself worked on the physical aspects of his training. He would start off with laps around the training field he had chosen, training ground forty three, a training ground right next to the Forest of Death, not that he knew that, since it was completely secluded. He was currently doing twenty laps around the training ground, with his added weights which were at twenty pounds for his wrist bracers, and thirty pounds for his legs, even he got tired. He planned on increasing the amount of laps he could do within one hour to increase his speed. He also did fifty push-ups, fifty sit ups, fifty pull ups on one of the trees, one hundred squats, one hundred log punches with each fist and one hundred kicks with each leg.

And that was his morning routine.

Naruto found himself laying on the ground as he panted, exhaustion actually setting in. it was an odd feeling, he reflected. Naruto had never really felt tired before, something he was beginning to suspect he got from the Kyuubi. Oh sure, sometimes he could get sleepy but never from lack of energy. Right now he was really exhausted.

With a sigh Naruto sat up, he was done with his morning workout but he still had half a day left. Turning to his clones Naruto gave the order to dispel.

Unfortunately they all decided to dispel at once, even with his enhanced healing factor Naruto could not withstand one hundred clones dispelling at the same time, which when combined with his exhaustion from his new morning routine, ended up knocking the blond unconscious.

* * *

It was nearly an hour later when Naruto woke up, looking at the sky and sighing in relief as he realized not much time had passed. Promising himself to make his clones dispel in groups to avoid the massive headache next time, Naruto stood up and made a few more clones.

"Go hunting and see if you can find something to eat," Naruto said. He was getting hungry and needed some food, with his money nearly gone from clothes shopping, Naruto did not want to waste it trying to get a decent meal.

While his clones did that Naruto set about to making a fire pit, digging out a small ditch before collecting rocks and putting them in a circle around it. He gathered some dried wood and put the pieces in the middle of the pit. With that done Naruto went through a few hand seals and used a small Katon (Fire Release) jutsu he knew. It was a fairly basic jutsu that was ridiculously easy to learn and he had only learned it because of its use in starting a fire for occasions like this. The jutsu was also easy, requiring very little control to create and one did not need an affinity for fire to use it meaning that anyone who had the ability to channel chakra could learn it.

"Hey boss!"

Naruto turned to see his clones, the one in the middle, who had spoken, was carrying several fish they had managed to catch.

"Good job," Naruto said, feeling a little awkward at knowing he was essentially complimenting himself. "Go ahead and dispel yourselves."

The clones nodded and dispelled as Naruto set about to cooking his meal.

After Lunch Naruto created another batch of one hundred clones and had them restart everything they had previously been doing.

Meanwhile Naruto attempted to meditate. In the book on the basics of chakra theory he had read that by meditating a ninja could sharpen their senses, as well as their mind and familiarize themselves with their chakra. So Naruto sat down and began feeling the chakra in his body. It wasn't hard, Naruto had always had a lot of chakra, in fact finding his chakra had been the one thing he had been able to do before the other academy students. He simply had so much that he did not need to actually spend time looking for it, it was already right there.

Once he felt it, he began to channel chakra to his ears. At first he winced, having channeled too much chakra and hurting his ear drums as the various sounds of the world invaded them. But after a while he managed to find an appropriate balance of chakra. He listened to the different sounds of the forest, or training ground. He could hear several birds chirping and some animals that were scurrying around on the ground. He heard running water, so there was a pond or stream not too far from him, it had probably been where his clones had caught those fish.

He also heard other sounds coming from the Forest of Death, roars, hisses and other odd noises that sounded like they came from some kind of ferocious beasts. The place sounded like something from a nightmare.

He shook the thought off and began channeling chakra to his nose, once again he channeled too much and had to immediately cut back. However, when he found the right amount of chakra where it no longer hurt, he began to try and differentiate the scents he picked up. It was hard since he did not know what some of the things he could smell were. But he did manage to pick up the scent of the trees, the dirt and grass of the field. Other scents he could smell, but simply not recognize.

After a while Naruto stood up, he did not know how long he had been meditating, but he was getting bored. And a bored Naruto was a dangerous Naruto.

Deciding to test his taijutsu limits Naruto put his hand in the ram sign, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" he shouted. There was a large burst of smoke and when it cleared Naruto could see nearly four hundred more clones then there had been in the field.

"Alright! All of you who I just summoned, this is gonna be a battle royal, all of you versus me!" Naruto grinned as he got into the beginning stance for Muay Thai. His stance as near perfect as could be on his first day ever. "Let the ass kicking commence!" Without delay Naruto charged into his clones head first.

Little did he know that he was being watched from afar by a curious observer who had been passing through.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he flopped onto his bed, not even bothering to take off his clothes. He was not only utterly exhausted, but also sore in places that he did not even know existed. The numerous cuts and bruises he had all over his face and body were just now beginning to heal.

Maybe fighting against four hundred of his clones had not been such a good idea. _Ass kicking, yeah right, more like getting my ass kicked._ Naruto rubbed his sore ass where several of his clones had actually kicked him.

Despite the pain Naruto was in, he felt good, really good. All that hard work had given him an odd feeling of satisfaction, and while Naruto did not feel like he had gotten super strong from that one sitting, he believed that he had made decent progress.

This day had also been an eye opener for the young blond. Before today Naruto had never really trained, he did occasionally go out to an empty training field on occasion, and he would exercise quite often. But he had never done anything like this. Most of his time was spent throwing kunai and hoping they hit, or trying to come up with some bizarre move that he thought would look cool, with a name like Uzumaki Barrage or some other egoistical name. He realized that those times he had never really made much progress.

He also felt that he was a little more mature. Maybe it was because of the clones he had been using, perhaps they accelerated his mental age since he technically lived all of those clones lives, or at least remembered those clones living there lives from their perspective. Or it could be the meditation he had done at the end, he still hated it, but he _had _felt better afterwards; well, better until his clones had beat the holy hell out of him. _Stupid clones._

Or perhaps his change in mentality was due to the events that had transpired and led him to where he was now. Before Naruto had been ignorant, he had not known why he was hated, or why he was treated unfairly in class by the majority of teachers, or why the other students constantly made fun of and belittled him.

Now he did, the Mizuki incident had opened his eyes. And he had promised not just himself but the Hokage, a man he looked up to as a grandfather that he would become the best shinobi and Hokage ever. And he would be the best Hokage ever, Naruto was sure of it. All he had to do was prove to the people of this village that he was not the Kyuubi, earn the people's respect by becoming a powerful ninja and show how far he was willing to go to protect the village. Then they would see him for him.

Easy right?

Looking over at the clock Naruto saw that it was nearing 10:00. With a stifled yawn Naruto shut his eyes and passed out.

Tomorrow and the rest of the week would be just as busy as today had been, hopefully he could get stronger before it was time for the genin emplacement.

* * *

(The Next Day…)

The next morning saw Naruto doing much the same as he did yesterday. His clones had split off into four groups of twenty five, they would again work on chakra control, taijutsu, boujutsu and then reading and fuiinjutsu (Calligraphy for the moment).

Meanwhile Naruto would do his physical work out. It was a little harder than before, Naruto had decided to increase the weights by ten pounds, so he was having a few problems. But he still managed to pull through his routine and this time, he was not quite as exhausted, since his body was already adjusting due to the Kyuubi.

Naruto began having his clones dispel in groups of ten, that way he would not pass out from memory overload. He created four more and told them to go out and hunt.

Meanwhile he was getting the things necessary for the fire pit. However, as he was walking Naruto heard the distinct whistling of kunai, a sound he had grown intimately familiar with yesterday during his battle royal.

Dropping the rocks in his hand Naruto rolled forward, pulling a kunai from his pouch at the same time. Standing back up Naruto looked over where he had been to see an odd flat kunai sticking out of the ground. Looking around the blond tried to find where the person who tossed the kunai was located, even going so far as to channel chakra through his nose and ears. When he didn't find any one Naruto became impatient.

"Oi! Show yourself before I kick your ass!" Naruto shouted, a bit of his old self coming back.

Several kunai were launched from within the trees. Naruto dodged some and blocked others, tossing his kunai into the tree's they had come from. He was not very good at throwing kunai, having been focusing in other aspects, but he had merely wanted his opponent to reveal himself.

Or rather herself.

For it was a female who jumped out from within the trees. As she landed on the ground in front of him Naruto got a good look at the woman. Said woman was wearing clothing that could be considered more of a lack there of then anything else. She had on a dark orange miniskirt that barely covered her unmentionables, a fish net shirt that once again did really nothing to cover her, it was especially bad since she had no bra under it as far as Naruto could see. Over that she had a tan trench coat that covered just enough of her breasts that Naruto could not see her nipples. She was wearing a pair of standard shinobi sandals with shin guards over them and had a Konoha head band on her head that held up dark purple hair that looked kind of like Shikamaru's pineapple hairstyle.

The sight of this woman, who Naruto actually found really beautiful (read sexy, he's just too innocent to think that right now) and yet at the same time frightening for some reason, made him blush and look away.

Of course this caused the woman to grin at him. "I take it you like what you see kiddo?"

"W-well… I… um… it's… er…" Naruto blushed as he began to sputter nonsensical words.

Anko's grin widened. "You know I usually castrate men for staring at me, so you should be lucky I'm making an exception this once."

Those words seemed to reboot Naruto's mouth as he turned back to her, "you know, I really don't think you have any right to attack men for looking at you. Since your clothing your wearing, or perhaps I should say the clothing your 'not' wearing makes you stand out more than Sasuke-teme does when he's running around town from his fan girls."

"Oh hoh," Anko said with an amused smirk, "so the gakI can speak after all, you know I had almost taken you for a mute."

Naruto scowled, "look I'm not in the mood to play games with you… whoever you are. I need to get back to my training, so why don't you tell me why you're here or leave."

"Now don't take that tone of voice with me gakI," Anko said in a teasing tone. Before Naruto could even blink, Anko tossed a Kunai that cut across his cheek before reappearing behind him, another kunai held to his neck.

_Holy shit!_ Naruto thought, his eyes widening. _She's fast! I didn't even see her move!_

"I was just curious to see who was training out here is all," Anko said in a pouty sounding voice as she wrapped her arm around his neck and pressed her chest into his back. She grinned as Naruto released an involuntary shudder and his blush came back full force. "Really, I mean when you get a new neighbor it's common courtesy to greet them."

"N-Neighbor?" asked Naruto as he tried to ignore the feeling of the woman's breasts pressed against his back. Having never had to deal with any kind of physical contact from a member of the opposite sex, except for the times Sakura hit him, he had absolutely no clue what to do in this situation.

"Uh huh!" Anko said with a grin as she leaned closer to him. Naruto blushed when the woman licked the blood off his cheek, causing Ank's grin to widen, though she was slightly disappointed and confused when she saw that it was already healed. "This training ground is right next to my home away from home," she pointed over to the Forest of Death.

"You train there!" Naruto asked incredulously. He did not know what was in there, but if what he had heard the other day was any indication, it was not a friendly place.

"Yup!" Anko said, smiling at him. "It's such a great place, all the creatures there that would like nothing more than to kill you, the giant tigers that love to feast on human flesh, spiders, man eating plants…"

As Anko continued to list off all of the 'amazing' animals that could be found within the forest, Naruto was thinking about other things. _Dear Kami! This woman must be fucking crazy to go in there! And listen to her talk, it's like she gets off on life and death situations!_ As he continued to listen his mind went down a different path. _Although she does seem strong, I didn't even see when she threw that kunai and then she moved right next to me in an instant. It was obvious that when she had first gotten my attention she was toying with me. I wonder…_

"You know, you never told me your name," Naruto interrupted the scantily clad kunoichi, who was currently talking about the best way to eat dango, how she got on that topic without Naruto noticing is anyone's guess.

"Well since you're asking, why don't you tell me your name first gaki," Anko said.

Naruto gave her a cheeky grin. "Since you interrupted my training to introduce yourself, I believe it's common courtesy for you to give your name first."

"Heh well I suppose you got me there," Anko smirked. "Well alright! I am the super sexy Mitirashi Anko!"

Naruto gave the woman a grin as he turned around after she let go of him. "And I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto! Future Hokage of Konoha!" He stuck out his hand, "Pleased to meet you!"

Anko blinked in surprise,_ wait this is the Kyuubi gaki? Last time I saw him he was wearing that hideous orange jumpsuit._ She had not seen the boy often. Usually she would spot him after he had done some kind of prank and started running from the chunin, jonin and occasional Anbu afterwards. She actually found the boys pranks to be pretty funny and had always looked forward to seeing what kind of havoc he would cause next.

Anko looked the boy up and down; _well he definitely 'looks' more like a shinobi in that. I wonder what happened to his jumpsuit?_

"Pleasure to meet you gaki," Anko said, taking the hand and shaking.

One of Naruto's eyes twitched, "you know I told you my name so you would use it."

Anko's grin threatened to split her face, "I know…"

Naruto was about to growl at her when he remembered how fast she had been and his disgruntlement vanished. "Hey Anko?" said woman looked at him. "That was really awesome the way you were able to throw that kunai so quickly, and then you got behind me like super-fast. So I was wondering if you would be willing to help with my training?"

Anko's eyes actually widened for a second. She had not thought he would actually request something like that, or request anything at all really. Truthfully she had just been curious to see who was near her turf, since most people stay away from any training ground near the Forest of Death, and had hoped that he would amuse her.

However she thought about the request, she would not be able to spend much time with the boy, but she was curious. She knew of the child, hell everyone knew of Uzumaki Naruto. Aside from being just the 'Kyuubi brat' as some of the civilians had called him, he was also known as the prankster king from hell, as well as the dead last of his class. In fact, she had heard that the only reason he graduated was because he managed to help that Chunin academy teacher Iruka catch Mizuki with a high level jutsu.

Yet here he was, training with a butt load of Kage Bushin, truly an ingenious training method and something she suspected only he could really do. He was still totally rough around the edges, she could tell that he had just started learning his taijutsu style, even with the clones his moves were sloppy. Better than most on their first day but still sloppy.

"What makes you think I would want to train a brat like you?" asked Anko.

Naruto growled as his eyebrows twitched. "Hey! I'm not a brat! You stu-" He stopped right there and clenched his hands together, taking several deep breaths. Getting himself back under control he looked at Anko and smirked. "Because if you train me, you'll be able to brag about how you trained the Future Hokage of Konoha."

"Future Hokage of Konoha huh?" Anko mumbled with a smirk. She had been getting bored with the monotony in her life anyways, who knows, maybe training some brat would actually be fun. "Ok, you got yourself a deal Gaki, just meet me at the entrance to training ground 44 tomorrow and we'll begin the to- I mean training."

"Which training ground is training ground forty four?" asked Naruto, completely oblivious to her slight slip up.

Anko grinned and pointed to the forest where he had heard all of the creepy ass noises coming from the other day.

Naruto felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine but agreed anyways.

After all, how often was it that he actually had someone aside from the old man pay attention to him.

* * *

(The Next Day…)

Naruto cursed as he dodged the incoming snakes that were launched at him from the left. Jumping over to the next tree branch Naruto panted a bit as his cuts healed and the bit of snake venom in his body was flushed. Standing up Naruto looked around in fright.

He had met Anko today just outside of training ground forty four as asked. Naruto had been hesitant to follow her when she had begun walking in the forest, but at her insistence he had followed. Almost immediately after that the hunt had begun and he had been running ever since.

Anko had disappeared and then began to play a game of death tag, using snakes, kunai and anything else she could think of throw at him. He had yet to see her since, only catching a few glimpses of her here and there, right before she launched a snake or some other projectile at him.

To top it off there were all of the creatures that were in here that seemed to be flocking to the noise he was making in his haste to get away from the crazy snake using jonin. Everything from giant ass spiders, to large man eating plants were there, and all of them trying to kill and devour him. So he had to not only worry about Anko, but also worry about the creatures in the forest.

_Training my ass! _Naruto growled to himself. _I'm starting to think she just wanted to torture some poor sap, and I was unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. _He was beginning to regret asking Anko to help train him.

Hearing a snap from behind Naruto rolled to the left, just dodging a giant spider that had tried to land on top of him. Grimacing, Naruto grabbed a kunai and wrapped an explosive tag around it. He had tried early on to kill these things another way that would be less wasteful, but had learned that he did not have enough physical strength to kill them with just muscle power yet, even when it was enhanced by his chakra. And Naruto had not actually bothered to learn jutsu either, preferring to get his basic skills in chakra control, tai and boujutsu up to snuff.

He told himself as soon as he was out of here he was going to learn some jutsu that would get through these things thick hides.

As the spider began to move towards him Naruto threw the kunai, it managed to hit the creature right in the left eye, one of its only weak points. This was the only good thing this damn forest had given him right now, better aim, since without it he would have been killed from wasting so many kunai.

The creature shrieked and thrashed in pain, however it still continued to charge after Naruto. Putting his hands in a ram seal, Naruto activated the explosive tag. He jumped off the branch as the creatures head exploded in a gout of blood and brains.

Bouncing from branch to branch Naruto eventually landed on the ground. He leaned up against the tree, panting as he tried to get a breather.

Before he could however, several kunai came at him from above. Naruto pulled out his own kunai and deflected some away from him as he rolled across the floor. Coming up on his feet Naruto's eyes widened as Anko swooped down on him like some kind of bird of prey.

He dodged her first kunai slash, jumping back as he tossed his own kunai at her. Anko merely caught and threw it back twice as fast. Naruto was able to dodge the attack but was not fast enough to dode it entirely and ended up getting a knick on his left arm.

Deciding to test his taijutsu, Naruto ran towards Anko. He ignored the fear that welled up inside of him when he saw her grin.

Anko flicked out her hands and shouted "Sen'eijashu (Hidden Shadow Snake)!" Several snakes were launched from her sleeves. She had used this jutsu enough in the time he had been running from her that Naruto had come to expect it and dodged to the right.

What he did not expected was for the snakes to change in mid direction, coming at him from behind and wrapping tightly around him.

"You know charging at an opponent who is clearly superior to you is just stupid," Anko said with a large grin on her face, she had actually had fun today.

Naruto winced as his bones compressed. "Yeah I kind of figured that, but at the moment I don't have many jutsu to use. Kage Bunshin, Henge, Kariwimi and my own Oiroke No Jutsu and that's it. None of those can be used for long range attacks, and your too fast for me to track to even think of using my kunai."

Anko nodded, "this is true, but you should have taken the time to think ahead and set up some traps or something instead."

"It's kind of hard to do that when you're busy fighting for your life," Naruto deadpanned as Anko's snakes disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Anko rubbed the back of her head, "yeah I suppose it is huh?" Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "But then again in real life, you're going to have to think quickly or you'll get yourself and others killed in the field."

Naruto winced as he rubbed his sore ribs, "yeah I know…"

"Now then," Anko rubbed her hands together. "Since I was kind enough to help you train, you're going to buy me some dango!"

"What?" Naruto asked, thinking he hadn't heard her clearly.

"Yep, that's right you're going to buy me some dango since I was gracious enough to help you," Anko stated.

"But.. That's… but I… fine." Naruto sighed when he saw her pout, this would probably take the last of his money but she had helped him, and now that she had brought the 'I helped you' trump card, he would feel guilty if he did not do as she asked.

"Where are we going?" He held his head down as he mourned the coming loss of his money.

Anko smirked as she grabbed Naruto and began dragging him to her favorite dango stand.

* * *

"Ah! That was good," Anko said, patting her satisfied stomach. She had taken him to the place she usually got Dango from, and like she had asked (commanded) he had paid for her meal...

… of fourteen plates of dango. Naruto was actually unsure whether to be shocked or impressed that this woman seemed capable of eating almost as much as he could.

"Glad you liked it," Naruto said dryly, listening to his stomach gurgle a bit.

Anko blinked as she too heard the sound. "If you're so hungry why didn't you eat as well?"

Naruto sighed, thinking about lying to her, but he had been talking to her, or at least, he had listened to her ramble, and found out her profession was in torture and interrogation, so she would specialize in catching lies.

"You already cleaned me out of money," Naruto said with a sigh, holding up his empty frog wallet. "Until I begin going on missions I don't even have enough money to pay for utilities…"

Anko actually looked down a bit at that, actually starting to feel bad that she had pretty much just eaten him out of all his money. Contrary to popular belief, she was not some heartless bitch like most of the villagers made her out to be. However she had to put up a hard front or the villagers would try to harass her like they had after her sensei… she shook her head of the thought and looked at the blond in front of her. "Then why did you actually agree to pay for my food?" She asked.

"Because you helped me," Naruto shrugged as if that explained everything. "You're the first person to ever help me this directly. Even Hokage-Ojisan hasn't helped me like that."

Anko actually felt worse at hearing that. "What about your stipend? You're an orphan right? Don't you get some kind of monthly allowance or whatever?"

Naruto shrugged, "yea when I was a civilian. But now that I'm a shinobi I won't be getting one anymore since I'm considered an adult." He noticed her guilty expression and sighed. "Look don't worry about it, I can see about getting some kind of part time job when I'm not on missions so it should be fine."_ That is, if anyone will actually let me work._

Anko looked at him oddly before shaking her head. "You know, you're a weird kid. I eat away the last of your money and you tell me not to worry about it. Great… now you actually made me feel bad." She groaned for a moment and looked at Naruto. "So tell you what, I'll help train you when I'm not on missions or torturing some poor sap, for free instead. In return all you have to do is start giving me a good fight."

Naruto looked at Anko for a moment, thinking about the offer. It wasn't bad all things considered. Yeah, she kind of scared the shit out of him… actually she really scared the shit out of him. But she was also super strong from what he had been able to determine today. Strong enough to wipe the floor with him at least. He gave her a large grin, "you've got yourself a deal!"

* * *

Sen'eijashu (Hidden Shadow Snake) - C rank offensive jutsu. Allows the user to project several snakes from their wrist as they make punching motion towards their intended target. The snakes bite and wrap around the given target, potentially inflicting multiple wounds. They are also capable of poisoning a victim.

Henge (Transform) - E rank supplementary. A basic technique taught in all academies. This creates an illusionary transformation which can be used to transform into objects, such as items, animals or other people. This technique is merely an illusion and upon being displaced by an object passing through will dispel.

Kariwimi (Body Replacement) - E rank supplementary. This lets the user quickly switch places with another nearby object, usually a log but can be done with others like a plant, animal or even a person, leaving the opponent to counter attack. Many forms of debate have gone about as to what kind of jutsu this is. Some are under the belief that this jutsu is in fact a space/time ninjutsu at its most basic (Space Time Jutsu includes jutsu's such as the Hiraishin used by the Yondaime Hokage).

Oroikie No Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu) - E rank, or A rank, depending on who you ask. The technique utilizes the true transformation technique, or shadow transformation in order to transform into a beautiful nude woman. Unlike standard transformations this is a real transformation which creates a chakra construct that envelops the user.

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**How did you people like this chapter? I thought it was alright, I find that it's hard trying to make Naruto change from an idiot to a bad ass and make it seem real. You kind of just want him to go through this transformation where one minute he's this raving retard who screams about Hokage, Ramen and Sakura-chan. And the next he's calm, cool, collected and so bad ass that ladies just swoon over him. **

**Anyways R&R to give me your thoughts and feedback, I'll be here, plotting the many ways I can take over the world… no seriously, I am going to take over the world.**

**Aslo, I'm kind of curious... What do hits mean? Is that like the number of people who read the chapter or something? It's really odd cuz it says that my story has 0 hits, but I have 27 reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3

**RoseChibi: Finished? You think it's finished? No I still have god only knows how many chapters before this thing is finished. But I have enough to keep everyone satisfied for a while. As for Muscle memory being a mental faculty. It actually is. I made sure to research this. I have a friend who is into the science of the body and he told me it had something to do with pulses (He used another more complicated word but I can't remember it) getting sent from the brain to the muscle to make it move. The explanation was much more complicated, but there is no way my slow-ass retared mind can remember all that he said.**

**Albatross Aoba: I get in the intense feeling you were trying to be sarcastic. Also, it is kind of hard to avoid cliche's at the beginning of a story, in fact just about everything anyone can think of is probably in here somewhere (There's over 260,000 naruto stories alone). It's not the big ass plots and what not that make stories cliche or not, it's all the little things that people add in their stories. Mine will eventually diverge from the canon with only a few of the archs that are either nessecary or that i like being in it.**

**Stone20: Don't worry; none of my stories have been abandoned. I just have to get all of my ideas for this story out of my head before I can get ideas for my other ones. I'm unfortunately not one of those guys that can just pull random and awesome out of my ass at a near constant rate.**

**I've seen some comments on Naruto's interaction with Tenten and Anko and possible pairings. Please do not look to into anything that has happened right now. Just because of his interaction with either of them does not mean anything for pairings right now, it is far too soon to get into those. Also, as far as the Naru/Anko pairing it really depends on how old she is. My other story I have Naruto with Mei and Konan both of whom I'm pretty sure are old enough to be Naruto's mother. In this I am trying to keep Naruto with girls around his age and five years up. So if Anko is over nineteen, which I am pretty sure she is then she will most likely not be with naruto.**

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**Disclaimer: I have every intention of eventually owning Naruto. This is just because at the moment I have not been able to find anyone who is capable of sneaking into... well, into where ever Kishimoto keeps the rights to Naruto. But when I do! I will be on top! MWAHAHAHAHA!**

***Cough* Sorry, I guess i got a little carried away.**

**Chapter 3: Meeting Konohamaru**

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(Two Days Later…)

It was early in the morning as Naruto went about his daily exercise routine. Anko had gone on a mission today so she was not here with him like she had been the past couple of days. Not that he was going to complain, the woman's training method may be effective, though if you asked Naruto it was more torture then training, but he really had no desire to come home looking like a walking bruise today.

Not to say hid training had not been progressing well; even Anko had been impressed by how quickly he was learning, though her way of saying that was 'Wow! Keep this up and maybe you won't continue to suck!' yeah, not exactly the nicest thing for someone to say when giving out compliments. Still he would not complain about her or her training methods. Each day they sparred or he would be forced to run from her in the Forest of Death, he would last just a little bit longer, meaning he was just a little bit stronger than he had been when first starting. And really, wasn't that the whole point in training?

Nauto's chakra control was getting better; he could now float five leaves on one hand (each of his fingers) and rotate them. His clones were beginning to work on the other hand now. It was his hope that he would master this soon and then get started on tree climbing, since the idea of being able to walk on a solid vertical surface was the coolest thing he could think of, even if he had promised not to do pranks, he could just imagine all of the potential that ability would have had for his pranking career.

His taijutsu was better, still nowhere near enough to beat a Jonin like Anko, or even one of the better chunin, but it was still good enough that Anko had been impressed with the short amount of time it took for him to learn it. Normally during their training, Anko would literally tear his taijutsu apart, picking the entire style a part piece meal. Often when she found a weak point in his guard, or an attack that would overstretch him; she would take full of advantage of it, beating him into the ground before telling him what he did wrong. After all, there was nothing like getting your ass kicked to make sure you really did not want to get your ass kicked again.

His physical strength also had increased a bit. His arms weights were now at thirty pounds while his leg weights were at forty pounds. The ability he had to increase his weights faster than normal was thanks to his healing factor. Naruto had found out that when his muscles ripped or his bones broke, the Kyuubi's chakra would come out of the seal and heal his body making it twice as strong at the break. It was probably the one good thing that had come with the Kyuubi so far.

Boujutsu was a bit slower than the other things he was trying to learn, especially since learning to use a weapon was a completely new experience unlike taijutsu. He was still getting better every day, but learning to use a staff was harder then everything else he was working on.

Surprisingly enough it was his studies in fuiinjutsu that made the biggest leap. He had been told that the art was one of the hardest to learn, however Naruto seemed to take to it like a fish to water. He had already read the basic book and was reading the first level intermediate book. His ability to actually make seals was a little slow, having been forced to make his hand writing perfect so that he would not accidentally make some mistakes on the seals and have it blow up in his face. Still he understood the subject well, and had hope that he would eventually be able to create some seals without it killing himself.

He had also learned a few new jutsu that Anko had decided to teach him. The first one was the Kunai Kage Bushin No Jutsu (Kunai Shadow Cone Jutsu)and it's shuriken variant, it was a simple C rank jutsu that multiplied the amount of kunai thrown and was used for mass bombardment of an enemy's position. The jutsu required little control and for someone like Naruto who had learned the Kage Bushinin one hour, this jutsu was simple.

Aside from that he had also learned the Bushin Daibakuha (Great Exploding Clone), this had in all honesty become his favorite jutsu. Basically it was a shadow clone that you simply overloaded with chakra to make it explode. The key to doing this was to send a large dose of chakra to the clone in one go, rather then gradually building chakra in it like when he created reinforced clones.

Other than that his aim with kunai and shuriken had gotten better, he could now hit a moving target with some degree of accuracy. He had also found the limit to his seemingly limitless energy, though that had come from spending several hours playing death tag with Anko in the Forest of Death.

The last of Naruto's accomplishments was with his issue of money. Originally he had been tempted to go and see if Kaito would be willing to let him work there for money, however he had decided against it since the man had already been so kind to him and he did not want him to lose customers for having the demon brat working for him.

The solution had been for Naruto to create Kage Bushin and have them henge into regular people. They would go and find a job to earn money and he could continue his physical exercise. So far he only had two of them that found a job. A female clone with long black hair and brown eyes he had named Akira, and a male clone that looked like an older version of him except with brown hair and gray eyes (neither of them had whiskers) called Kian. Akira had managed to get a job working as a waitress for one of the Akamichi owned barbeque restaurants, surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly the girl was a hit. Of course Naruto had learned from Anko that sex appeal goes a long way towards being popular (with guys at least), and since Akira was basically just his Oiroke No Jutsu with some minor altercations (Different colored hair, eyes and wore clothes), she was very, _very _popular. His other clone had gotten a job working as a clerk for a grocery store.

Of course he knew there would be a problem with the two clones later on. Eventually Naruto would be forced to leave Konoha for missions. When that happened he would not be able to make his clones to do their jobs. But he was trying to work on a solution for that, and had even already thought of a possible answer. But it would have to wait until he got better at fuiinjutsu.

Looking up at the sun as he finished his daily routine, Naruto realized it was time to get back home. Today was his last day to exercise before getting his jonin sensei assigned. Tomorrow was Sunday and he had decided to get some rest, after all, the body, even his body needed rest in order to keep from burning out.

Naruto ordered his clones to dispel in groups before heading back to his apartment.

* * *

(The Next Day…)

The next morning Naruto got up and started getting ready for the day. After getting showered and dressed Naruto moved into the kitchen where one of his Kage Bushin was making, trying to make, breakfast. Naruto had decided to change his diet to a more healthy food then just ramen, having read that he needed to have more balanced and nutritious meals if he wanted to get taller, something he was desperate to do, even desperate enough that he would stop eating just ramen to do it.

His clones had only recently started cooking, so nothing they made tasted all that good. But at least they hadn't burned the house down yet, so Naruto was counting his blessings.

After eating his meal Naruto left the house, locking the door before leaving.

Hopping onto the roof of his building, the blond made his way towards the Hokage tower where he would get his ninja registration and photo ID.

* * *

Naruto smiled as he made his way towards the academy so he could present his photo and registration to the Hokage. Walking in the door where he the old man was Naruto greeted him in the way that only Naruto could.

He slammed the door open and shouted, "yo Ojisan! I've got my registration!"

Sarutobi smiled as he looked up, "ah, Naruto… how…" Sarutobi trailed off as he looked over at Naruto. He blinked as he took in the change of clothes that the blond was wearing. The orange jumpsuit the blond had one was gone, in fact, Sarutobi could not see anything other than the large cloak that the boy was wearing since it went all the way down to his ankles. He had only managed to catch a small glimpse before Naruto had moved his hand away from the door, but what he had seen was infinitely better than that orange jumpsuit he use to wear. The boy actually looked like a real shinobi with that outfit. It was surprising actually.

He had not seen Naruto since the incident; in fact no one seemed to have seen him since then. It had actually caused a bit of commotion among the villagers who had feared some kind of grand prank from the 'Prankster King'.

Sarutobi himself had been concerned that the boy may have had some trouble coping with the new knowledge that he held the Kyuubi. However, it seemed as if he had been worried over nothing.

Shaking himself from his thoughts Sarutobi offered the boy he thought of as his grandson a smile. "Well this is certainly a surprise Naruto-kun, though I am glad you took my advice. I like the new look, you look like a true shinobi."

Naruto blushed a bit in embarrassment, "you think so? Well, I thought if I was going to be a real ninja, I should change into something that made me look a little more um… ninja-ish."

Sarutobi chuckled a bit, "indeed, I take it you are here to give me your registration?"

Naruto nodded as he gave the old man a grin, "Yep!" Walking up he handed Sarutobi his ninja ID and registration. Naruto moved over to one of the seats and waited for Sarutobi to approve it.

After a few moments of studying the information and picture Sarutobi nodded. "The picture looks good. I can see you have matured greatly." Naruto beamed at the old Hokage's praise. "To be honest I expected you to do something like paint your face, or some other childish act."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted indignantly, standing up and pointing at Sarutobi. "I've grown up since then! I'm not some brat who would do something like that anymore! I'm an adult now!"

Sarutobi just gave the boy an amused expression. "Yes that is true, you do seem to have grown exponentially this week. I was merely talking about what you would have done before."

Naruto calmed down slightly at that and gained a sheepish expression, he probably would have done something like that before. "Well… I suppose your right."

Sarutobi smiled before remembering something. "I forgot to mention something important the night of the 'incident' Naruto." Sarutobi began, catching the blond genin's attention. "Due to the fact that you were able to root out a traitor to Konoha and keep the forbidden scroll safe, I have listed it as your first B rank mission." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the new knowledge. "So I want you to come to my office later today so you can receive your mission pay."

"Really?" Naruto asked, at Sarutobi's nod he pumped his fist in the air. "That's awesome! My first B rank mission and I only just started as a genin! I'll be Hokage in no time with this kind of track record!"

Sarutobi just chuckled at the overenthusiastic blond. "I am sure you will Naruto."

"Speaking of Hokage, you might as well give me that hat right now Ojisan. Seeing as how I beat you that night." Naruto said with a grin.

Sarutobi blushed a bit, remembering just 'how' he had been 'beaten'. "I am afraid that did not actually constitute as a fight Naruto-kun," the old Hokage replied smartly. "Therefore I can't actually give you my hat."

"Oh?" Naruto asked with a devious smirk on his face. "So if I were to beat you now, would you? Maybe you need a little reinforcement of just how badly you lost."

Sarutobi paled as he saw the blond putting up a familiar hand sign. "Naruto wait don't-"

"Oiroke No Jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke covered Naruto and when it cleared enough to see, it was no longer Naruto that Sarutobi was looking at.

He was now staring at young blond woman who looked to be about 18 years old. She had long blond hair that was done up in two pig-tails which traveled down to her butt. Her face was heart shaped and lightly tanned and she had a set of sky blue eyes that held an alluring quality to them. She had a small nose and on either side of her nose were three symmetrical 'whisker' marks that seemed to add an 'exotic' quality to her. Her lips were a light, moist pink that contrasted a bit with her skin and gave her a pouty and seductive expression. Her body was what one could only describe as perfection. Luscious looking C borderline D cup breasts that while not as large as his former student Tsunade, were amazingly round and perfect. A narrow waist with a flat toned stomach led into flared hips with a perfectly round and firm butt. Going down even more were a set of mile long legs that seemed to go on forever.

She was also completely naked, with only small bits of smoke covering certain 'key' areas. Yet that only seemed to add to her allure, leaving just enough to cover her with and make you want more.

The Sandaime Hokage took all of four seconds to notice these key features about the woman, when he did it only became a matter of time before he gave the inevitable perverted reaction.

**BOOM!**

Like last time the old Hokage was thrown back as a geyser of blood flew out of his nose.

"HAHAHAHAHA…! Looks like I got you good Ojisan!" Naruto shouted as he turned back into himself with a puff of smoke and held his stomach while trying not to fall on the floor.

A few seconds later Sarutobi managed to pull himself back up and set himself in his chair, dabbing his nose with a tissue. "That jutsu again, I must admit it's very clever, but very dangerous. I'm going to have to list it as a kinjutsu."

Naruto blinked as he looked over at the old man. "So you're going to make this a forbidden technique?"

Sarutobi nodded, "it seems much too dangerous to be placed in the wrong hands."

The grin that stretched across Naruto's face threatened to split it in half. "That's AWESOME! Ha! I just graduated and I already made a kinjutsu! I'll be Hokage in no time if I keep this up! Who kicks ass! That's right, Naruto kicks ass!"

Sarutobi looked at Naruto with an expression somewhere between amusement and exasperation as the blond did a victory dance. "Naruto," he watched as the blond completely ignored him and continued dancing. "Naruto!" His voice was a little louder, hoping it would catch the blonds attention. When it didn't work he shouted, "NARUTO!"

"What is it Ojisan?" Naruto asked as he stopped his victory dance.

"You need to calm down, you're a shinobi remember?" reminded Sarutobi.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck as a sheepish grin crossed his face. "Right, sorry."

Sarutobi sighed, "I swear sometimes-"

The old Hokage was interrupted as the door opened and a little kid rushed in with wooden shuriken in his hand.

"Now I've got you old man!" the child yelled, "after I defeat you I'll become Hokage!"

Naruto blinked as he watched the kid run. He was wearing a head cap and a blue scarf that was several feet too long for him. _If he keeps running like that he's going to trip._

As if on cue the young boys feet got caught up in his scarf and he tripped, landing flat on his face.

"Owowow!" the boy yelped as he put his hands on his face and rolled back and forth along the floor.

_Oh boy, _Sarutobi thought as he sighed, _if it's not one thing, it's another. _The old Hokage pulled his Hokage hat down over his face in embarrassment. Naruto merely stared at the kid, wondering how the hell he could actually be dumb enough to wear a scarf that was so large. At the same time a man wearing dark plane clothes and sunglasses appeared in the door way, panting a bit.

"Gah! Dang, did someone set up a trap to trip me!" the kid shouted as he sat up, holding his head.

"Honorable grandson are you alright!" the man wearing the sunglasses asked. "And pardon my observations but there are no traps here, the surface is completely flat." The man said as he regained his composure, pushing his sunglasses up on his nose in what Naruto thought was a snooty gesture.

Naruto just continued to look on at the scene, one eye twitching. _Kami, I don't think even I'm that clumsy!_

The boy got up from the floor and looked around, noticing Naruto staring at him. At the same time the man with the sunglasses spotted Naruto as well.

_It's him! The Kyuubi brat! He's the worst kind of troublemaker around! _The man thought as he sneered at Naruto.

Naruto however did not notice the man's sneer of disgust as the boy stomped up to him and pointed. "It was you wasn't it! You're the one who tripped me!" he accused angrily, pointing a finger at him.

Naruto's first reaction was to smack the kid, but he took a calm breath, it would not do for a ninja to hit a civilian. Slowly and deliberately Naruto reached out and grabbed the boys scarf, flinging it back and forth in front of the child's face.

"This," Naruto said in a slow voice as if talking to someone who was retarded. "Is what you tripped over. Seriously, if you're going to wear something like this, get one in a smaller size so your clumsy feet can't trip over it."

"No, no, no, NO!" the boy shouted as he stomped his feet on the ground. "You did it! I know you did! Just admit it you coward!"

That was enough for Naruto, no one called him a coward! Standing up Naruto lifted the boy off the ground by the scruff of his shirt.

"Now you listen here you damn brat!" Naruto shouted through gritted teeth. "I'm not a liar and I'm not a coward! You should be more careful when you're speaking to a shinobi, or someone might just end up putting you in your place!"

"Uzumaki! Take your hands off of him this instant!" the sunglasses man shouted. "He is the Honorable grandson of our leader Sandaime Hokage-Sama!"

Naruto paused as he turned to the man in the sunglasses, thinking about what he said before turning to the kid in his grip.

_Huh, so this brat's related to the Hokage-Ojisan._ Naruto thought since the sunglasses man did not have any reason to lie to him.

_That's right,_ the boy thought with a smirk. _He's just like the rest, stopping from doing something as soon as he learns who I am. _Feeling confident that nothing would happen to him now, the young boy took this opportunity to gloat. "What's the matter tough guy? I thought you were gonna teach me a lesson! Afraid because the Sandaime Hokage is my ojisan?" despite being held up in the air the young child puffed out his chest.

Naruto's eyes twitched several times. "I DON'T CARE IF HE'S YOUR OBAA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled as he dropped the boy on the floor and smashed a fist on to the top of his head.

Konohamaru who had tried to get up from being dropped, fell back to the floor as Naruto smashed a fist on his head.

_This guys… different…_thought Konohamaru as he hit the ground again.

The man wearing the sunglasses looked scandalous, _he- he just assaulted the Honorable grandson!_

Sarutobi merely sighed and shook his head. "What a mess," he muttered.

"Damn brat," Naruto grumbled. He looked up at Sarutobi, "I'll be heading Ojisan, I need to clear my head." Naruto walked out of the room grumbling about 'stupid brats' needing to learn their place.

The sunglasses man whirled on his leader. "Hokage-Sama how could you let that-" he stopped as soon as he noticed his leaders harsh gaze. "That delinquent do something like that to your grandson! He must be punished!"

"Punished?" Sarutobi questioned, raising an eyebrow. "For what exactly? It's not like he did any permanent damage Ebisu. And Konohamaru did deserve that for questioning and insulting Naruto-kun the way he did." the old Hokage sighed, "now then if you could take care of this…" he gestured over to Konohamaru, who was sitting back up with a groan.

"Honorable grandson are you alright!" Ebisu asked, helping the boy to his feet.

"Hey, where'd that guy go?" Konohamaru asked, looking around. He had to find him. That guy was different from the others; he didn't treat him special just because of who his grandfather was.

Ebisu looked at Konohamaru with a frown as he pushed his glasses up.

"Now you must listen to me Honorable Grandson. You must not associate yourself with juvenile delinquents like that, nor should you attempt to draw him into a conflict even if he does deserve it." Ebisu lectured the boy. "He is far beneath you, so you must not stoop to his level. As your distinguished Jonin Sensei, I am never wrong about these things, which means I am always right!" Ebisu smirked to himself as he turned to look at the village through the open balcony on the left side of the room. "I'm above the more mundane trainers, so you must heed my every word. Your goal is to become the next Hokage, and I can teach you the best way to go about it. Indeed, stick with me and you will gain the short cut to becoming Godaime Hokage. You understand don't you Honorable Grandson?" Ebisu asked as he turned around, only to find himself talking to thin air. "AH! Where did he go now!" Ebisu wailed.

"I believe he followed Naruto, but I have no idea where their headed." Sarutobi offered up in a calm and casual tone as he lit his pipe.

"WHAT!" Ebisu shouted in shock and consternation. "This is a disaster!" Ebisu ran out of the room and down the hall.

_How did Konohamaru-kun turn out to be like that? _The old Hokage had to wonder, sighing a bit as he took a puff of his pipe. _He's quite determined. That was his tenth sneak attack today alone. _He thought to himself as he blew out a few smoke rings. _Although if he hangs around Naruto he might learn a thing or two. _He paused in his thoughts and grimaced. _At least so long as Naruto doesn't teach him anything… tricky._ The image of a naked blond woman quickly sprang to mind before he banished it.

Sighing Sarutobi looked down at the paperwork he had gotten from Naruto and began to read it over.

* * *

Naruto sighed to himself as he walked down the street, the confrontation with the little boy already placed in the back of his mind. As he wandered around the village, the blond tried to figure out what he should do. Today was supposed to be his rest day, so he wasn't going to be doing any training. However, because he had told himself that he would no longer do any pranks he didn't really have anything else to do.

_Maybe I can go visit Tenten,_ Naruto thought. He had not really spoken to her much, but she had treated him like a normal person, unlike most of the people in this village. _Though she may be out of the village or with her team. I could just go and look at some of the equipment since I need to buy some more kunai and explosive notes. _Naruto made a silent curse to Anko for making him waste so much equipment on those damn monsters in the Forest of Death. Then he sighed, _of course it would only be looking since I don't have as much money right now, and what I do have I need to save for my housing bills…_

Naruto's thoughts trailed off as he noticed a cloth that was near the fence that was designed to blend in with it, except that it was dirtier than the rest of the fence. And being held sideways. And there were a pair of hands holding it up on either side, and a pair of feet sticking out of the bottom and a small tuft of hair sticking out of the top.

_He can't seriously think that's going to work on me, does he? _Naruto thought with a sweat drop. Sighing he went over to the 'camouflaged' child and grabbed the cloth, pulling it down.

"I take it you want something, seeing as your following me?" Naruto asked in a bored tone, he really didn't feel like dealing with this brat right now.

"I'm impressed that you saw through my disguised, your reputation is well earned." Konohamaru said with a large smile as he pointed at Naruto. "So that settles it! I'll be your apprentice and you'll be my trainer!"

Naruto blinked, "what?" he asked slowly, as if not understanding.

"Yeah! You gotta teach me that Oiroke No Jutsu thing you used to beat ojisan!" Konohamaru shouted as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Hey! Hold on! Who said anything about me teaching you?" asked Naruto. What the hell was with this brat? Thinking he would just up and teach someone he did not even know.

"Come on! Please! Please, please, please say yes boss!" Konohamaru begged.

"What? Boss?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in a quizzical expression.

"Yeah! That's right! You're the boss! Boss, boss, boss!" Konohamaru shouted as he jumped up and down.

Naruto looked up at the sky as he scratched the bottom of his chin. Well, he was getting bored and had been trying to find something to do.

"Well, I suppose I can give you some pointers, but it will only be for today." Naruto said, looking at the over active child pointedly.

"What!" Konohamaru cried out, looking ready to complain. "Why only today!"

"Because tomorrow I have genin orientation, so I won't have any free time after that." Naruto said with a smirk as he pointed to the head band on his head. "Or did you not notice the head band?"

Konohamaru looked at the head band and his eyes widened. "Sugoi! That's so COOL!"

"Erm. I suppose it is." Naruto took a step back at the boy's enthusiasm. "Anyways, let's head over to one of the parks." Naruto smirked as he jumped up onto the roof of one of the buildings. It was one of his more recent accomplishments, being able to jump that high by using his chakra. But it did a good job of making Konohamaru get all starry eyed. "I hope you can keep up!" Naruto shouted and began to jump to another building.

Konohamaru who did not have the chakra control for that had to travel on the ground. Naruto always made sure to stay in the boy's sight as he hopped across the roof tops, making sure that the boy had to make a concerted effort to follow him. He made sure to circle the parks at once or twice before heading over there. By the time they had reached the park, Konohamaru was stumbling and falling over as he panted for breath. He fell down onto the ground as he looked up at Naruto, who was sitting on a tree branch a few feet above him.

"What… what was that for?" Konohamaru asked as he tried to regain his breath.

Naruto frowned at how tired the boy was. "Are you in the academy?" he asked.

Konohamaru looked indignant, or as indignant as an exhausted eight year old could look. He stood up only to fall back down. "Of course I am I-"

"What are you doing sitting on the ground like that?" interrupted Naruto. "Stand up."

Konohamaru glared at him. "I'm tired from you making me run all over the place!"

Naruto shrugged. "That wouldn't even constitute for my morning runs, if something as mildly strenuous as that made you tired, then your obviously not training your body enough." _Man this is weird_. The blond thought. _I wonder if this is what Iruka-sensei felt like when he gave me a lecture? _He had to admit that, while it felt odd, it was also satisfying to actually be able to teach someone else. Maybe there really was a point to all of those boring lectures Iruka-sensei gave.

"Anyways." Naruto shook his head of thoughts on Iruka. "Since you're so exhausted it's obvious that your chakra reserves are too small to do anything more than the basic jutsu. So I think we'll start with-"

"HEY!" Konohamaru shouted with an angry expression on his face. "I am not small!"

Naruto face palmed as he listened to the little kid. _Please Kami; tell me this is not how I sounded to Iruka-sensei and Ojisan! If it is I swear I'll never be such a brat again!_

"I said your chakra! CHA-KRA!" Naruto pronounced the word chakra extra slowly. "I made no comment on your height. I am merely saying that your chakra reserves are a tad on the small side. This means you'll have to work on getting your reserves up to snuff. I'll write down a few exercises I found in a book and give them to you to practice on your own." Naruto paused for a moment. "Though if your reserves are smaller, then you should have better control. Tell me, how good is your chakra control?" he asked.

"Um… well, I don't really know much about that…" Konohamaru admitted. "Four-eyes-sensei hasn't gone beyond what the academy has already taught me."

Naruto sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Which means you have had absolutely no practice in chakra control." he paused, come to think of it, he hadn't been taught chakra control exercises either. Though, he had assumed it had been one of the days he had been sent out of class, _or skipped. _He frowned to himself before shaking his head. "Have you at least been working on the Henge No Jutsu? Please tell me you have?"

Konohamaru puffed up his cheeks indignantly. "Of course I have!"

"Alright, alright no need to get defensive." Naruto held up his hands in a defensive gesture as he jumped off the tree branch. "So show me what you can do. I need to see how far along you are, before we can start doing anything."

"Uh, what should I transform into?" asked Konohamaru, scratching the back of his head.

Naruto shrugged. "Anyone, it doesn't matter so long as I can see where you're at. After that I'll show you some material I have to create your own version of the Oiroke No Jutsu. The thing about the Oiroke No Jutsu is it requires an innate understanding of the female body." _or at least it does now. _Naruto thought with a snort and a light blush. He had read one or two books on anatomy and one of them was on female anatomy as well as a book on the reproduction system. Plus all that time he had spent with Anko this past week had pretty much guaranteed that he would know what certain female parts looked like.

Naruto shook his head to clear. "Alright, let's see what you can do!"

"You got it boss!" Konohamaru shouted as he did the hand seal for the jutsu. "

Henge No Jutsu!"

* * *

Ebisu scowled as he looked out across the village from the roof he was standing on. He had been searching the village for the better part of an hour and it was getting on his nerves.

_Where is that filthy… delinquent? What could he be doing to the Honorable Grandson? It could only be something truly evil! _Ebisu thought viciously as he clenched his hands into fists as he scanned the streets. _I am an elite Jonin! As one in a long line of sensei's that have shaped and guided potential candidates to the illustrious position of Hokage, I cannot allow such a disaster to occur on my watch! I'll crush any insect that clings to my student… even if it is a Jinchurikki!_

Without a second thought he began hopping across the roofs, searching for any sign of the blond brat or his wayward student.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he dropped some change into a vending machine to get himself some soda. _If only vending machines ended up taking over for shops, then I wouldn't go broke because of stupid prejudices… _he shook his head of the thought, knowing that thinking something so negative would do him no good. Turning around he looked at is… temporary student. The boy had done remarkably well for his first time, though Naruto could see signs of exhaustion setting in. Though, Naruto attributed his success to the fact that he had less chakra, therefore more control to use jutsu, making learning something like this easier.

Walking over to Konohamaru he sat down, popping his soda can and taking a long gulp. "So, tell me, what was going on with you and Ojisan? It didn't seem like this was a singular event."

"Ojisan named me Konohamaru, after the name of the village; he said it would bring me luck." Konohamaru murmured. Naruto nodded to himself as he listened. "You'd think that it would be easy to remember. But no one, not a single person in the whole village ever calls me by my name. It's because when they look at me, they don't see me, they see the Honorable Grandson of the Sandaime Hokage." Naruto raised an eyebrow as Konohamaru kicked a rock. "They don't see who I am, just who I'm related to. It's like I'm invisible, hidden behind Ojisan's shadow, and I'm so sick of it… that's why I'm going to become Hokage now! So people will know who I really am!"

_This kid has the reverse problem of me_. Naruto thought incredulously. _He's still basically ignored, but it's more of ignoring who he is, rather than his existence._

The kid reminded him a lot of himself, how he used to be before the Mizuki incident. Not that something like this would make Naruto give the kid any sympathy. If anything Konohamaru needed an ass kicking.

Naruto snorted. "You think it's that easy." Konohamaru looked up at Naruto. "If you could become Hokage so easily then everyone would try to be Hokage. The Hokage is not just the strongest ninja in the whole village, but he's also the smartest and the one who's dedicated his life to serving the village as its protector. You have to think of each villager as if they were a member of your family and be willing to put your life on the line to keep the safe. That is what being Hokage is about. And it will take hard work, dedication, blood, sweat and tears to get there. Not just anyone can be Hokage." Naruto suddenly grinned. "Besides if you're going to be Hokage, you're going to have to defeat me first!"

Naruto stopped as he watched Konohamaru who was gaping at him, waiting for the boy to say something, when he heard a rustling of leaves.

"I've found you!" a voice came from above them.

Naruto and Konohamaru turned to see Ebisu standing on a tree branch.

_That filthy Uzumaki…the Kyuubi No Kitsune._ Ebisu glared down at Naruto, who could not hold in a flinch at those icy eyes.

_Those eyes…_ he recognized them as the same ones that some of the more hateful members of the village gave him. The kind of people who he was sure would kill him if they had the chance. The kind who would try to beat him if they caught him when they were drunk and had lost any inhibitions they might have once had.

Leaping down from the tree, Ebisu landed on the ground and approached the two.

"Honorable Grandson, it's time that you return home." Ebisu said in the same overly confident tone as before, adjusting his sunglasses.

Konohamaru jumped to his feet. "No way! I'm learning how to beat Ojisan and become Hokage! Don't interfere!"

Naruto couldn't hold in his smirk. "It sounds like he thinks I'm a better teacher than you."

Ebisu sneered at Naruto. "Silence Uzumaki! I will not just sit idle while you corrupt my student with your rubbish!"

"Shut up!" Konohamaru yelled. "He's a better teacher then you'll ever be! At least I can understand what he says!" Both Ebisu and Naruto were startled by the boy's exclamations.

"No, No Honorable Grandson you must not listen to him. He cannot teach you the things you need to know. To be Hokage one must understand virtue, justice, ceremony, wisdom, loyalty, prudence and be skilled in a thousand jutsu! You don't even know one jutsu!" Ebisu continued. However it seemed that Konohamaru had heard enough.

"I'll show you a jutsu! Eat this! Oiroke No Jutsu!" where before there was a small brown haired boy, now there was a tall, older and absolutely drop dead gorgeous female with dark brown hair. And she was naked. "How's this for a jutsu?" she asked with a seductive voice as she made a pose.

Ebisu froze and his jaw nearly fell to the floor. Naruto watched as the man shivered. However he was still standing.

_Huh, well what do you know? _Naruto thought to himself. _He hides it well._

Konohamaru poofed back into existence and frowned. "Why didn't that work?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"WH-WH-WHAT KIND OF DISGRACEFUL JUTSU IS THAT!" Ebisu shouted indignantly, though Naruto could see the red tinge to his cheeks. "Such things are not fit for the eyes of a gentleman! I would never fall for such a vulgar and outrageous jutsu! I am far above such things!" Naruto's eyes began to twitch at the bold and obviously false declaration. Ebisu grabbed Konohamaru's scarf and tried to start dragging him back with him. "Honorable Grandson you must stop this at once! That Uzumaki brat is turning you into a delinquent! Do you want people to see you as an imbecile! Only with 'my' teachings will you gain the shortcut to becoming Hokage!" Ebisu continued to pull on the scarf, trying to drag Konohamaru away.

"No no no! Just leave me alone! I don't want to learn from you, I'm learning from the boss!" Konohamaru yelled as he yanked back.

"What sort of nonsense is this!" Ebisu shouted back. The pair continued their little tug of war until Naruto decided to intervene.

"Kage Bushin No Jutsu!" The pair paused when Naruto shouted and turned around to see around fifty clones puff into existence. Konohamaru looked at all of the copies with wide eyes.

"Come on! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" one of the clones shouted.

"Oh wait I guess you were doing that!" another clone said.

"Well maybe you can pick on someone bigger the you!" another spoke up.

Ebisu sneered at the clones as he let go of Konohamaru, and walked into the group of Naruto's.

"I'm not impressed! I am a Jonin, an Elite ninja! Not some light weight like Mizuki!" Ebisu pushed up his glasses andgave an arrogant smirk. "Yes, I heard of your run in with Mizuki! And for someone who was pushed away by their own sensei, you have no right to lecture me, up start! Now, watch closely Honorable Grandson, and see how a real ninja fights!"

Konohamaru looked back and forth between Ebisu and the group of Naruto's, not sure what to do, but praying that Naruto could win.

* * *

Sarutobi sat down in his spying room, Iruka had visited him a little while ago and they had just finished a discussion about Naruto, and he was now watching the events on his spy orb.

_Naruto may have been fortunate against Mizuki, but this is most likely out of his league._ Sarutobi frowned as he put his pipe in his mouth.

_Ebisu better be smart enough not to hurt him too badly, especially in front of Konohamaru-kun. And I think I'll need to talk to him about his attitude problem…_

* * *

Ebisu stood in the middle of the formation of Naruto's with a cocky smirk in place. This kid didn't honestly think that a technique like this would be enough to beat him, and elite, did he?

"Well?" he asked with a sneer and cocky tone.

All the Naruto's grinned before putting their hands up in a hand seal. "Oiroke No Jutsu!" all fifty something clones shouted, surrounding the area in smoke.

When the smoke dissipated, Ebisu was assaulted by fifty very hot and very naked blond girls, all of whom began grabbing at him. They began pressing and rubbing themselves against the now shock still jonin while whispered seductively into his ear, but all of their words were lost as the feeling of their breasts and legs and… other parts pressing against the jonin became too much. Ebisu shuddered, before being thrown out of the group of girls by the geyser that was his nose, shooting blood as he flew into the air.

Naruto grinned as he saw the now completely unresponsive jonin twitching on the ground a few feet away. A puff of smoke later, and all the clones dispelled.

Turning to his shorter companion Naruto grinned. "And that is what I like to call H'rem No Jutsu (Harem Jutsu)."

"SUGOI!" Konohamaru shouted, pumping a fist in the air.

* * *

Sarutobi watched the vents that transpired with a shocked look.

_Naruto seems to have gained quite the dangerous skill. _Sarutobi thought. _Combining his __Oiroke No Jutsu __with the __Kage Bushin No Jutsu __is a dangerous combination… I don't know if even I could survive that._ He reached out and grabbed a tissue, dabbing away at his now bloody nose.

* * *

Naruto looked at the still twitching Ebisu, satisfied that he wasn't going to be getting up any time soon the blond walked back over to Konohamaru.

"Aw man! I couldn't even get four-eyes-sensei to fall for the jutsu! I want to be Hokage so badly, but I keep messing up! Why can't I do it!" Konohamaru grabbed at his hair in indignation.

"Because becoming Hokage isn't easy," Naruto said. "You want to be at the top right now, to be Hokage as soon as possible so people will see you for you. I know how you feel, until… recent circumstances I was the same way. But the fact is being Hokage is a long and hard rode. You can't just become Hokage because you want to. It takes dedication, skill, hard work. You have to be willing to bleed, and cry, and sweat in order to be the strongest shinobi you can. You have to train both mind and body. But most importantly you have to be willing to risk your life for the sake of this village and its people. And also," Naruto looked at Konohamaru with a serious expression, causing the younger male to gulp. "You have to remember the most important truth about how to become Hokage."

"Oh yeah!" Konohamaru shouted as he puffed out his chest. "What truth is that!"

"That there are 'no' shortcuts to becoming Hokage." Naruto said, his eyes taking on a fierce and determined look. "By trying to take the easy path you limit yourself, you weaken yourself, because you weren't willing to take the harder road. Weren't willing to train until you dropped, or work until you felt all of your muscles straining against each other. No ninja in this village would respect a Hokage who took the easy way out of everything, sometimes Hokage's have to make hard choices and deal with the consequences of those choices. It takes a kind of commitment that very few people have, and those who don't have it need to get out of the way for those who do."

Naruto stared at Konohamaru, the boy a little red in the face and looked like his eyes were on the brink of turning into swirls. He was trying to come to terms with all of the information he had just received and felt completely overwhelmed. However, one of the things Naruto had said rang through his mind.

_Besides if you're going to be Hokage, you're going to have to defeat me first!_

Konohamaru turned away from Naruto and stuck his nose up.

"Who do you think you are? Lecturing me like that!" Naruto smirked a bit at Konohamaru's reaction. "That's it! I won't be your apprentice any longer! From now on we're rivals! Got it!"

Naruto just gave the kid a grin. "Well that's cool. This was a one-time deal anyway, because I'm getting assigned to my Jonin sensei tomorrow. However…" Naruto's grin widened, stretching the whisker marks and making him look like a fox. "I accept your challenge to be my rival. But keep this in mind, you're going to have a lot of catching up to do if you want to be at my level. You're going to have to train hard if you want to even think of competing against me for the title of Hokage." Naruto looked at the sun and sighed, he had just wasted a whole day training a kid.

_Well, it was fun and I was resting today anyway. _Naruto thought with a chuckle. It was nice being able to act like nothing more than an overly cocky kid and show off to someone else, something that he knew he probably would not get to do again.

"Well I'm off. But don't for one second think you can just slack off! You never know when we might meet again, and I find out that you've been slacking…" Naruto trailed off with the implied threat causing Konohamaru to gulp. "Alright then, I'll see you later… Konohamaru." Konohamaru felt his eyes widen as Naruto turned around and tossed a wave over his shoulder.

* * *

Sarutobi smiled as he leaned back in his chair and watched Konohamaru give a salute to the leaving Naruto.

_Thank you Naruto-kun. For helping Konohamaru-kun true path of a ninja…_

He sighed, _I just wish he hadn't taught Konohamaru-kun the __Oiroke No Jutsu__…_

* * *

Kunai Kage Bushin No Jutsu (Kunai Shadow Cone Jutsu- A basic C rank jutsu that creates copies of thrown projectile weapons. Used for mass bombardment of enemy positions, distractions and creating distance between the user and his/her foes.

Bushin Daibakuha (Great Exploding Clone)- A rank Kinjutsu. Basically a Kage Bushinthat is overloaded with chakra that will explode either when the user activates it, or it gets hit in some way.

H'rem No Jutsu (Harem Jutsu)- S Rank Kinjutsu. This jutsu is simply a combination if the shadow clone techniue and the sexy jutsu. It is used to create any number of clones of beautiful, nude women. This technique is known too many in Konoha as the pervert killer due to the massive nosebleeds many perverts have suffered from it. This includes on Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who after suffering massive hemorrhaging decided to rank the jutsu as a forbidden S class ninjutsu and place it in the forbidden scroll of sealing.

* * *

**So here it is. My third installment of the story. So this is basically a canon chapter that I felt like adding, mainly because I know a few people who are reading my story and have not read or seen Naruto. Most people never add this chapter to their story and just go on and explain how Naruto met Konohamaru. I decided not to do that. Ugh... I'm wacked! I think I'm gonna go sleep, or go to school, which is a lot like sleep only more boring.**

**Anyways R&R to let me know what you guys think.**

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Naruto: Shift in Life


	4. Chapter 4

**Bbsheep: yeah that is why no amount of kage bunshin can't account for a good sparring partner; it's part of the reason that even if he had perfect taijutsu form someone with more experience would cream him. That is also why his style will only be half way decent until he gains experience.**

**Lednacek: I agree with you and it seems several other readers have commented on that as well. I actually went back in and changed the amount of weights to thirty on his arms and forty on his legs.**

**Blarg7865: Now that would be funny, if Itachi and Kisame were closet perverts and lovers of Icha Icha, then Naruto uses that jutsu and defeats them single handedly.**

**Waywas: I think you mean Canon. And yes it was, I was doing this because I know a few people who are reading my story but have no prior knowledge of it and so I used this chapter to give them some background information.**

**Luiz4200: He kind of seems like it doesn't he? All he needs to do is wear green spandex and rant about 'flames of youth' and he would. Now that would be fucking creepy.**

**Some people have asked about changing Anko's age if she is over nineteen (I have a review that says she is twenty four pre-shippuden). I won't be doing that because her age has a lot of tie in with the Orochimaru story timeline, were she younger some of the things that had happened in Naruto would not have happened at all and while my story will diverge from the canon, the basic story and previous timeline that happened before the canon is the same. The only people I can de-age are those who do not have any significant impact in the Narutoverse.**

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**Disclaimer: I make no claim to owning Naruto. However, if I did own Naruto I can guarantee that I would be pronouncing it too the world and shoving the fact that I own Naruto in Kishimoto's face.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 4: Team Seven**

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It was early morning; the sun hadn't even risen yet. But one Uzumaki Naruto was already up and about, getting ready for his first day as a ninja. After a quick rinse in the shower, and a… somewhat decent breakfast of eggs and toast, Naruto was ready to start the day.

He looked himself over in the mirror, checking his clothing and equipment to make sure everything looked good. He wanted every one of his classmates, former classmates he reminded himself, to leave with a good impression of him. He looked at his bo staff attached to his back, angling over his shoulder slightly for easy access. Nodding to himself, the blond genin left and began making his way towards the academy.

He had decided to walk to the academy instead of roof hopping, even though he had come to enjoy the activity. There were not any people out at this time, being so early that the sun was just beginning to rise, so Naruto did not have to suffer through any glares this morning and since it was so early he could afford to take his time.

However, as Naruto turned around a corner he stopped when he noticed a small section of the fence that was dirtier than the others. And sideways. And had a pair of feet sticking out of the bottom, a pair of hands on either side and a tuft of hair sticking out at the top. Naruto sighed and shook his head.

_Seriously, you think he would have learned yesterday._ Naruto thought as he started walking forward again. Just as he passed the sheet, Naruto pulled out four kunai, tossing each one into a corner of the sheet, pinning his 'rival' to the fence.

"Gak! Hey! What the- let me go! Get me out of here!" Came the muffled response from inside of the cloth.

Naruto grinned as he walked up and wrapped his knuckles against Konohamaru's helmeted head, making the currently complaining kid quiet down. "So can I help you Konohamaru?" he asked, amusement leaking from his voice.

"Ha! You saw through my disguise again! That's why I respect you as my rival!" Konohamaru tried to get out of the restraining cloth by slipping through the sides, but the kunai had stretched the sheet enough so that they were too tight to slip through and in too deep to pull out from his position. "Now can you let me out!"

Naruto grinned as he grabbed the kunai and pulled them out, letting the covering drop to the ground. "So… I take it there's something you want from me?" the blond asked.

"I challenge you!" Konohamaru shouted as he pointed at Naruto.

Naruto laughed at the kid. "Sorry but I can't, remember I have to head over to the academy today to get assigned my jonin sensei."

"Ohh yeah." Konohamaru said, his eyes getting stars in them. "Man that's so cool! I wish I was a ninja."

"Well just make sure you work hard and don't slack off." Naruto looked up at the sky and saw the sun had risen. He would have to hurry now if he wanted to get to the academy before the glares started coming his way. "Anyways I need to head over to the academy or I'll be late. See ya!" Naruto tossed the energetic kid a wave as he ran off.

* * *

Naruto ended up getting to the academy a tad later then he had expected due to the interruption. However, it was still early enough that he doubted anyone else was there. Making his way to his homeroom, Naruto walked up to the door. Opening just as Iruka was about to walk out.

Iruka blinked in surprise when he laid eyes on Naruto and for a moment, didn't recognize him.

"Oh morning Iruka-sensei." Naruto greeted his teacher with a large grin.

Iruka blinked once, twice, thrice. "Naruto?" he asked, getting a nod in response the scarred chunin academy teacher looked his former student up and down, taking notice of the rather large cloak covering the blonds frame. "You look… different." Iruka smirked a bit. "You actually look like a real shinobi now."

"Hey!" Naruto said indignantly. "Are you saying I didn't look like a-" he stopped, took a deep breath and started again. "I mean uh… thanks Iruka-sensei, he he."

The chunin instructor raised an eyebrow at the small turn around in emotion, but just chalked it up to Naruto being Naruto. "You're here a lot earlier than I expected."

"Yeah well…" Naruto trailed off for a moment as he tried to come up with an excuse for being so early. It would not do if he said he felt like walking and did not want to be subject to the villagers glares on the day he became a ninja. "I guess I was just too excited to wait. I've been waiting a whole week you know."

Iruka chuckled. "And waiting was never one of your strong points."

Naruto's left eye twitched but he quickly calmed himself down, he was a ninja, and he refused to let himself get so worked up over something as trivial as this. Instead he plastered a large grin on his face. "Yeah, I guess I did. But I've gotten a lot more patient now."

"Really? That's good; I look forward to seeing this 'patients' you're talking about." Iruka resisted the urge to chuckle when Naruto's left eyebrow began twitching. "Anyways, why don't you go have a seat? I have some things I need to get, so I'll be back a little later."

"Right, see ya sensei," Naruto said as he walked inside. Looking around Naruto decided to choose a seat in the back right corner, where he could remain inconspicuous. Not that he did not want to be seen by his peers or anything. But he had read in a book called Ninja Basics for Dumbies that a ninja should always remain aware of his surroundings in order to gather information. Naruto figured that he could practice this by using the better view that seat offered so he could find out more about his potential teammates from there. Taking off his staff, Naruto leaned it against the wall, before taking out a book and sitting down.

He flipped the book, which was called Intermediate Level Fuiinjutsu, level one, a book written by a man called Jiraiya, and began to read while he waited for the orientation to start. Slowly but surely people trickled in, giving him a curious glance, but because his head was buried in his book, no one really knew it was him and just wrote him off.

Naruto flipped another page in his book as he continued reading, this chapter being about seals that affected the body, namely training seals. _The gravity and resistance seals sound pretty useful. I bet they would work better than my weight bands, since they affect the body as a whole, rather than just one specific spot. _Naruto frowned as he read one particular note about the gravity seals. _It seems they affect height if used at a young age, so I guess that's out. Still the resistance seals sound useful. While the weights will increase my strength, the resistance seals are specifically designed to help boost speed._ He sighed however when he noticed that there was no example of a resistance or gravity seals, and that this chapter was only talking about what seals can do to affect the body.

Naruto continued reading as more and more students came into the class, ignoring most of the conversation around him as he read. However, he paused when he felt and heard an odd rumbling sound that increased in volume as time went on. It sounded almost like a stampede.

He turned his head just in time to see two familiar girls burst through the door. Yamanaka Ino, a girl with long blond hair done up in a ponytail and bangs on the right side of her face. She had a purple sleeveless shirt, purple arm warmers, and a purple skirt with cuts on the side and bandages covering her legs from mid-thigh, which moved down into a pair of blue shinobi sandals.

Ino was a member of the famed Yamanaka clan, which was made famous during the Third Great Shinobi War due to Ino's father Inoichi who had been a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio. A team that had used phenomenal teamwork to defeat enemies and opponents far tougher than they were, making them one of the more feared people during the war. The Yamanaka Clan was also well known for their jutsu that allowed them to invade the minds of their opponents, making them wonderful interrogation experts. Despite the fact that Ino came a powerful Clan, she was just like all of the other girls in class. More concerned with being her hair and dieting to be twig like thin in order to impress the resident Emo Sasuke.

The second girl to appear within the doorway was Haruno Sakura, both held up their hands as soon as they entered the room.

"I WIN!" they both yelled at the same time, causing a few people, Naruto included to sweat drop.

"Hah! Beat that Forehead girl! My foot was in the door first!" Ino shouted with a smirk.

"What are you talking about Ino-pig?" Sakura asked with a sneer. "My foot was at least a quarter of an inch in the door before yours!"

_Were they always this loud?_ Naruto wondered to himself. He watched as the two walked up to Sasuke, who had taken his usual spot at the front of the room in the right side next to the window.

"Sasuke-kun would you like to sit by me today?" Sakura asked as she walked up to Sasuke with a smile that she hoped was cute.

Naruto sighed as Sasuke ignored the girl like she did not even exist. _I wish she would look at me like that…_ he shook his head, he had not actually thought about the girl who he had a crush on this past week. What, with all the time he had been spending with Anko. _Anko's more attractive anyways, so is Tenten…_ Naruto blinked for a moment as he set his book down. Where had that come from?

He shook his head and was just about to start reading when Ino decided to make her displeasure of letting Sakura sit next to Sasuke known.

"You can't sit next to Sasuke-kun, because I'm going to sit next to Sasuke-kun!" Ino screamed, before turning to said raven haired boy. "Right Sasuke-kun?"

Once again the Uchiha ignored her.

"Hah! Sasuke-kun doesn't want to sit next to you Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled. "I'm the only one he wants to sit next to!"

Naruto sighed as he put the book down, finding it impossible to concentrate with all the noise they were making. He had never really paid much attention to it before, but for whatever reason the amount of noise they were generating was starting to bother him. Of course he had also never tried to read before, so maybe it was just that they were distracting him from his book.

Standing up, the blond made his way over to the two bickering girls. "Excuse me," he said getting their attention, as well as that of the rest of the class who, after noticing his whisker marks stared at him in shock. "But you do both realize that there are two available seats next to him." Naruto pointed at the seat on Sasuke's right, away from the isle. "So neither of you has to actually fight for a seat."

Naruto looked at everyone as they stared at him, surprise and recognition in their eyes. He would have smirked but held the urge in, it would not be cool if he gave them the impression that he enjoyed seeing the surprise on their faces.

"Naruto!" Sakura asked as she noticed his whisker marks. It quickly changed to a sneer of disgust as she decided to berate him. "What are you doing here? In case you didn't notice this is only for people who graduated, gra-du-at-ed, not for failures like you!"

As the class laughed at Sakura's words, Naruto frowned. He had expected this, to be honest, but had kind of been hoping that with his new look it would change her opinion of him. _Guess not._ He sighed lightly, before deciding that he didn't want to put up with her abusive words right now, especially since for whatever reason they hurt more.

"If you had used those two eyes stuck in your orbital sockets to look up you would see that I have a head band." Naruto pointed to his head where Iruka's head band sat. "So I have graduated, thank you very much, perhaps you're not as smart as I thought."

Naruto walked off and moved back up to his seat, leaving a stunned crowd behind.

_Did he really just insult me?_ Asked Sakura as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. That had never happened before, Naruto would always ask her out, and she would always hit him because it made her feel better about herself. Sakura felt an odd sense of emptiness as she wondered if Naruto had decided that he didn't like her.

_HE'S JUST TRYING TO MAKE YOU FEEL BAD SHANNARO! _Sakura's inner persona shouted. Getting Sakura to snap out of her shock.

_Your right! I bet Naruto-baka's trying to make me feel bad for him so I ask him out on a date! Well it's not going to work!_ Sakura sat on Sasuke's right as her and Ino once again began to fight over said Uchiha.

As the rest of the class got back to what they were doing one girl kept her eyes on Naruto. _I- I had thought that N-n-Naruto-kun had f-failed._ Hinata looked at Naruto, who had gone back to his reading with a blush.

_I- I'm glad he didn't._

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In the special spying room located within the Hokage tower, Sarutobi and nine Jonin were gathered around the crystal orb. These Jonin were the ones who had been assigned as the jonin senseis for the newly graduated genin. Though only three would end up getting that position.

"Well that was slightly unexpected." One of the jonin in the room said, a man with spiky silver hair, wearing the standard jonin attire named Hatake Kakashi. He looked into the spy orb with a lazy expression, though if one looked close enough they could see him analyzing everything. "Hmm… and that one must be Uchiha Sasuke, the most promising student and Rookie of the Year."

"Yes the one with the dark hair and blue shirt is Uchiha Sasuke." Sarutobi replied evenly. Truthfully he did not think Sasuke was deserving of his title, especially when the teachers in class handed the boy everything, but he would not deny the boy was at least mildly talented.

"He's the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan." Spoke up a jonin with curly black hair and exotic red eyes. She was a new jonin, but had quickly risen as the most prominent genjutsu expert. Her name was Yuuhi Kurenai.

"Hmm… at least the only Uchiha still left in the village." Sarutobi countered, making the red eyed woman wince.

The crystal ball changed view to close in on some of the genin, one such view showing Naruto who had gone back to his seat and picked up his book.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Kakashi muttered to himself.

* * *

Naruto frowned as he continued to read his book, doing his best to ignore the new stares he was getting. _Why did I do that?_ Naruto wondered as he thought about what he had said to Sakura. He had never actually insulted anyone before, and Sakura was the last person he would have expected to insult.

Yet something about what she had said jus then had rubbed him the wrong way. Her words had hurt of course, even more then it normally did. But he couldn't just chalk it up to that. _Maybe it has something to do with learning about the Kyuubi… _he considered that thought. After learning about Kyuubi being sealed inside of him the villager's hatred made sense. However, that still couldn't quite explain why he had been rude to Sakura, after all, from what Jiji said only the adults knew of his status as a Jinchurikki.

Like most of the kids in his class, Sakura often berated him. In fact, out of all the people in the class she was the one who treated him the worst. But it had not always been like that. The first time he had met her she had been getting picked on by some bullies due to her large forehead, and Naruto had seen it and chased them off. After that she had spent the day with him.

It had been his first and only time he had gotten to spend with someone his own age, and the first time he had really had any fun in his childhood. Sakura had even promised to be his best friend during their time together. However, when her mom had seen them together, she took Sakura away and told her to never go near the blond again.

Sakura had followed her mother's advice and Naruto had not seen her after that until he entered the academy. When he did see her gain, the blond had been ecstatic at seeing his first friend. However, she had either not remembered him, or had become heavily influenced by her mom, because the first thing she had done when he had tried to say hi was to hit him and tell him to leave her alone.

That had of course not stopped him from trying to get his friend back; he had tried again and again to no effect. Eventually, despite the amount of abuse he had taken, Naruto had become so desperate to get his first friend back that he developed a crush on her. After that he had begun asking her out on dates, not really understanding what the difference between a date and a get together with friends were since he had never had 'the talk' because he was an orphan. This only seemed to further aggravate Sakura who had started developing a crush on Sasuke; this in turn caused her reactions to become more and more violent. Now she was easily the most abusive person in class, at least to him. No one really liked him, and everyone made fun of him, but she was the only one who had ever actually hit him.

Naruto shook his head, thinking about things too much made it his head hurt, so he decided to just let whatever he was feeling run its course.

A few minutes later Iruka came into the room and noticed that it was oddly quiet, only a few people huddled about whispering to each other. _That's odd, I would have expected everyone to be jumping around and yelling their heads off at finally graduating._

Deciding not to think about Iruka coughed to get the attention of the newly graduated class on him as he began his speech. "As of today you are no longer academy students, but full-fledged ninja. But in the ranks of ninja you all are only genin, the lowest ranking in the ninja hierarchy. However the first step has now been made and you're greatest challenges are now ahead of you." Iruka paused and pulled out a clip board. "For the next stage, you twenty seven genin will be assigned into three man squads, with each squad being assigned a jonin sensei, who will supervise and continued to train you from here on out."

Several students looked up with surprise etched on their faces, as they heard they were being assigned into groups.

Naruto looked up when he heard that, but only spared the thought a moment before he went back to his reading. He had already known he would be assigned a team when he had recently read a book on shinobi basics.

Sakura and Ino were busy ribbing each other and making comments about who would get to be with 'their Sasuke-kun'. Much too said Brooders annoyance since he was in between the pair and had to listen to them.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he heard Iruka's words and tried to ignore the two useless fan girls bickering. _A squad of three will only slow me down._

Iruka coughed into his hand before he continued. "Now then, the squads have been arranged to give each team a balance of abilities and skills. I will now read the roster, so pay attention to when your name is called, and who you will be teamed up with." Iruka looked at his clip board and began to call out names. "Team 1 will be…"

Naruto stopped reading and began paying attention as the genin squads were called, not wanting to miss who his teammates were. _I kind of wish I had some friends that I could be in a squad with, Shikamaru and Choji are ok, but we're not really friends. Kiba, I suppose could be considered a pranking rival, but now that I'm trying to be a serious ninja…_ he shook his head of his thoughts and just concentrated on paying attention.

"Team 7 will be Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke…" Iruka was forced to stop and wince as Sakura let loose an earsplitting victory screech. "… and Uzumaki Naruto!"

"WHAT!" Came the voices of both Naruto and Sakura.

"Iruka-sensei how could you even think of putting me in the same team as him!" Naruto shouted as he pointed at Sasuke. Acting like mature ninja be damned! This had to be corrected now! "We don't get along, we can't work together, we aren't friends! Now I'll concede to you the teme isn't friends with any one, he seems to enjoy spending more time sticking that twenty foot long metal pole further up his ass and practicing his brooding pose. But out of all the people in this class, we get along the least!"

The guys in the class laughed when they heard Naruto's words, well everyone except for Sasuke who scowled intently at the blond. Meanwhile the girls were fuming at the insult to their Sasuke-kun; they began leaking a pathetic amount of killing intent at Naruto who ignored it, having gotten far worse from Anko.

"Naruto," Iruka said with a sigh. "As I said these squads are assigned to balance out. Sasuke got the best scores in class, you got the worst." Naruto's head slumped down a bit as the class now snickered at him. "The Hokage assigned these squads, and they are not negotiable. I'm sorry but you'll just have to deal with it. Now team 8 will be Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba. Team 9 is still in circulation so team 10 will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akamachi Chouji…"

Naruto sighed as he slumped into his chair. Despite his slight outburst at her earlier he still wouldn't mind being with Sakura. However, Sasuke was a different story. Throughout his entire time at the academy he had considered Sasuke his rival, always trying to outdo the raven haired ninja, who in turn always ignored the blond like he was not even worth his time. The last thing Naruto wanted to do was be on the same time as him.

"Now then, you'll all meet your Jonin sensei's after lunch. Until then, class dismissed." Iruka said, gathering his stuff and leaving.

The assembled genin all got up and hurried out of the room.

* * *

"Sasuke-kuuuun!" Sakura called out as she walked out of the academy and looked around for the elusive raven haired genin. "Now where did he go? And I was hoping since we were the same team now he would have lunch with me."

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, making the pink haired girl go rigid, even more so then usual because of his insult in class today.

"What do _you _want!" Sakura hissed with venom in her voice as Naruto came up to her.

Naruto winced a bit but pressed on. "W-well I wanted to apologize for getting angry at you… I didn't mean it." Sakura stopped glaring as she looked at him with shock and curiosity. "I wasn't really myself at the time, so I'm sorry."

_I can't believe Naruto is actually apologizing._ Sakura thought in shock. Naruto never apologized to anyone, even when the teachers tried to force him to for playing a prank.

Heedless to the pinkette's thoughts Naruto continued on. "I also wanted to know if you wanted to go have lunch with me so we could get to know each other better, we could even see if Sasuke wants to-"

However he didn't get any farther then that as Sakura hit him on the head. "I should have known that's what you wanted! I bet that was your plan the whole time! Insulting me and then apologizing afterwards to make me think you were a good person so you could ask me on a date! It's not going to happen!"

Naruto winced a bit as he rubbed the new lump he had gotten on his head, standing back up he tried to defend himself. "That's not what's going on! I just wanted to get to know my teammates bet-"

"SHUT UP BAKA!" Sakura screeched as she smashed a fist into Naruto's face, sending the young blond flying. "God why do you keep asking me for dates! I'm never going to go out with you! You're annoying!"

Naruto watched as Sakura walked off with a huff. _She didn't even try to hear me out._ A few odd tears stung the corner of his eyes, but he banished them before they could fall. Getting back up Naruto made his way over to the tire swing that he had been on after he had failed.

He didn't really understand it, was he so undesirable that Sakura would not even listen to him. _Or had I pestered her for so many dates that she just assumed I was going to ask her for another one?_ He asked himself with a sigh. The answer to that question probably no longer mattered anyways.

Reaching into his left kunai pouch Naruto pulled out a containment seal. Unrolling it he unsealed the contents, revealing it to be some rabbit that he had caught a few days ago, cooked and sealed. Grabbing the chopsticks he sealed with his food, he began to eat.

"What'cha doing gakI!"

"GAH!" Naruto shouted as he threw his food up in the air and jumped off the swing. Spinning around in midair, Naruto landed on his feet and came face to face with a grinning Anko.

"Sweat Kami! You scared the shit out of me!" Naruto yelled as he clutched his rapidly beating heart. "Don't do that!"

Anko snickered, "sorry, I just couldn't help myself. You're just too easy!"

Naruto scowled. "You know I'm going to get you back for startling me like that right? I'm not called the 'Prankster King from Hell' for nothing you know!"

"Ha! I'd like to see you try and get me kid." Anko spoke with a smirk. "We both know you're a hundred years too soon to get me."

Naruto sighed as he calmed down. Truthfully he was glad for the distraction Anko would provide, and it did feel nice to know she had come here even though she had most likely just gotten back from a mission. "So how was your mission?" he asked, sitting back down on the swing and unsealing another scroll of cooked rabbit.

"Meh it was a mission, I went in, assassinated some douche who messed with the wrong people and came back." Anko said, grinning at the glare Naruto gave her.

"Anndd?" Naruto asked, wanting more details.

"And that's it." Anko shrugged.

Naruto just sighed, Anko rarely ever talked about the things she did. He had asked her about her normal job at the I&T department and all she had said was 'oh it's amazing listening to the screams of your victims as they cry for the mommies', not really a descriptive explanation.

"So what are you doing here?" asked Naruto after swallowing a mouth full of food.

"What? Can't I visit my favorite gakI?" Anko asked with an innocent expression on her face.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the only 'gakI' you know." Naruto deadpanned.

Anko grinned. "Well if I knew more you would still be my favorite."

"I'm sure." Naruto said as he rolled his eyes

"So… who did you get stuck with for your genin squad?" Anko asked.

Naruto looked up from his meal as he swallowed a bite of rabbit. "Well I'm on team 7 with Haruno Sakura and… Uchiha Sasuke."

Anko shuddered. "Man do I feel bad for you, getting on a team with that brooder. I've seen that kid walk around Konoha before. He's got a bigger stick in his ass then his old man did when he was alive."

Naruto grinned. "I'm glad to see that someone understands my plight."

"Yeah, I feel for ya kid, I'd probably end up killing the teme if he's as spoiled as I think he is." Anko chuckled. "So what about this other teammate, that Sakura girl?"

Naruto frowned as he thought about her. "She's a girl in my class; she has pink hair and was listed as second best in academics. To be honest, she didn't do well in the physical portion and has small reserves, but from what I've read she would be the genjutsu and medical ninja support so I suppose that wouldn't matter."

Anko noticed the boys frown and slight monotone voice. "Aw c'mon! There's more to it than that right?"

"Well…" Naruto sighed. "I sorta, kinda have a crush on her…"

"Ooohh, so the little gakI is growing up?" Anko asked with a grin.

"I've had a crush on her since I was eight Anko." Naruto said in a deadpan voice before sighing. "However, she never seems to like me, no matter what I do. She's too stuck up on the Uchiha-teme." Naruto scowled a bit at the thought. "I had really thought that my new looks would change her opinion of me…"

Anko looked at the kids growing depressed expression. "You can't change people's opinion of you within a day gakI." Anko said with a blunt tone. "If it were that easy then everyone would love you by now."

"I was able to get you to like me, wasn't I?" Naruto said with a smirk.

Anko blinked a bit, before blushing. She would not admit it to anyone, but she had grown fond of the the blond soon to be ninja in a short amount of time. "T-that's different, I'm not like the rest of those stupid villagers." Naruto saw Anko's hand go to her neck and frowned at the almost instinctive move.

"I guess that's true." Naruto said, shaking his head as he smiled at her.

"That's right! I'm not to be lumped in with those baka's!" Anko said pumping her fists in the air. "Now don't worry about that girl anymore, if she doesn't like you just say screw her and move on. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, or… however that saying goes. I wonder why they say fish anyways…"

"Yeah… I suppose I should." Naruto said, turning to a trash can as he threw away his empty plate and chopsticks. "Besides I am a shinobi now, romance should probably wait until after I get more powerful and accomplish my goal of becoming a powerful ninja."

"That's the spirit! Forget all about that pink haired chick!" Anko said as she came up behind him. She grinned as she felt Naruto shiver when she wrapped her arms around him and pulled the blond against her feminine assets. "Besides, I'm way better than some premature little girl."

"W-wh-what are you doing!" Naruto stuttered his voice cracking as he squeaked. Not that he was actually surprised by her actions mind you; she had started doing this a while ago after an incident where he had surprised her during sparring, only to trip and land smack dab in between her bosom. Rather than kill him she had grinned and asked if he liked it.

Of course Naruto being Naruto had not been able to speak and stuttered out incoherent gibberish, which of course caused Anko to get amused. Since then she had taken to either sneaking up on him and doing this, or grabbing him and setting her in his lap when they were eating Dango, claiming she could not get comfortable without her 'fox plushy' .

"What's wrong? Don't you like this?" Anko whispered in his ear, an unseen grin on her face. Really this kid was too easy. She had always enjoyed using her feminine whiles to toy with men and then put them down. With Naruto it was even more fun since he obviously had no clue what to do in this kind of situation.

_That's the problem_. Naruto thought, because he did like it. The way her chest pressed and rubbed against his back made him feel things he had never felt before, even when he was thinking about Sakura. It was also due to the oddly warm feeling he got, he had never been hugged before by a member of the opposite sex, or even having women get close to him, with the exception of Sakura who got close enough to hit him. So having someone who was actually willing to be to be this close and physical with him was, well it felt nice to say the least.

"I… well… uh… t-that is too say…you and um…" Naruto tried to get out something, but like the last time she had done this, all that came out was gibberish.

"HAHAHAHA!" Anko started laughing as she let go Naruto go. "GakI you are far too easy to fluster! You better hope some enemy kunoichi from another village doesn't try to seduce you or you'd be in deep shit!" Naruto scowled as he watched Anko clutching her stomach and trying to get her breath back. However, he could not give her any retort, finding it impossible to come up with anything suitable to say due to his scattered brain.

Anko's laughing calmed down to an occasional snicker. "So who's your jonin sensei?" she asked at last.

Naruto fought down his blush and reestablished a mental link with his mind as Anko brought about an abrupt change of topic. However, he shrugged her ability to randomly switch subjects easily enough, he had gotten used to it over the past week. "Uh… I think his name was Kakashi."

"Hatake Kakashi?" Anko asked before snorting. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, he had always had a soft spot for that spoiled Uchiha brat, given his own past relations with that clan."

"Er… so you know about my sensei?" Naruto tilted his head in curiosity.

"Know about him?" Anko scoffed. "GakI, everyone knows who your sensei is. He is one of the best ninja in the village, known as Sharingan No Kakashi or the copycat ninja; only a few of our jonin can rival him in power."

Naruto looked at Anko before a grin formed on his face. "So what else can you tell me about my sensei?"

* * *

"Where the hell is our sensei!"

Naruto sighed to himself as he flipped another page of his book, trying to ignore Sakura's rather loud… exclamations. Not that he could quite blame her, he was infinitely less patient then she was, if it wasn't for his book he would probably go mad.

"Calm down Sakura." Naruto said, deciding to not add the affectionate '-chan' suffix at the end, something that neither of his teammates seemed to notice. "Kakashi is always three hours late to anything barring an A rank or higher mission, or a direct order from the Hokage."

Both of his teammates turned to him.

"How do you know that dobe?" asked Sasuke, for once curious about what the blond idiot had to say.

Naruto smiled lightly as he remembered his enlightening conversation with Anko just a few minutes before. "A little birdy told me." he replied, flipping another page of his book. He and Anko had agreed not to let anyone know she had given him the information on their sensei, agreeing that it would be much more fun to let them suffer and stew in their ignorance.

Both Sasuke and Sakura waited to see if he would elaborate. When Naruto didn't Sasuke scoffed and turned away, while Sakura went back to what she had been doing, switching between pacing and staring dreamily at Saskue.

Several minutes later, exactly three hours after all the other genin had left; a man with silver hair entered the room and looked at them. "Team 7?" he asked in a bored tone.

Naruto almost snickered as he saw the man's lazy half-dropped eye and slumped posture; it seemed that Anko's assessment of the man was right on the dot. "That's right, who's asking Cyclops?"

Kakashi ignored the blond's statement as he continued studying the group. "Hmm, how should I put this, my first impression of this group…" he paused for a moment to build up suspense. "You're all boring and I think I hate you." Sakura face faulted, while Sasuke's left eyebrow gained a twitch, Naruto just looked at the man and snickered. "Meet me on the roof." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_Was that a __Sunshin__? _Naruto asked himself, having seen Anko perform a technique similar, except it used leaves instead of smoke. _I'll have to see if she can teach me that later._

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura walked up the stairs and onto the roof, seeing there Jonin sensei sitting on the rail. The three sat on the steps below him with Sakura in the middle, Sasuke on the left and Naruto on the right.

"Alright, since we're all here, why don't you all introduce yourselves?" Kakashi suggested in a voice that said he really did not care who they were.

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakrua asked in a quizzical tone. "What are we supposed to say?"

Naruto blinked as he looked over at Sakura. _Did she really just ask that?_ He shook his head and for a moment, he tried to recall why he liked her in the first place.

"Oh you know the usual. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future… stuff like that." Kakashi said in a dismissive tone.

"Well since we already know a little bit about each other and nothing about you, how about you go first?" suggested Naruto.

Kakashi looked over at the blond before shrugging. "Sure I don't see why not. Let's see, my name is Hatake Kakashi, my likes… I don't feel like telling you that… dislikes… are none of your business. Dreams for the future… well I have lots of hobbies."

_Dear Kami-Sama, Anko really was on the book with this guy!_ Naruto thought before grinning as an interesting idea took hold. This would be fun. "Your name is Hatake Kakashi, you're likes are reading your porn, called Icha Icha Paradise. Dislikes are anything or anyone that tries to take you away from your porn. Hobbies are reading your porn in broad daylight and public places. And your dreams for the future are to star in one of the Icha Icha books and an Icha Icha movie if one ever comes out." Naruto said with a smirk as he watched the other three.

Sasuke looked over at him before going back to brooding; however, he seemed to have developed a nasty eye twitch. Sakura was looking red as she stared between Naruto and her sensei, though, whether from anger at him, their sensei, or embarrassment because of the information just given Naruto didn't know. And Kakashi was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"How do you know all of that?" Kakashi asked in a serious tone.

Naruto just smiled. "A little birdy told me."

Everyone stared at him with a mixture of confusion, and incredulity.

_None of that stuff is common knowledge_. Kakashi thought to himself before blinking. _Well… some of that stuff is common knowledge. _He corrected, after all, he did often walk down public access ways reading his precious Icha Icha. _However, some of that other stuff is only be known by a hand full of people. That means Naruto knows one of my associates and somehow convinced them to part with that information. But who? And how did he convince them?_

The jonin shook his head, and decided he would figure this out later. "Well since you were kind enough to talk about me, why don't you go first goldilocks."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the man as if to say 'is that the best you can do'. "Well alright then. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training… and a little birdy." Naruto smiled as he saw Kakashi's visible eye twitch. He was really going to have to thank Anko for telling him about this guy! "I dislike arrogant fools who can't tell the difference between a kunai and the scroll it's sealed into!" Naruto scowled.

The other two genin just looked at him oddly, but Kakashi's brow furrowed. _I had been told that he knew of his tenant, it seems he's taken a disliking of people who can't see past their hatred. _Kakashi resisted a sigh. _I hope this doesn't become a problem._

"As well as the three minutes it takes to cook ramen. My hobbies include training and… well that's it for now I guess." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "And my dream is…" He thought about it for a moment. He still wanted to become Hokage, but there was also something else he wanted even more, it was the original reason he had wanted to become Hokage. "I have two dreams for the future. The first is to earn recognition and respect from the people of this village by becoming the most powerful shinobi in the world. The second is to become the greatest Hokage the world has ever known."

While his two teammates scoffed at him, Kakashi analyzed the boy in surprise. _Interesting… he doesn't seem anything like what the reports say he is. I was expecting him to be loud and obnoxious, screaming at the top of his lungs about wanting to be Hokage. Hell, I was expecting some kind of prank when I came here._ The boy was definitely becoming something of a surprise, which was not quite what Kakashi wanted, having learned to dislike surprises. _Either the academy teachers had a biased opinion of him and put it in their report, quite possible given that most people have an irrational hatred of him. Or the incident with Mizuki affected him more than we thought._

Kakashi put his thoughts on the back burner for now as he pointed to Sakura. "Alright you, pinky, your next."

Sakura scowled at being called pinky but answered anyways. "My name Haruno Sakura. What I like… I mean the person I like is…" she looked over at Sasuke and blushed. "My hobbies are…" she looked over at Sasuke, blushed and giggled. "And my dream for the future…" she looked over at Sasuke, blushed, squealed and got a slight nose bleed.

Kakashi and Naruto both sweat dropped (Sasuke was too busy brooding to sweat drop). _This is great; I've got a perverted fan girl._ Kakashi sighed to himself. "Is there anything you don't like?" he asked.

"NARUTO BAKA!" Sakura screeched.

Naruto winced at the volume of her voice before sighing as he realized that kind of answer was to be expected. "What else is new?" he mumbled under his breath.

"Alright then…" Kakashi picked out his ear with his pinky finger. "You, the broody one, your next."

Sasuke scowled but otherwise did not rise to his sensei's remarks. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't particularly like anything, and I dislike too many things to name. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan… and kill a certain someone."

As Sasuke finished his speech, the people around him had varying reaction.

_Oh man, Sasuke-kun is soo cool!_ Sakura squealed in delight.

_CHA! He's so hot!_ Inner Sakura let her opinion be known.

_So he wants to kill someone, _Naruto thought to himself. _I wonder if it has something to do with the person who killed his clan?_

_It's just as I thought_. Kakashi sighed; he had figured that this was how Sasuke would be. _I can only hope he'll eventually turn away from this path._

"Good!" he said out loud, keeping his lazy expression and not letting a hint of his thoughts betray him. "You've all got your own opinions and you're all unique!" He nodded to himself. "Now tomorrow we will have our first mission as a team."

"What kind of mission?" asked Naruto, eager to finally prove he could be a great ninja. "Are we going to be fighting some missing ninja? Or maybe we'll have to protect a princess? C'mon sensei, don't leave us hanging!"

"Calm down Naruto." Kakashi spoke in a lazy voice. When the blond finally stilled he spoke again. "Our task will involve just the four of us. A survival exercise." Kakashi looked over at the different reactions, most of it was surprise. However, Naruto had narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kakashi with a thoughtful frown. Now that surprised Kakashi.

"A survival exercise?" Sakura questioned. "But we already took those back in the academy!"

"This isn't going be some simple exercise. This is nothing like your training at the academy." Kakashi stated with a smirk, not that his soon to be students could see it. _Or not, it all depends on if they pass the test._

Naruto's frown deepened, there was something going on here. "Then what kind of training is it?"

Kakashi began to chuckle, causing the three students to give him odd looks ranging from confusion to consternation.

"Hey, that was a normal question sensei, what's so funny?" asked Sakura.

"Well, if I told you, you'd chicken out." Kakashi said laughing some more.

Naruto glared at the man fiercely. "Just try us!"

"Oh don't worry Naruto I will!" Kakashi laughed, before shifting his personality to be more serious. "Of the twenty seven graduates that made it this far, only nine will actually be accepted as genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make-it or break-it pass-fail test, with the chances of passing being at least 66%."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she began to worry about what her sensei was saying, wondering whether or not she would be able to pass and still remain with her Sasuke-kun. Said Uchiha on the other hand looked irate at having to do another test, especially with two other people who would only slow him down.

Naruto however was in thought, _I've never heard of this test before. Maybe I can ask Anko to shed some light on this new development._

"But we already graduated!" Sakura shouted. "That's not fair! Then what was that test we took at the academy all about!"

"Oh that?" Kakashi shrugged dismissively. "That was simply to weed out the hopeless cases. The ones that pass that test are the ones who have the 'potential' to become genin. I'm the one who gets to decide whether you three pass or fail. Be at training ground 7 at 5:00 am. Bring all your gear and weapons." Kakashi paused for a moment before giving them the clincher. "And I would suggest not eating breakfast tomorrow morning."

"Why is that?" asked Sakura.

"Because you'll just throw it up." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a pale Sakura, a brooding Sasuke, and a contemplative Naruto.

_Another test! And if I fail I'm going to be separated from Sasuke-kun!_ Sakura thought to herself. _This is a test of love!_

_Another test won't make any difference for me. It'll be easy._ Sasuke thought as he looked over at his two 'teammates'. _So long as these two don't get in my way._

_Another test, this one to see if we can actually become genin._ Naruto frowned in thought. _He said not to eat, but I read that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially if we want to have enough energy to fight. He also said to be there at 5:00. Is all of that a trick? Part of the test? Perhaps he'll expect us to come late because he was tardy today and then he'll come on time tomorrow. _Naruto shook his head; he was starting to think too much and it was giving him a headache again. _The eating part is easy enough to ignore, but I'll have to talk to Anko about whether or not she thinks Kakashi would be late._

"I'm out of here." Sasuke muttered as he stood up.

"Oh! Sasuke-kun maybe we can spend some time together, you know to make a plan to pass Kakashi's test." Sakura said in a hopeful voice.

Sasuke turned around and stared at her for a full minute. "I don't need a plan to pass this test. All you'll do is hold me back. I don't need worthless teammates like you and the dobe to get in my way." Sasuke walked off leaving a dejected Sakura.

Naruto grit his teeth a bit. _Who the hell does he think he is! Always belittling people!_ He looked over at Sakura, a part of him still held onto his small crush and wanted to help her. But another part, the part that had been slowly coming out since the Mizuki incident wanted her stew in her own misery for a change.

In the end he sighed, giving her a small pat on the shoulder as he walked past her. "I'm sure he didn't mean what he said." he told her.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked in surprise. But Naruto didn't pay any attention as he jumped off the roof and made his way towards his 'special' training ground.

* * *

Naruto continued tree hopping as he looked around the Forest of Death. He stopped at the next tree branch and sighed. "I wonder where she is?" he asked himself. He had been looking for over an hour and had yet to find a trace of her.

Just then Naruto's senses went on high alert and he rolled to left as a kunai lodged itself where he had been. Naruto pulled out a kunai as he came to his feet and looked around. Several more kunai came out of the trees to his left, and Naruto used his kunai to block them, before tossing his kunai into the tree.

The kunai came back a few seconds later, but Naruto was already running towards that spot. He pulled out several shuriken and tossed them at the figure hidden in the brush. Going through a few hand seals he called out a jutsu. "Shuriken Kage Bushin No Jutsu!" five shuriken became twenty five shuriken, and they all impaled the figure below.

Naruto landed on the branch and narrowed his eyes as he saw a pile of mud. He jumped into the air when several snakes shot out of the tree bark, rebounding off the surface of the tree he pushed chakra into his legs to land on the next branch up.

He spun around as he heard a whooshing sound and blocked a kunai that came his way. He looked at the person attached to the kunai and smiled. "Do you have to greet me this way every time I come here?" he asked.

Anko smirked. "Of course I do. I've got to make sure to keep you on your toes; otherwise you'll just die out in the field as some nameless loser."

"Aw I knew you cared for me." Naruto said with a grin.

"Don't look too into gakI." Anko replied with a similar look. "I'm just protecting my reputation. After all, what would people think if you died and they found out I trained you?"

"Who knows…" Naruto said with a shrug. "Though, they would probably think you did it on purpose and praise you for finally killing the 'demon'."

"Now there's an idea." Anko said, pushing him back a bit.

"Maybe." Naruto grinned. "However I'm not that easy to kill."

"Oh?" Anko raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure I could kill you right now if I wanted to."

"You'd think that wouldn't you?" Naruto asked with a smirk, mouthing a word that made Anko's eyes widen.

'_Boom.'_

**BOOM!**

A loud explosion destroyed the top of the trunk the two were on. Naruto came out from hiding behind a bush on the ground level. "Did I get her?" he wondered out loud. His question was answered when a pair of snakes wrapped around his torso and held them.

"Not quite." A voice sounded in his ear. The snakes turned him around to see Anko grinning at him. "Not bad gakI, but you should never let your guard down after a move like that. Always assume your opponent escaped, and plan your next move."

"Ugh…" Naruto grunted as Anko's snakes squeezed him hard enough that he felt his ribs creek. At least she did not make her snakes bite him like the last time he had made a mistake when they sparred. "I'll try to remember that."

"Good boy." Anko said as she put him down. "So how was your meeting with Kakashi?"

"Not bad." Naruto said, rubbing his now sore ribs. He smirked. "You were right about him. You should have seen the look on everyone's face, especially his face, when I mentioned his porn addiction."

Anko gave a sadistic grin. "I know, it's a little depressing that I can't rub it into his face without him finding out that I was the one who told you all of this."

"Still, we might be able to have more fun with him this way." Naruto commented, thinking of all the fun he could have messing with his sensei's head using the knowledge Anko gave him. "We're taking a test tomorrow." Naruto said, changing the topic.

"Ah yes, the genin graduation." Anko nodded. "Did he say anything about it?"

"Only to meet at training ground 7 at 5:00 am and to not eat breakfast." Naruto replied.

Anko chuckled. "Wow it's no wonder so many people fail his test if he gives instructions like those. What are you gonna do about it?"

Naruto frowned in thought. "Well I'm definitely not going to skip breakfast. If the test is as hard as he says it is, and he's as good as you told me, I'm going to need all the energy I could get."

Anko nodded her head, pleased to see the blond was getting smarter. Ever since she saw the books his kage bunshin were reading, Anko had taken to testing the knowledge and ability to analyze information properly during their spars. If he got one of the questions she asked wrong or if he was unable to analyze her body language and look underneath some of the statements she made, he would get punished. This normally just consisted of her kicking his ass even worse then she would have otherwise. Anko went under the motto that the best way to learn anything was to inflict enough pain on someone that they would never forget. It seemed to work well because Naruto would always remember what she told him or what his clones read, for fear that she would stomp a mud whole in him if he failed to meet her expectations.

"As for the time… to be honest I'm not sure. If he's as intelligent as you said, this may just be part of the test. We'll show up late, thinking that's what he's gonna do, then he shows up early and berates us for being late."

Anko scoffed. "Trust me on this, Kakashi may be smart enough to pull that off, but he lacks the motivation to try that hard." She looked at him and shook her head. "Never figured you for such a heavy thinker." She teased.

"HEY! I think!" Naruto shouted at her, his glare only causing her to laugh. "That's it!"

Naruto lunged at Anko while she just smirked.

The rest of the day Naruto spent it trying to beat Anko, with no luck what so ever as she proceeded to beat the crap out of him.

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**So the chapter is over. I get the feeling I'm going to get some flak for having Naruto on team seven. Unfortunately there was not much I can do about that. When you think about it because of Naruto being the dead-last he was pretty much guaranteed to be in that team, add on that Kakashi specifically requested him because of his rivalry with Sasuke and there is not much that can be done. I still plan on diverging the story from the canon eventually, there will be several major changes but they will come later.**

**Now I'm tired of talking… or writing. R&R to give me your thoughts, meanwhile I am going to do some 3D modeling… ugh, homework, what a love-hate relationship.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Runewizarddd: That's not how I plan on interpreting Kakashi's actions, just stating canon Kakashi's reasons.**

**Wolfenden: I actually plan on having Kakashi do more than just teach Naruto tree climbing. I can't say much without ruining anything so I won't, but it won't be like their canon relationship.**

**Mind Liger: Yes I do realize that, but that is also part of the reason that I am trying to keep any pairings around his age, because I already have a story where Naruto is with women far older than him.**

**So there are a few reviews asking me to make Naruto get over Sakura quickly. I do understand how you all feel, I myself have never liked that pairing, ever. Rest assured that Naruto will get over his feelings for Sakura. But it can't be done just like that, where Naruto just has this epiphany and says 'You know what, if Sakura doesn't like me then screw her!' kind of thing. Getting over someone is not that easy. But I will have him start getting over her in this coming chapter.**

**One more thing, I noticed a lack of reviews in my recent chapters. And while it's not that big of an issue, if my story is lacking in some way that people don't even bother to review I think it means you should, that way you can tell me what it is you don't like. I write my stories for personal enjoyment, but I post them on this website for you guys. So if you guys don't like it, please be sure to tell me what you don't like and if you have some way you think I could fix it.**

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**Disclaimer: I make no claims to Naruto. It happens to be owned by Kishimoto. Personally, I think he should give Naruto to me, and he can create an anime/manga called Sasuke, because really, that seems to be who his story is focusing on the most. And we all know that SasUKE is Kishi's wet dream.**

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**Naruto: shifts in Life**

**Chapter 5: The Bell Test**

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**(The Next Day…)**

The next morning Naruto woke up at 7:00 am rather the 5:00 am Kakashi had told him to wake up at. Hopping out of bed he stretched himself out, making sure that his body was in working order after Anko beat the crap out of him last night. Sighing he made a clone to go and make breakfast while he went to take a shower.

Naruto rinsed himself off, turning off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off when his reflection caught his eye. Looking at the mirror Naruto frowned in thought, he wasn't sure if his eyes were seeing things, but he looked a little more muscular then he had last week.

_I can't get seeable results from just this week can I?_ He wondered as he looked over at his back, arms and chest. Even before he started really working towards getting stronger, he had always done a decent amount of exercise so there should be no serious change in his body's physique. Though, he had recently started eating healthier, so maybe that had something to do with it. That and maybe the Kyuubi had some hand in fixing his body now that it had the necessary nutrients to actually increase his physical growth.

What Naruto did not know was that it was in fact the Kyuubi's yokai that was increasing his growth rate. Because he had been unable to get a decent meal from anywhere except Ichirku's, and their food was not healthy in the least, nearly half of the yokai circulating through the seal and into his body went into keeping his body as healthy as possible with the little amount of nutrients it had. Now that he was eating a decent mix of carbs, proteins and fats, the Kyuubi's Yokai had more to work with, thus causing allowing for it to increase his bodies' strength and physical attributes more easily.

Eventually the blond just shrugged it off as seeing things in the mirror and went into his bedroom room and got dressed.

Naruto walked into the kitchen as he finished tying on his head band. He sat down at his table as his clone served him breakfast, grumbling about lazy ass originals before dispelling. Grabbing a fork Naruto began to eat, scrambled eggs with a side of bacon, toast and orange juice, just about the only thing he could make that didn't taste like crap at the moment.

As he did, he thought about how the test would go. _Anko didn't give me any information on what Kakashi's test was. But she did warn me that he was smart and would probably try and trick us in some way. I'll just have to be prepared for anything. _

He stood up as he finished his breakfast, placing his plate in the sink. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was 7:30. Deciding that he should go to the training ground now, Naruto walked out of the door, locking it before jumping to the rooftops.

* * *

He arrived at training ground 7 to see his two teammates already there. Sasuke was leaning against a tree, his face etched in a scowl as he did his usual brooding. Sakura was sitting a little distance a way's from Sasuke, looking like she wanted to talk to the raven haired boy, but was not sure what to say.

"Morning you two." Naruto greeted, causing the two other genin to turn their heads.

"Naruto Baka! Why are you so late!" Sakura yelled as she stood up, glaring at him.

Naruto blinked and tilted his head to the side. "I'm not late."

Sakura's left eye twitched. "Not late! You-"

"Sakura," Naruto said, holding up a hand, stopping the girl from talking. "Do you see our sensei anywhere?" The girl blinked in confusion, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"No." Sakura said slowly before she scowled. "But what has that got to do with you being late?"

Naruto sighed. And they called him the dead last. "Our sensei is not here, therefore I am not late. Remember what I told you yesterday? Kakashi is always three hours late to everything barring A rank and above missions or direct orders from the Hokage. That means we technically still have at least fifteen minutes before he shows up. Now, if our sensei is not here, how can I be late?"

"Well… I…" Sakura looked at him for a moment, unsure of herself. It didn't last as she scowled at him for making her look bad in front of her Sasuke-kun, but she did not reply as she sat back down.

Naruto sighed in relief as he went over to one of the trees, sitting against it as he pulled out his book on fuiinjutsu. Opening it up he smiled as he began reading, the subject itself was easily one of the most interesting and fascinating studies he had started to read (his clones had ever read). And for some odd reason, reading about seals relaxed him.

The art of fuiinjuts, he had read, had a total of three levels.

The first was that of a novice. This was the lowest level of a fuiinjutsu user, and the one he himself was currently at. During this level the most important things for an aspiring fuiinjutsu user was how to write kanji well. The importance of having perfect hand writing could not be underestimated in this art. Naruto had learned the hard way that one wrong brush stroke could have explosive results. After one was able to get perfect kanji, they were to work on increasing the speed of their strokes by creating basic seals like containment scrolls and a few others that the beginner's book gave examples of.

The second level was that of a journeyman. At this level a fuiinjutsu user must work on increasing his or her repertoire of seals. This was done by people making long journeys across the world and copying all of the seals they found along the way. Hence the title journeyman. Most people never progressed past this level because they simply lacked the motivation to make long journeys simply to collect seals. At this level fuiinjutsu users would also begin modifying basic seals and working on creating some of their own.

The third and final level was that of a seal master. This was the level that very few ever reached. Naruto only knew of two people who had reached this level before. Jiraiya of the Sannin who wrote the very book he was reading, and Namikaze Minato, the man who sealed the Kyuubi inside of him. At this level the fuiinjutsu user dedicate themselves to the creation of original and highly complex seals. Naruto had read that the masters of old were so talented that they had been able to create the summoning contracts for the many summoning animal clans that ninja use today. And Naruto had read that the Yondaime had been able to create a jutsu that allowed him to teleport from place to place in an instant through the use of seals.

Naruto was absolutely giddy at the prospect of what seals could do once he reached the level of a master. Unlike nin and genjutsu, which was inflexible due to the fact that they had to use hand seals, sealing had no limits on what it could accomplish. Anything was possible so long as one found the correct formula of seals and brush strokes, the only limit was the users imagination himself.

It was because of this and his interest in the subject that Naruto had taken to reading these books himself, rather than have his clones read them.

For a few minutes no one spoke. However, Sasuke took some time out of his brooding to spot Naruto reading. "What are you reading dobe?" Sasuke asked, curiosity at what could possible interest the dobe into reading, and scoffing at the thought of the blond loser actually being able to read.

Hearing her crushes words Sakura looked over to see Naruto reading as well and scoffed, thinking he was trying to impress her.

Naruto looked up from his book, blinking for a moment before he shrugged and went back to reading. "It's a book on Fuiinjutsu."

Sasuke waited for Naruto to elaborate, when the blond didn't he scowled. "And?"

"What do you mean and?" asked Naruto, flipping a page in his book. "It's a book on sealing, Beginners level two. Not much more to it than that."

Sasuke scoffed. "Like you could ever understand something as complicated as sealing."

"Yeah! That's right! Only Sasuke-kun can understand something as complicated as that! Stop trying to impress me Baka!" Sakura berated Naruto hoping that it would put her in Sasuke's favor.

Naruto growled a bit at the insults, but took a deep breath to keep himself from attacking his soon to be teammates. He was already expecting something like this to happen, so it was not as hard to remain calm as it would have otherwise. Feeling calm again he looked over at Sasuke and smirked. "Now there's no need to be jealous teme, go back to your brooding."

Sasuke scowled but didn't say anything as he went back to plotting the many ways he would kill Itachi… aka brooding.

"Naruto Baka! Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura yelled, shaking her fists at him menacingly.

Naruto grunted a bit but did not reply, he was beginning to realize that with these two, there was no way for him to win. _I guess I just have to prove I'm better then I used to be through my actions. _He determined. _That's fine by me; I was always more an action kind of guy anyway._

A few minutes later there was a poof of smoke near the three training logs, and Kakashi appeared within. "Good morning everyone!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura yelled, pointing at the man, and causing all three males to wince.

"Sorry I got lost on the road of life." Kakashi replied in an uncaring manner.

Sakura turned red and was about to reply when Naruto beat her too it.

"I know what you mean." Naruto said, putting his book away and grinning at his scarecrow like sensei. "That damn road has so many twists and turns, it reminds me of a roller coaster."

Kakashi gave Naruto an eye smile. "Well I'm glad to see someone understands me." Both Sakura and Sasuke twitched. Kakashi ignored them as he reached into his pouch, pulling out a clock which he set on the training post in the middle. Reaching back into his pouch he pulled out two bells, which he attached to his pants and then pulled out two bento boxes. "Now then, I am sure you're all wondering about your test." Kakashi paused for a moment as he gave them an eye smile. "The test is simple; you have to get these two bells from me. Those who don't get a bell will be sent back to the academy for remedial training."

This statement was accompanied by three different reactions. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth, determined to get a bell. Sakura paled a bit, her confidence wavering. Naruto however, frowned in thought as he felt something off with that statement, like he was missing something.

"But sensei, there are only two bells!" Sakura shouted.

"Thank you captain obvious." Naruto mumbled so low only Kakashi could hear him. The blond had gone home last night and thought long and hard on his crush for Sakura. Why he had it in the first place, and why he continued to chase after her when all she ever did was hit him. He had determined that he was going to do his best to get rid of his crush, and felt that the first step was to note her flaws, rather than see why he thought she was perfect.

He chalked her ability to state the obvious as one of her flaws.

Kakashi shrugged. "Then I guess that means at least one of you will fail. Oh. And who ever doesn't get a bell will also be tied to one of these posts and will be forced to watch as the others eat their meals in front of you."

Two stomachs gurgled at that announcement, both Sakura and Sasuke now realizing why he told them not to eat. Naruto looked at the other two with a smile.

"Naruto." Kakashi said with a frown beneath his mask. "I thought I told you not to eat." The other two genin looked at him and glared.

Naruto just shrugged. "Actually you said 'I suggest you don't eat'." Naruto said, putting quotation marks in the air. "So I figured you weren't ordering us not to eat, and considering if I didn't eat I wouldn't have the energy to fight you, I thought it would be better if I followed my own advice."

_Who is this kid? _Kakashi asked himself, narrowing his eyes. _He's absolutely nothing like the reports said. This is getting ridiculous, someone in the staff had to have messed up because there is no way he could have changed in such a short amount of time, is there? I'm going to have to talk with Hokage-Sama about the blatant neglect the academy instructors have shown after the test._

"Hmmm… I suppose I did." Kakashi said, deciding to let the situation slide. "Now then, you can use kunai and shuriken, remember to come at me with the intention to kill or you won't get a bell."

"But sensei, what if you get hurt!" Sakura asked in shock.

Naruto snorted at thinking any of them could actually hurt a JONIN. Meanwhile Kakashi chuckled. "Trust me; I think I'm good enough to avoid getting hurt." He looked at the three of them. "Now then, get ready, set, go!"

The three genin shot off, disappearing into the grove of trees. _Well at least they know how to hide._ Kakashi thought to himself, only to sweat drop as a shadow came over him.

"You know, compared to the others you're a little weird." Kakashi said as he looked at the genin.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man. "Something's off about this test."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, masking his surprise with interest. "Oh?" he asked.

"I've never heard of a three man squad before." Naruto said, looking at Kakashi. "A squad always has three genin and a jonin sensei."

_Could he have figured it out?_ Kakashi wondered but shook his head. _No, he knows something is suspicious, but not what._ "Well aren't you just full of surprises." Kakashi said. "However, that's not going to help you get a bell."

"I guess you're right." Naruto said with a shrug. "So, can I have a bell?"

Kakashi blinked a bit. "No you can't. But good try, I've never had someone use that approach before."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Naruto said, before rushing Kakashi.

He stopped when he saw the cyclops reaching into his pouch. _A weapon?_ He wondered, only to sweat drop as Kakashi pulled out… a book.

"Is that… Icha Icha?" asked Naruto in curiosity as he looked at the familiar book.

Kakashi looked up from his book and eye smiled. "Why yes it is. Are you a fan?"

"Erm… not really. But I know that Ojisan likes it. And I have… a friend who read me a few parts." He blushed as he remembered Anko reading him a few of the more… explicit scenes.

"Your friend has good taste." Kakashi said, flipping a page of his book. "Now then, why don't you come and attack me." He turned his attention back to his book. "Don't worry; I doubt your ineffectual attacks will even bother me."

Naruto shook his head, not rising to his sensei's bait as he charged Kakashi. He reached into his pouch and pulled out several kunai, tossing them at Kakashi before he went through a few hand seals. "Kunai Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" he shouted, making the four kunai he threw turn into twenty.

Kakashi dodged a few of them and caught the others with his left hand, never taking his eyes off the book. Naruto closed the distance between the two of them, launching a jab at Kakashi's face. The Jonin blocked it with one of his hands, leaning his head back as Naruto came at him with the elbow of the arm he blocked.

Attempting to close the distance even more, Naruto tried to come at the jonin with a kick from the left. Kakashi ducked under it, and Naruto spun around and tried to give him a heal kick, but the jonin merely swatted the attack away.

Naruto was put slightly off balance but recovered quickly, channeling chakra into his limbs to increase his speed. He thought about taking his weights off, but decided against it in case he needed a trump card. The increase in speed seemed to surprise Kakashi, but not enough to actually give Naruto an opening to land a hit.

However when a few of the hits got too close for comfort, Kakashi jumped back and put his book away. _Looks like I'm not going to be able to read, he's better than I thought._

"Hmmm, well this is unexpected." Kakashi said in a mild tone. "Looks like I'm not going to be able to read."

"So I guess I'm better then you thought huh?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"Maybe a tad." Kakashi admitted. "Don't get me wrong though, you still suck."

Naruto received a tick mark but calmed down. _Remember, I can't let emotions run too high. He's better than me and by getting angry I'll be sloppy, he'll be able to defeat me that much more easily._ A thought crossed Naruto's mind. _Then again, he probably expects me to get angry._ He grinned as a plan began to form in his mind.

"You won't be saying that when my fist meets your face!" Naruto yelled as he charged at Kakashi.

_Hmmm… maybe some of the reports were right after all._ Kakashi thought as he swatted the blond's fist away. When Naruto came in with his other fist, Kakashi grabbed onto it and locked the blonds arm in place.

"You know getting angry is the first step towards losing." Kakashi commented in a lazy tone.

Naruto smirked. "And getting close to me was the stupidest move you could make. Boom!"

Kakashi's eyes widened as Naruto exploded and forced the Copy Ninja to use a Kariwimi. _He's knows __Bunshin Daibakuha__?_ Kakashi questioned. _I thought he only knew the __Kage Bunshin__, someone had to have taught him that._

He didn't get time to think anymore as Naruto jumped onto the tree branch he had landed on. Naruto came at him with kick that Kakashi ducked under. However, his eyes widened as another Naruto tried to knee him in the face. Kakashi was able to block the attack in time, but it still surprised him.

Kakashi jumped off the tree, with Naruto right behind him, coming at him with a knee, punch, elbow combo that Kakashi managed to dodge. Another Naruto came at kakashi from his blind side, attempting to steal the bells, but Kakashi heard the bells jingle when the clone Naruto got a finger on them. He grabbed onto the Naruto behind him, forcing him in front as the other Naruto launched a punch at him.

There was a poof of smoke as Naruto ended up hitting his clone. When the smoke cleared he saw that kakashi was gone. He glanced around wearily as he looked for the one eyed sensei.

"You should never let your opponent get behind you." Naruto's eyes widened as he heard Kakashi's voice behind him. "Konoha Hiden Taijutsu Ogi: Sennin Goroshi (Konoha's hidden Taijutsu: One Thousand Years of Death)!" Kakashi shoved his chakra encased fingers up Naruto's butt, only for Naruto to explode, forcing Kakashi to jump away from the blast, though he still got singed.

_Another __Bushin Daibakuha__?_ Kakashi thought in surprise. _Was I fighting that the whole time, or did he use __Kariwimi__ to replace himself? _Looking around he saw that Naruto was not in the clearing. _He's a lot better than I expected. _He shrugged.

_Well, whatever I still have two more genin to test and even with this surprise, I doubt they'll understand the true meaning of this test._

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Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, going off to look for Sakura and Sasuke.

Sasuke found himself seething as he watched the fight that had just gone on. The dobe had done far better than he had thought he would. And what were those techniques? Weapons replication, solid clones, exploding clones! Where was the dobe learning all this! _I should be the one with those jutsu, not him!_

"Pst. Sasuke."

The raven haired genin stiffened as he turned around and saw Naruto crouched down behind him. _How did he get behind me? I didn't even sense him?_

"What do you want dobe?" Sasuke hissed, still feeling jealous of the blond's abilities.

Naruto frowned at the attitude his teammate had but shook it off. "Listen, don't you think something's funny with this test?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke, frowning as anger and jealousy was replaced with curiosity.

"I mean, three genin going after a jonin." Naruto said as if it was obvious. "A jonin is an elite ninja; there is no way a genin can ever hope to defeat a ninja of that caliber. I think we should work together."

Sasuke's eyes widened at the suggestion. Work together? With Naruto? He scoffed. "I don't need your help loser! I can do this on my own!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Now listen here teme! This isn't some average jonin we're facing. That man is Hatake Kakashi, an A rank ninja who is said to have copied over a thousand jutsu! There is no way you, I or any one genin can defeat him! Hell, there's no way even three genin together can defeat him. But if we work together then we at least have a shot at getting those bells!"

_Could the dobe be right?_ Sasuke asked himself, frowning a bit as he wondered if Naruto might actually be on to something. _If our sensei really is that strong then… _He shook his head, what was he thinking? He was an Uchiha, an elite ninja. He could get the bells on his own.

"I don't need your help." Sasuke stood up and glared at his teammate. "I can do this on my own."

Naruto clenched his teeth as he watched his teammate leave. _Damn it! Why is he so set on doing this by himself! I know he saw my fight. Surely he can't think he has any chance of winning?_ Shaking his head Naruto stood up and left in search of his other teammate.

Truthfully he did not have much hope that she would be willing to work with him without Sasuke, but he wanted to at least try and get her to cooperate.

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Sakura stared in shock as the fight between Naruto and Kakashi finished. Who knew that Naruto could actually fight like that? What was going on? The blond had always been an idiot, the dead last at the academy, there was no way he could be that good. But there he was using jutsu that she had never even heard of before, much less seen. Could Naruto really be that strong?

_OF COURSE NOT! SHANNARO!_ Inner Sakura shouted. _THERE'S NO WAY NARUTO BAKA IS THAT STRONG! IT'S OBVIOUSLY SOME KIND OF TRICK TO GET YOU TO THINK HE'S STRONG AND FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM! SHANNARO!_

_Yeah, your right! _Sakura agreed with her inner self. _Well it's not gonna work! My heart belongs only to Sasuke-kun! _The pinkette stood up and left to find her crush, maybe if she helped him get a bell she would gain his notice. And then they would start going out, and soon after that they would get married and she would have his babies.

Her delusions set in place Sakura began to carefully walk through the forest, stopping when she heard a twig snap. Sakura looked around and froze when she saw Kakashi standing a little ways away, reading his book.

_I don't think he saw me. _Sakura thought to herself, she was about to continue when a voice spoke up behind her.

"Psst, Sakura." Turning around she saw Kakashi looking at her. Then he disappeared in a swirl of flower petals and Sakura saw black.

* * *

She woke up a few seconds later and sat up. "Huh? Where am I?" Sakura's eyes widened as she remembered the last thing she saw was Kakashi, and she began to look around frantically. "What happened? Where's Kakashi-sensei!"

"Sa… kura…"

Sakura turned around at the familiar voice. "Sasuke-kun-" she stopped and her eyes widened as she saw Sasuke, beaten, bleeding, with his left arm missing, his leg bent at an awkward angle as he leaned against a tree.

"Run… Sakura…" He said in a strained voice as he lifted his head up and she saw that he was missing an eye.

"Sas… uke… -kun…" Sakura's eyes widened and she didn't the only thing she could. "KYYYAAAA!" She yelled, before her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she fainted.

* * *

"KYYYAAAA!"

Sasuke's head turned to the sound of the scream. _That was Sakura. _He thought to himself before shrugging, she had probably just been stupid enough to get caught by their sensei. He was not surprised by this turn of events; the girl was nothing but a useless fan girl. The raven haired genin-to-be turned his head when he saw Kakashi, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.

"Maybe I went a little too far." Kakashi said. "Though, she was said to be the best at genjutsu." he mumbled at the end.

Sasuke scoffed. "I'm not like those two."

Kakashi eye smiled. "Say that after you get a bell Sasuke."

Sasuke smirked as he threw several Kunai at Kakashi, who dodged to the left. Sasuke waited for a moment, expecting the trap he had set to go off. He ended up frowning when nothing seemed to happen.

"If you were expecting that wire trap to get me, you're going to be disappointed." Kakashi said, after having Naruto surprise him with his improved abilities, he had decided to keep his guard up with the others. Perhaps that was why he had used a genjutsu of a little higher quality than normal on Sakura? He shrugged; it was still a D ranked one so he could not be blamed if she was incapable of breaking it.

Sasuke scowled as he rushed Kakashi. Throwing a punch at the Jonin. Once again Kakashi decided not to let Sasuke do anything, grabbing the genin's arms and then throwing him towards a tree.

Sasuke twisted around and bounced off the tree, shooting back towards Kakashi as he went through several hand seals, ending on the tiger seal.

Kakashi's eyes widened. _A mere genin can't do that jutsu! It takes to much chakra!_

"Katon: Gokyakou No Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fire Ball Jutsu)!" Sasuke sucked in a deep breath and blew out a fairly large fireball, sending it crashing into Kakashi.

Sasuke landed on his feet as the fireball dissipated and frowned when Kakashi was nowhere to be seen. _That should have at least left some ashes, so where is he? To the left? _No. _To the right?_ No. _Above? _Sasuke looked up to see that Kakashi was not there.

"Below." A voice spoke up from under Sasuke's feet. A pair of hands shot out of the ground and grabbed Sasuke's feet before pulling him down, burying him up to the head.

Sasuke looked up to see Kakashi crouched down next to him with an eye smile. "I'll admit you're not bad. However, I would say Naruto is about as good as you are." Sasuke sneered as Kakashi stood up. "Yeah you may stand out, but you know what they say, 'the nail that stands out the most, always gets nailed down the hardest' or something like that." Kakashi walked off with Sasuke watching him.

_There's no way that loser is better than me!_ Sasuke thought with a sneer. _I'll show him the true power of the Uchiha!_

He looked down at his predicament and grimaced. …

_Just as soon as I get out of this._

_

* * *

_

"KYYYAAAA!"

Naruto stopped on a tree branch as he heard the scream, recognizing it as Sakura's voice. _Damn! Did Kakashi get to her already! _He took off again, increasing his pace. _She should be alright; Kakashi's not allowed to kill us._

Naruto soon came to the clearing where the scream originated from. Stopping for moment as he saw Sakura lying in the middle of the clearing, twitching occasionally as she foamed at the mouth. Running up to her, Naruto kneeled down and lifted the upper half of her up and tried to shake her awake.

"Sakura, Sakura!" Naruto said, sighing in relief when Sakura gave a groan.

"What? Where?" Sakura asked as she saw the blur in front of her.

"Nice of you to join us again." Naruto joked. However Sakura paid no attention as she remembered seeing Sasuke on his death bed.

"SASUKE-KUN!" She screamed, shooting up and smashing her head into Naruto, who fell on his back and tried to blink the stars out of his eyes. "SASUKE-KUN! Where are you! Don't worry I' coming to save you Sasuke-kun!" Sakura stood up and ran out of the clearing in search of her precious Sasuke-kun.

_Ooooh wow, that head of hers is like hitting a brick wall._ Naruto thought with a groan. Standing up he sighed. _I really should expect this stuff to happen by now. Yet every time I manage to get surprised._

It looked like he would be doing this on his own. But that was ok, he had a plan to beat Kakashi, it would just take a little knowledge of the man and some deception on Naruto's part.

* * *

Kakashi continued walking back into the clearing, reading his book as he thought about how his 'team' had done so far. He was honestly disappointed in them. Sakura had fallen for one of the most simple genjutsu he had when, according to her reports, she was supposed to be the best on the subject of genjutsu. Sasuke he had to admit was good, he had managed to set a decent trap that might have worked had he not taken the fight more seriously from the beginning, and his taijutsu form was good. But the boy was simply too arrogant, believing that he could actually go head to head with a jonin.

Naruto had been the surprise. Using tactics and jutsu that Kakashi did not know he had possessed. His taijutsu was also decent, just a little below Sasuke's, but he also used deception, making him better then Sasuke who simply fought head on. _Not only that, but he had tried to get his teammates to work with him…_ Kakashi didn't think the boy knew that the whole point of the test was to work as a team. But Naruto at least recognized that he could not fight a jonin one-on-one with any hope of winning.

As Kakashi entered the clearing he stopped and noticed there was another person already there, standing near the training posts.

It was a woman with long black hair and red eyes that held an exotic quality to them. She was wearing makeup that consisted of red lip stick and purple eye shadow, just enough to enhance her already beautiful features. Her outfit consisted of a red mesh blouse that had one long sleeve on the left, and no sleeve on the right. Over this was a very broad material that resembled bandages and had a rose thorn pattern running along the center of them. Her hands were wrapped up in bandages and she wore a Konoha head band on her head and regular blue shinobi sandals. Kakashi could easily recognize this woman as one of his fellow jonin, Yuuhi Kurenai.

"Kakashi." Kurenai greeted as her red lips curved into a smile. "I've been looking for you."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes in thought as the beautiful red eyed jonin walked up to him. _Kurenai is supposed to be testing her team right now, there is no way this can be her._ Running through some calculations the Cyclops determined 'who' this really was and 'what' was really going on. _This must be Naruto using his infamous __Oiroke No Jutsu__ I've heard so much about._ Kakashi appraised the transformed Naruto as the blond walked up to him._ I have to admit, the __Henge__ is nearly flawless. However it's only an illusion, and should only take a simple touch to dispel._

He decided to go along with Naruto to see what he would do. "Kurenai-san, I thought you would be with your team."

"I'm going to be testing them in a little while." Kurenai replied. "But I wanted your advice first."

"Ah!" Kakashi nodded his head as if that explained everything. "How can I help you then?"

Kurenai gave him a smile. "Well I want to give my team a challenging test, but at the same time I don't want to make it impossible for them."

"And you want me to help?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You do know that I'm not the best person to ask something like this." Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. "Of course you would know this if you were really Kurenai, Naruto!" Kakashi moved his hand up to dispel the Henge, only to freeze as his hand landed on the red eyed woman's breast.

_T-th-these are real!_ Kakashi thought, his one eye widening. _But that's impossible! There no way this can be real unless… _He paled. _Unless this isn't a __Henge__ but really is Kurenai!_ His hand subconsciously twitched, squeezing Kurenai's breast, causing her to let out a squeak.

Kurenai snarled as an angry look crossed her face. Grabbing a now fearful Kakashi by the front of his shirt, she pulled him so close that Kakashi could feel her body pressing against his. It was making him both extraordinarily frightened, being so close to her now rage filled eyes, and also extraordinarily hot, having her breasts smashed against his chest.

"YOU!" Kurenai growled as Kakashi looked at her turning from pale white to red, and back to white again as arousal and fright began to combat each other for the look on his face.

"YOU!" Kurenai's face leaned into Kakaki's, her lips near his ear. "_Pervert._" She whispered in a seductive voice.

Kakashi's one eye widened even further, his face turned completely red, even though most of it could not be seen and steam began pouring out of his ears. Then his eyes rolled up in the back of his head as he passed out, falling to the floor as Kurenai let him go, a trickle blood appearing from inside his mask and began spreading across the fabric.

There was a puff of smoke surrounding Kurenai, before it cleared to reveal Naruto standing there with a frown. _Wow, I didn't think that would actually work. Guess I shouldn't underestimate just how powerful this technique is against perverts. _He frowned a bit as he touched his chest. It had felt really creepy and gross having Kakashi touch his chest like that in his female form. _I'm going to have to look into that, that was just… _He shuddered a bit before shaking the feeling off.

Naruto shook his head as he grabbed Kakashi and began dragging him over to the training posts.

* * *

A groggy Kakashi woke up to find himself leaning against the training post. Standing up he frowned as he looked around for Kurenai, and wondering why he could not find her. _Did I dream all that?_ He shook his head at that, knowing it was too real to be a dream. Nor could it have been a genjutsu, as he was pretty sure none of his possible genin candidates had the ability to use genjutsu to that degree. But he knew it could not have been Kurenai, especially because his man bits were still intact. He quickly checked himself, sighing in relief when they were indeed still there. If it had been Kurenai he was sure she would have done something horrible to him, her hatred of perverts was well known. But then, what had happened?

He sighed; he would have to figure this out later.

Beside him the bell rang, signifying the test had come to an end. He looked down to see his bells securely fastened to his pants. Shaking his head in disappointment he looked up to see Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke coming out of the forests with varying emotions of disappointment and anger.

"Well," Kakashi started. "I have to say I'm disappointed in you three. You all failed to retrieve a bell."

"Are you sure about that sensei?" Naruto asked, holding up two bells and jingling them. Kakashi's, Sasuke's and Sakura's eyes all widened at what they were seeing.

_When did the dobe get a bell! _Sasuke wondered, seething at the thought that the dead last had been able to do what he could not.

_I don't believe Naruto baka actually managed to get a bell from Kakashi-sensei! _Sakura thought in shock.

_I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE PROBABLY STOLE IT FROM SASUKE-KUN! SHANNARO!_ Inner Sakura ranted as she held a chibi Naruto by the throat, and began squeezing the life out of it.

Kakashi looked down at the bells attached to his pants, watching as they went up in a puff of smoke. _He must have switched the bells out with a __henge'd Kage Bunshin__… but that wouldn't make sense! __Henge__ is only an illusion jutsu, there would be no way to do that unless… _Kakashi's eye widened further as he remembered his encounter with Kurenai. _That was no __Henge!__ That was an honest to kami transformation! But that's not possible is it? True transformations shouldn't be possible, even using a thick layer of chakra to create a physical body should not be possible. The difference in mass would and weight would mean he didn't just create a chakra construct and place it over himself, but actually transformed into the object he __henge'd __into, copying both its weight and body mass._ _I really need to talk to Hokage-Sama about this._

Regaining his composure Kakashi looked over at his three genin. "Well it seems you did get the bells after all. Congratulations Naruto." Sasuke grit his teeth in anger as he saw Naruto smirk, while Sakura looked both shocked that Naruto got the bells, and disappointed that she had been useless. "Now however, you need to decide who to give the bells to. After all, only two of you can pass."

Naruto smirked as he tossed a bell to Sasuke and Sakura, surprising every one. "I'll give mine to both of them."

"You do realize that if you do that, you'll be going back to the academy." Kakashi tried. _He has figured it out. _The jonin thought to himself. _There's no other explanation for this._

"An extra year won't hurt me any." Naruto said with a shrug.

"No," Sasuke said, surprising the others as he tossed his bell back to Naruto. "You got the bells, not me. You deserve to pass, and my pride as an Uchiha will not let me accept this when I didn't actually get one myself." _I refuse to accept charity from the dobe! _

"Then I think I should be the one who goes back." Said Sakura, looking rather depressed as she threw her bell to Sasuke. "All I did was fall into a genjutsu. Sasuke-kun tried to get a bell, and Naruto got both bells so…" _I can't accept it, even if I can't be with Sasuke-kun…_

"You two need to relax." Naruto said with a smirk as he tossed his bell to Sakura. "I have a way to make sure we all pass." Everyone watched as Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out a little orange book. "I made sure to get some added insurance." Naruto turned to look at a wide eyed Kakashi and grinned. "Either you pass all of us, or I'll have Sasuke show you what a Katon Jutsu can do to paperback."

"NO, NOT THE PRECIOUS!" Kakashi shouted, getting on his knees as he looked at Naruto pleadingly. "You don't need to worry you all pass! Please just give me the PRECIOUS!"

Naruto grinned as he tossed the book to Kakashi, who snatched it from the air. The three genin sweat dropped as Kakashi started to lovingly nuzzling the book against his cheek, mumbling about 'the precious' and 'don't worry, your safe now precious'.

"Uhhh… Sensei?" Naruto asked, a little uncomfortable with the awkward scene before him. "You kind of freaking me out here."

Kakashi coughed as he stood back up, pocketing the book and acting as if he had not just been snuggling a book as one normally would a lover. "Ahem, well I guess all of you pass then. You can thank Naruto for that, since he seemed to understand that this test was about teamwork."

The other two genin looked over at Naruto who flashed them a grin and shrugged. Honestly he had not really known the test was about teamwork. He had only realized that without help, he normally would have never been able to get a book. _Thank kami for perverted weaknesses…_

"Anyway, meet me here tomorrow over at the bridge at 8:00 am and we'll begin our first mission as team 7." Kakashi gave the group an eye smile.

Sakura gave a large smile as she realized that she was still going to be on a team with her Sasuke-kun. Sasuke, despite feeling put off at not having actually gotten a bell, smirked as the feeling of having passed push his other feelings away for the moment.

Naruto grinned, excited at the prospect of telling what happened here to Anko.

"Right well, I will see you all later. I have to report to Hokage-Sama that we are now a team." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Hey Sasuke-kun, do you want to go out on a date with me to celebrate?" asked Sakura.

"No." Sasuke said as he walked away, Sakura following after him and pestering him for a date.

_Ugh! Seriously, I just save them from failing and they still ignore me. I didn't even get a thank you for essentially passing them. Ungrateful bastards. _Naruto frowned, shaking his head before making his way to the Forest of Death. No doubt Anko would want to hear the tale of how he 'defeated' the legendary Hatake Kakashi.

* * *

Sarutobi sighed to himself as he saw that Kakashi was still not here. "Why don't you all start, Kakashi will probably be several hours late anyway." Sarutobi motioned for them to begin.

Shiranui Genma stepped forward. "Hokage-Sama, team 1 failed."

As he stepped back Aoba stepped forward. "Team 2 failed as well. They simply don't understand the principals of teamwork."

On this went as teams 3 through 6 failed as well.

"Go on Kurena-san, since Kakashi isn't here yet." Sarutobi gestured for her to have the spotlight.

Kurenai stepped forward. "Team 8 passed."

Asuma went after her, taking a puff of his cigarette. "Team 10 passed as well." He took a step back as a puff of smoke erupted in the room.

"Sorry I'm late Hokage-Sama, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around." Kakashi said as he appeared from within the smoke.

Several groans were heard at Kakashi's terrible excuse. Really, you would think a ninja as famous as Kakashi would, at the very least, be able to come up with more plausible excuses.

Sarutobi just sighed as he shook off his annoyance. "Just give me your report."

"Team 7 passed." Kakashi said with a shrug. For a moment there was such a complete silence that one would almost think they had walked into a grave. Not even the crickets chirped as everyone stared at the cyclopean jonin with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Kakashi noticed the looks he was receiving and sweat dropped. "What? I'm not that bad am I?" he asked.

A resounding 'YES!' rang in the room, causing Kakashi to rub the back of his head sheepishly.

Sarutobi looked at Kakashi for a moment before nodding. "Very well then. All of you are dismissed." One by one the jonin began to leave in their own unique way, from sunshin'sto simply walking out the door. However, Kakashi stayed where he was, snapping his book shut as soon as the other ninja left. "I take it there is something you still wish to discuss Kakashi-kun?" Sarutobi asked, grabbing a pipe from within his desk.

"Yes sir, I wanted to talk to you about Naruto." replied Kakashi.

Sarutobi nodded as he used a katon jutsu to light his pipe, taking a few puffs. "I suspected as much. He's not quite what you thought he'd be is he?"

Kakashi shook his head. "He's so far from what I thought he would be that I wasn't even sure that was Naruto. First he was much quieter then I had been led to believe. He seems to still have his moments of hyper activity, but they seemed to be leaning more towards smart ass remarks more than anything. Second he was a lot better than the reports said. I'd say that he was on par with Sasuke in skill, if not a tad better. Third, he was far more intelligent then he should be. I came in expecting him to be a loud mouth brat with no control over his emotions and no intelligence what so ever, screaming about being Hokage and ramen. But not only was he able to keep his calm during our battle and managed to use a good amount of deception on me during the test. He also used several jutsu that he should not know, that I know he couldn't have learned, even from the scroll of Forbidden sealing, and managed to get the bells."

Sarutobi nodded as he listened to Kakashi. "All of this is very true."

"I have to question the competence of the academy staff." Kakashi continued. "It seems they let their hatred of the Kyuubi get to them and gave me false information about Naruto's abilities."

Sarutobi shook his head. "While that information definitely has some biased in it, none of it was actually false… at the time."

Kakashi looked startled. "At the time sir?"

"Mmm." Sarutobi blew out a puff of smoke. "You know of the Mizuki incident." It was not a question, but Kakashi nodded anyway. "Nobody can learn such a terrible truth about themselves, one that had been kept secret from them for their whole lives and remain the same. I suspect that Naruto used his hyperactivity and general goofy attitude as a way to keep himself from falling into despair because of the loneliness he had felt his whole life, thanks to the foolishness of the village. At first it likely was more of an act then anything, but over time he had been that way for so long it simply became who he was. However, the Mizuki incident forced him to reevaluate his life and I suspect… force him out of the 'mask' he has forged for himself, so to speak."

Kakashi's eye lit with understanding as he nodded. He knew well about metaphorical masks, after all, he was wearing a mask by emulating his long dead friend Obito, who gave his life to save Kakashi's during the Third Great Ninja War. "But if that's the case, then how did he get so strong in such a short amount of time?" asked Kakashi. "Even if he had a complete 180 degree change, it would still take more than a week to learn most of those techniques. At least two months, even for a genius."

"You know the secrets of the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu Kakashi." Sarutobi commented making the elite ninja's eyes widen.

"Of course!" Kakashi mumbled. "That makes sense. Kage Bunshin's pass on the knowledge they learn to their creator when they dispel! And with Naruto's reserves…"

"A powerful technique for learning indeed." Sarutobi nodded his head. "And one I suspect, only he can use to its full potential."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes with Kage Bunshin his actual potential for learning is nearly unlimited. It would only take a few days to learn what would take others weeks, months for something that would take years…" He frowned for a moment as another thought crossed his mind. "However that still doesn't explain how he knew some of those jutsu. Kage Bunshin I can understand, but Kunai Kage Bunshin? Bunshin Daibakuha? Even with the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu at his disposal it would be impossible to learn those techniques on his own."

"Ah!" Sarutobi said with a small smirk. "Now here's where things get interesting. It seems that one our kunoichi, one Mitirashi Anko has taken a shine to young Naruto."

_That's how he knew all those things about me!_ Kakashi realized, remembering Naruto's little run down of him during their first meeting, then he paled. "Oh no! With those two together…"

Sarutobi nodded. "A most interesting pair if I do say so myself."

"Interesting?" Kakashi questioned in a slightly incredulous tone. "With Naruto's penchant for pranks, and Anko's sarcastic humor and lust for blood, those two are a walking disaster!"

"Perhaps." Sarutobi admitted with a shrug. "However Naruto has matured quite a bit since graduating, I don't think there is anything to worry about."

"So your saying I should leave them be?" asked Kakashi. "Naruto is my genin now, I don't want her-"

"Kakashi." Sarutobi said, his voice hardening a bit. "I do not want you interfering with those two. It may seem strange but I think there friendship will do each other some good. Both are outcasts with only a few friends, and both understand one another." The old Hokage paused to take a puff from his pipe. "As for Anko training Naruto. The… _council_ wants you to train Sasuke, it's the whole reason you were selected for this squad. And while I do not approve of favoritism, we both know that the council will not let this go and I have no desire to listen to pointless bickering."

He had already argued with the council on this subject for hours. He had of course already planned on having Kakashi be Sasuke's sensei, and Kakashi had requested Naruto, not only due to his rivalry with Sasuke, but also because Naruto was the son of Kakashi's sensei, the Yonadime Hokage Namikaze Minato.

However, the council wanted Kakashi to neglect Naruto's training in favor of the Uchiha. Sarutobi had fought over this subject for hours, needing to remind them that he was the Hokage, and only he could tell his jonin what to do. However, he also knew they would bring this up again, and needed to appease them in some way.

Sarutobi held up a hand, stopping Kakashi as he was about to speak. "Your hands will already be fairly full, and while I am certainly not saying neglect the other two. I am telling you to focus on Sasuke, give the two some direction, help them where you can, but give Sasuke more general attention. We both know that the boy is a flight risk."

Kakashi nodded at that, having listened to the boy talk about himself and hearing his desire to kill his older brother, Itachi, the cyclopean jonin knew the boy would be easily seduced to betray the village if offered power.

"We need to keep him preoccupied until he can get comfortable and familiar with you and his teammates. Hopefully he will begin to think less about revenge and more about protecting the village." Sarutobi emptied out his pipe and put it back in his desk.

"But if he's a flight risk teaching him would be dangerous." Kakashi commented. He already planned on teaching the boy some things, and if he proved to be competent some of his more powerful jutsu. But that was only if Kakashi was sure Sasuke would not use them against his comrades, something he was not sure the young Uchiha would do or not with the boys current state of mind.

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes it is. That is why you will not teach him anything dangerous until you are sure he can handle the responsibility."

Kakashi nodded. "I understand Hokage-Sama. I have one more question…"

"You wish to know about Naruto-kun's transformation yes?" Kakashi nodded. "Understandable, given that his technique should in all essence be impossible." Sarutobi sighed. "Unfortunately I do not have an answer for you, though I do suspect that the Kyuubi's Yokai may have something to do with his ability to transform into something down to the letter."

"That would make sense." Kakashi mumbled. Maybe Kyuubi's yokai enacted some kind of change in the composition of Naruto's chakra, and allowed the blonds body to literally take on the shape of another being or object.

"Are there anymore question?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Good. You are dismissed." Sarutobi said.

Kakashi nodded as he left, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sarutobi sighed as he put out his pipe, turning his attention back to his paperwork, only to see the stack had somehow doubled during his discussion. _How did it get so big!_ Sarutobi glared at the paper, wishing fervently that he could burn it with a Katon jutsu. _It's mocking me_. He bristled; he could practically hear it telling him that he would never defeat it.

_Curse you for making take up this mantle again Minato!_

_

* * *

_

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Anko held onto her gut as she laughed. "Oh… oh kami…" she wheezed trying to regain the breath she had lost from her small fit. She sat up as she got herself under control, snickering a bit as she looked at Naruto. "So let me get this straight. You Henge'd yourself into Nai-chan and made Kakashi pass out via blood loss and took the bells AND his porn?"

Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, pretty much."

"That's absolute gold gaki. Sweat sage I wish I was there to see that!" Anko snickered again. "Though, you'd better not let Nai-chan hear you used her for something like this. She's been known to genjutsu men for doing less. And believe me, her genjutsu for perverts are horrible."

"You're not going to tell her are you?" Naruto asked, paling at the thought.

Anko tapped her chin as if thinking about it. "Nah!" she said with a grin. "You're much too fun for me to lose… yet."

"That really doesn't inspire much confidence." Naruto deadpanned.

"Relax gakI, I won't rat you out." Anko said, grinning as she grabbed onto him and set him on her lap. "You know I'd be so depressed without my fox plushy!"

"A-Anko!" Naruto shouted, blushing as the scantily clad kunoichi rubbed her cheeks against his. As Anko continued her… nuzzling, she ended up rubbing against Naruto's whiskers and, much to Naruto's horror and Anko's surprise, he start… purring?

"Did you just purr?" Anko asked, blinking as she stared at him.

"Pft… n-no!" Naruto stuttered, attempting to get away from the now madly grinning woman.

Not that there was anywhere for him to run in the Forest of Death.

"KAWAII!" Anko squealed as she grabbed Naruto and held onto him tighter than before, suffocating the poor boy between her rather bountiful assets.

It was just another day for Uzumaki Naruto. However as Naruto began turning blue and red from embarrassment and lack of oxygen, he felt that his adventures had only just begun.

* * *

Omake: Perverts and Pranks:

Kurenai snarled as an angry look crossed her face. Grabbing a now fearful Kakashi by the front of his shirt, she pulled him so close that Kakashi could feel her body pressing against his. It was making him both extraordinarily frightened, being so close to her now rage filled eyes, and also extraordinarily hot, having her breasts smashed against his chest.

"YOU!" Kurenai growled as Kakashi looked at her turning from pale white to red, and back to white again as arousal and fright began to combat each other for the look on his face.

"YOU!" Kurenai's face leaned into Kakaki's, her lips near his ear. "_Pervert._" She whispered in a seductive voice.

Kakashi's one eye widened even further, his face turned completely red, even though most of it could not be seen and steam began pouring out of his ears. Then his eyes rolled up in the back of his head as he passed out, falling to the floor as Kurenai let him go, a trickle blood appearing from inside his mask and began spreading across the fabric.

There was a puff of smoke surrounding Kurenai, before it cleared to reveal Naruto standing there with a frown. _Wow, I didn't think that would actually work. Guess I shouldn't underestimate just how powerful this technique is against perverts. _He frowned a bit as he touched his chest. It had felt really creepy and gross having Kakashi touch his chest like that in his female form. _I'm going to have to look into that, that was just… _He shuddered a bit before shaking the feeling off.

Naruto was just about to drag Kakashi over to the training posts when inspiration struck him.

He looked down at Kakashi and grinned mischievously.

* * *

Kakashi woke up with a groan, wondering what had hit him. He tried to move a hand up to his face, only to realize that he could not move his hand.

_Come to think of none of limbs are moving!_ Kakashi opened his eyes and paled at what he found.

He was currently tied up with grade a ninja wire in such a way that he could not even wiggle. But that was not the worst of it. No, what the worst part was, was that he was hanging over the female side of the hot springs. He also recognized several of those girls, those ones being Inuzuka Hana, Mitirashi anko, Yuuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao. Even worse all of his Icha Icha books were hanging with him.

A little ways away the naruto kage bunshin who had been left there grinned when he saw Kakashi wake up. He took out a kunai and cut the two wires, letting both Kakashi and his books fall into the water.

Kakashi hit the water with a splash, coughing and sputtering as he came up. As he felt the bonds from the ninja wire loosen, he became acutely aware of the killing intent being Directed at him. He paled as he looked up and saw all of the girls leering down at him. He took a quick gaze as their beautiful bodies, knowing he was already a dead man. "Uh… Hey girls. Great day to go to the hot springs eh?"

"Yes, it was a great day Kakashi." Kurenai replied, her eyes narrowing and her hands getting ready to do the hand seals for one of her worst genjutsu.

"Until you had to ruin it!" Hana growled, her nails lengthening into claws.

Yugao pulled out a sword from… somewhere on her persons and pointed it at Kakashi's throat. "You've disappointed me Sempai."

"N-now ladies, we can, can't we talk this out." Kakashi pleaded.

"Oh we're through talking." Kurenai said. "Naibun Genjutsu: Chikan Wa-suto Akumu (Secret Genjutsu: Perverts worst nightmare)!"

Soon screams began to echo across Konoha as Kakashi was subject to getting chunks of his body clawed out, getting cut with Yugao's blade and being forced to have a lap dance in a gay bar by Kurenai's genjutsu.

Anko grinned as she watched the fireworks, before turning back to the Icha Icha books she had found. "'Oh Manashi, I love the way your cock is searing inside my pussy!' Cried Ango as her lover Manashi ploughed into her. 'I know you love it, your my little cum slut Ango-' hey wait a minute!" Anko stopped reading as she re-read the names. Yep, there was no mistaking it; that was her and Kakashi with just a small difference in the lettering.

"Ooooh! That does it!" No one writes about Mitirashi Anko without her consent and gets away with it! (Somewhere in Hi No Kuni, Jiraiya felt a shudder of fear run down his spine) "Sen'eijashu!" Several snakes shot out of Anko's sleeve and latched onto Kakashi's balls, causing his screams to become even louder.

Several hours later Kakashi would be found lying outside of the hospital in a heap with several thousand lacerations, claw marks running down his face, neck and chest, black and poisoned testicles and muttering the words, 'It's not real, it's just a genjutsu. Just a genjutsu'.

* * *

Katon: Gokyakou No Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fire Ball Jutsu) - A B rank Katon Jutsu. The user creates fire chakra within the throat and exhales it to create a large fireball. This is a sensory jutsu normally used for distraction or wide scale destruction. It is also used by the various hunter ninja squads of different villages in order to burn the remains of missing ninja that have betrayed the village.

Konoha Hiden Taijutsu Ogi: Sennin Goroshi (Konoha's hidden Taijutsu: One Thousand Years of Death) – S ranked Kinjutsu. One of the deadliest jutsu known to man. This jutsu consists of you getting behind your opponent and shoving chakra enhanced fingers up their rectal cavity. This causes opponents to fly into the air and extreme pain in their ass, as well as untold embarrassment.

* * *

**Here you are the next installment. I actually got the inspiration from this chapter from a review that mentioned using the harem jutsu to defeat Itachi and Kisame. **

**So R&R to let me know what you think, I'll be at home… sleeping.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Kensington: Honestly, I think your review is probably one of the best I've gotten so far. I also realize that the story so far is basically canon with very slight changes. There will be changes from the canon story in the future, large changes in fact. But because the story started off as canon, meaning Naruto being an idiot and the Mizuki incident, not much can be changed right now. Change is usually a slow process, until something happens to make that change. Naruto learning the Kage Bunshin secret will help the change, and there will be others, but they will come slowly at first before any major shifts occur.**

**J0hnni: You may be on to something about the real transformation being overused; I have seen it in a lot of fics. Yet at the same time it kind of makes sense. I mean how can an E rank academy jutsu actually transform someone into something. I'm actually going to have a reason why only he can do transformation though, where most just say it's a special henge that he created. Since I've already done the chapter going in and changing it as much as I would have to is kind of pointless. Though you make several good points and I will try to be more original.**

**Runewizarddd: He can copy their weight and body mass, but not the composition. So if he transformed himself into a weapon like a sword, he would be unable to go toe to toe with another sword.**

**Benikaze No Shi: I can't really say, I've never read Icha Icha since it doesn't exist. As for being a pervert hater, several of my… girlfriends? I guess you could call them that. Anyways several of the girls I date casually say I'm a pervert, and I do admit to having a healthy amount of admiration for the female condition. So no, I don't hate perverts, that would make me a hypocrite.**

**Greg: Don't worry, not gonna happen, but I might use it for some comedy purposes much later in the story.**

**UzumakiCest: No, I'm not discontinuing my other fics. I just don't have any ideas for my other stories yet, and I don't like to force my writing. It ends up being shitty if I do.**

**App1119: Yeah, that's actually an odd habit that my computer does, when ever I write gaki the I gets automatically capitalized for some stupid reason that I have yet to determine.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I could tell you that I don't own Naruto. But I really don't feeling like doing that. Why? Because one day I will own Naruto, it is only a matter of time before I get my hands on the rights to it. At least I believe so, and I believe in something long enough, it may just happen. One can always hope right?**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts In Life**

**Chapter 6: Days of Training**

* * *

(Day After Genin Graduation Exams…)

Naruto pulled out another weed, throwing it onto a growing pile beside him. He looked over at his teammates, who were both doing the same thing, then over to Kakashi, who was reading his porn. Naruto growled in frustration as he went back to pick up another weed. _I'm going to kill Anko for not telling me about these D rank missions! _The blond promised himself as he continued.

When they had first gone to get a mission Naruto had been excited at the prospect. Hoping that it would have taken them to some far away land where he would protect a princess, or storm a fortress full of evil missing ninja. But no… here he was, pulling weeds.

One of the most humiliating thing he could have imagined, and the new bane of his existence.

"Good job Team." Kakashi said, snapping his book shut as they finished their task. "Let's return to Hokage-Sama and report our success."

"'Our' success?" Naruto asked with a snort. "I hope you're not implying that you had anything to do with the success of this '_mission'_." Naruto spoke the word mission with distain. How anyone could call these chores missions was beyond him.

"Of course." Kakashi said with an eye smile. "Someone had to make sure you were all working properly."

Naruto grunted as he, Sasuke, and Sakura followed Kakashi back towards the Hokage Tower.

"Tell me again, what exactly do completing these 'chores' accomplish?" asked Naruto in a sarcastic voice as they entered the Hokage Tower.

"Ma Naruto, I thought you would know about this." Kakashi chided as he flipped a page of his book. "These missions help you with team work."

Naruto's eye twitch. "How does pulling weeds help our team work? We didn't even do anything as a team for this!"

"Shut up Baka! I'm sick of hearing you complain!" Sakura shouted, raising her fist to hit him on the head.

Naruto however was not in the mood to get hit by his abusive teammate. He caught her wrist and glared at her. "Do not hit me again Sakura. I haven't done anything to you to deserve getting hit." He had been slowly realizing that Sakura had never been any good for him, and he was in a foul enough mood that any feelings he may still have for her were pushed away.

Sakura looked shocked as Naruto let go of her wrist. It soon turned into a glare however as they entered the Hokage's office. Thankfully, she did not attempt to hit him again.

"Ah! Team 7!" Sarutobi said, looking up from his paperwork with a smile. He was glad for the distraction he now had from dealing with every kage's worst enemy. "I take it your mission was successful?"

"It would have been if it was actually a mission." Naruto grumbled to himself, but still loud enough for the others to hear.

"Quiet Naruto Baka!" Sakura hissed, though she did not hit him. "Do you want to get us in trouble!"

Sasuke was silent, he actually agreed with the dobe. These missions were not worthy of an Uchiha. The two adults just ignored the blonds comment.

"Yes the mission was a success Hokage-Sama." Kakashi said dutifully as he continued reading his porn. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the mission scroll with the signature from the person who paid for this mission on it. Not taking his eyes off his book, Kakashi handed the scroll over to Sarutobi.

"Excellent, all of you shall receive your pay then." Sarutobi handed Kakashi four envelopes with the mission payment. "Now then you are all dismissed."

The three left the Hokage Tower and made their way back to training ground 7. When they got there Kakashi handed them their payments. "Now that we have completed a mission I'm going to start our training." He told them.

The three genin all perked up at that. Naruto and Sasuke excited at the prospect of actually learning something.

"What are you going to teach us?" asked Naruto, jumping on the balls of his feet, his shinobi calm forgotten. "Is it going to be some new jutsu? Or maybe some super powerful fighting style! Or perhaps it's how to-"

"Calm down Naruto." Kakashi said. Realizing what he was doing Naruto took a deep breath before he stopped bouncing. "Good. Now for this training I want the three of you to stand in a circle. I'm going to blindfold you and give you a ball. Then you're going to have to toss it to your other two teammates." Kakashi explained, chuckling at the reaction he got.

"What the hell kind of training is that!" asked Naruto, his right eye twitching violently. "That has got to be dumbest, most ass backwards training I have ever heard of!"

"Hn." Sasuke said, nodding his head in seeming agreement.

"Now now, this is an important training session that I went through as a genin." Kakashi chided. "Now come on."

The three followed Kakashi, standing in a circle, or a triangle, since a circle was impossible with just three people. Kakashi tied a blind fold around each of them. He unsealed a ball from a scroll and gave it too Sasuke, before moving to stand in the middle.

"Ok I want you three to begin." Kakashi said.

Sasuke grunted as he threw the ball. "Dobe." He said, getting Naruto's attention.

Naruto used his enhanced senses to catch the ball before throwing it to Sakura. "Sakura."

Sakura tried to catch the ball, but it did not managed to catch in it time before it hit her chest. "Ow! Naruto Baka watch how hard you throw!" she yelled, throwing the ball back at him twice as hard.

It was only thanks to his chakra enhanced senses that he managed to catch the ball, it still stung his hands though. "Ow! Damn it Sakura! You don't need to throw the ball so hard as retaliation. Sasuke." Naruto called, lobbing the ball over to him.

Sasuke was held his hands up to catch the ball. However, Kakashi decided now was the time to interfere. Catching the ball he threw it lower then Sasuke had his hands, hitting the raven haired boy in the stomach. "What the hell dobe!" Sasuke shouted, once again Naruto got the ball thrown at him harder than last time. This time it was thrown to fast for the blond to catch and he ended up getting smacked in the head.

"Gah!" Naruto held onto his head as the ball rolled away. "Damn it Teme! I didn't throw it that hard!"

Kakashi picked up the ball and handed it too Naruto. "Try again Naruto, and this time try not to hit someone."

Naruto frowned as he wondered how to throw the ball. It was obvious that neither Sakura nor Sasuke seemed to have gotten the idea of using chakra to enhance their hearing, otherwise they would have been able to catch the ball. That meant he needed think of a way to make it easier. "Sakura, I'm gonna roll the ball to you." Naruto said as he rolled the ball to where his nose told her he was.

Sakura bent down as the ball rolled to her, she missed as it hit her feet, but at least he didn't hit her. "Sasuke-kun, I'm rolling it to you." Sakura said, following Naruto's example for the moment.

_Hmmm. _Kakashi said, actually impressed with the innovative way to complete the exercise. _Now this is an interesting way to do this, I never thought of completing the exercise this way. It seems Naruto is full of surprises._

Kakashi let them do it this way for a while before interfering again. This time when Sasuke rolled the ball to Naruto, Kakashi picked it up and threw it, hitting the blond in the head.

"Hey! What the hell teme! You're supposed to roll it!" Naruto yelled as he landed on his butt.

"What are you talking about dobe." Sasuke grunted. "I did roll it."

"Then-" Naruto paused for a moment as he realized what was going on. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi chuckled. "It seems you've caught on. You three can take your blind folds off, the exercise is over." Kakashi said as he picked up the ball. The three genin took off their blind folds off. "Now who can tell me what the exercise was about?" he asked, looking at the three of them.

For a moment no one answered. "It was an exercise on teamwork." Naruto said.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded. "But there was more to it than that."

"Umm… a teamwork exercise on trust?" asked Sakura, a little unsure of her answer.

"Close." Kakashi said. "Be more elaborate in your explanation."

Sakura tried to think about it. "You wanted us to come up with a way to trust our teammates by passing along that ball. We were blind folded because if we could see the ball it would have made the exercise pointless, since it would no longer require us to have faith in our team?" she asked tentatively.

"Very good. And why did I interfere?" asked Kakashi.

"Because you wanted to sow dissension among the ranks." grunted Sasuke, not wanting to be upstaged by the walking brain that was Sakura.

"Excellent, well done you three." Kakashi gave them an eye smile. "Now tomorrow we'll meet here again to go on more missions."

"But it's still early." whined Naruto. "Aren't we going to do more training?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I feel you guys deserve a break."

He had actually thought about teaching them some more, but he was not really sure what to teach them yet. And he had no clue what he should teach them. With Sasuke being something a loose cannon he figured the best thing to do would be to teach team work; that way Sasuke would be able to ease in with the others and they could work more efficiently as a team before he taught them anything.

_Yeah right._ Naruto thought bitterly, his right eye twitching. _More like you're too lazy to actually truly train us._

"I'll see you all tomorrow team." Kakashi said as he disappeared via Sunshin.

With Kakashi gone Sakura turned to Sasuke. "So Sasuke-kun, would you like to go on a date with me?"

"No." Sasuke said, walking off. Sakura watched him go with slumped shoulders. She turned around to Naruto, wanting to make herself feel better by denying him the chance for a date.

However, much to her shock Naruto walked right past her. "I'll see you tomorrow Sakura." He said, leaving Sakura to stand on the bridge in shock.

_H-he didn't even ask me out on a date. _Thought Sakura. Could it be that she had finally pushed him away? _I should be happy right? _If that was the case, why did it feel like she had lost something?

The moment only lasted for a few seconds before she shook her head. She didn't need that baka anyways! Nodding to herself she walked off, hoping to find Sasuke-kun so she could stal- observe him.

* * *

It was a little while later that Naruto opened the door to the Hokage's office. "Hey Ojisancan I speak to you for a second?" he asked as he walked in.

Sarutobi looked up and smiled. "Of course Naruto-kun. What can I do for you?"

"Well I was reading about elemental manipulation in a book I just got, and I was wondering how to find out about my element, since the book only mentioned it in passing." Naruto said.

"Elemental affinity?" Sarutobi asked in surprise. "That's a jonin level skill Naruto-kun. Are you sure you're ready to learn about that?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's not so much that I'm going to any kind of training for my element. I actually want to know my affinity so I know which elemental jutsu to learn. I have a few scrolls with a jutsu from each element that I got from the library, but figured it would be better to learn ones from the element I have an affinity for."

"Ah." Sarutobi nodded his head as he pulled a drawer in his desk open. "That does make a lot of sense actually. Lucky for you I happen to have some affinity paper right here." The aging Hokage pulled out a small slip of paper, handing over to Naruto. "Just channel some chakra into it to learn your affinity. If it's fire it will burn. Lightning will crumble. Water will soak. Earth will turn to dust. And wind will cut the paper."

Naruto nodded as he cut the paper. What happened shocked both of them; the entire paper was torn to shreds. "So wind?" Naruto said, sounding almost like a question.

"Yes… Interesting, it seems you have an unusual affinity for someone born in Hi No Kuni. And a powerful one at that." Sarutobi commented. _Of course his father was also a wind type. But for the paper to just get torn to shreds like that, his affinity must be off the charts._

"So is that good?" asked Naruto as he looked over at the old man.

"It's neither good nor bad really." Sarutobi answered with a shrug. "Wind is the rarest affinity here in Hi No Kuni. In fact I only know one person here who has that affinity."

"Really? Who?" asked Naruto curiously.

"My son, Sarutobi Asuma is a wind user." answered Sarutobi.

"He's the jonin sensei of team 10 isn't he?" Naruto remembered seeing the man pick up Shikamaru, Choji and Ino at the genin orientation. The Sandaime nodded in confirmation of the boy's question. "Maybe when I get started on elemental training I can ask him for help?"

"Indeed you can, I believe he trains his team at training ground 10." Sarutobi informed the blond.

Naruto snorted in amusement. "So team 7 trains at training ground 7, and team 10 trains at training ground 10. I'm guessing all of the genin squads have the same training ground as their team number dictates. How cliché."

Sarutobi chuckled. "I suppose it is. Now I'll see you later, I need to get back to my _Paperwork._" Sarutobi glared at the pile of papers as if hoping it would burn.

Naruto sweat dropped. "Umm… Ojisan?" he said, getting the old man's attention. "Why don't you just use Kage Bunshin's to do your paperwork?" Sarutobi blinked at him owlishly. "I mean… they pass on their memories to the user after they dispel right? So…"

"Kage Bunshin." Sarutobi muttered. Naruto and the two Anbu currently hidden in the room, sweat dropped as Sarutobi began banging his head on the table. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Damn it that's how he completed his paperwork so fast!" The Sandaime sat up and shook a fist at the picture of the fourth Hokage, which the old man could swear was grinning at him. "Damn you Minato!"

"Uh… right… I'm just… gonna leave now." Naruto said. Moving towards the door cautiously as Sarutobi cursed out the fourth with every vulgar word he knew.

* * *

As soon as Naruto got to the training ground he held up his hands in the ram sign and called out his most useful jutsu. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Instead of the usual one hundred, Naruto created an extra fifty. Already having their orders, one hundred of the clones spread out and began working on their assigned tasks. Naruto turned to the extra fifty he had created as he pulled out five scrolls from his left kunai pouch. "I want you guys to split up into groups of ten! Choose a jutsu and work on it until you run out of chakra!"

"YOSH!" The fifty blond copies said simultaneously as five of them grabbed a scroll. While they went off to practice their jutsu, Naruto began his exercise routine. He was a little disappointed that he would only get to do this after his team meetings, mission and 'team training', knowing that it would cut into his time. Realizing this Naruto added an extra five pounds to his weights again before starting.

After his workout Naruto got about to cooking dinner, unsealing some of the fish his clones had caught a few days ago. He sat down as he began to cook them over the fire pit.

"Don't even try it Anko." He said suddenly, causing the person who had been sneaking up behind him to pout.

"How did you know it was me?" Anko asked as she moved around him and sat down next to him.

Naruto shrugged. "I figured it would only be a matter of time before you showed up. I just kept channeling chakra to my ears and listened for someone arriving. Since you're the only one who comes here…" he trailed off as his fish finished cooking.

Anko pouted. "It's no fun if you can hear me coming."

"I guess that just means you need to be stealthier." Naruto said as he took a bite of his fish.

"Maybe…" Anko replied, snatching one of his fish from him. She ignored the glare Naruto sent her as she began to eat. "So how was your first day of missions?" she asked.

"You knew that I was going to be stuck doing those chores." Naruto said, his glare doubling in intensity as Anko grinned at him.

"You didn't think you would start off rescuing princesses did you?" asked Anko, her grin increasing as she saw Naruto's look. "You did, didn't you?"

"Shut up?" Naruto said with a blush.

Anko grinned at him. "Your gonna have to make me do that, and your fifty years too soon for that to happen."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, though there was no actual malice. "You wanna bet?"

Anko just stood up with a smirk. "Alright since you're so set on this, I suppose I've got enough time to kick your ass."

* * *

(Two Weeks later…)

After breakfast Naruto headed over to his training ground and created the usual one hundred and fifty clones. With his clones working Naruto did his physical training. He had gotten quite a bit more skilled recently, in all the spheres he had applied himself.

His chakra control was a lot better. Naruto's clones had finally managed to float a leaf on each finger. After that he made them spin counter clockwise, before switching direction. When his clones had been able to split their attention so that his clones could spin leafs clockwise and then counter clockwise every other leaf, Naruto had started them on tree climbing. Right now they were able to walk 3/4ths the way up, and run all the way to the top. Anko had decided to give him some advice by saying that he had not actually mastered this technique until his clones could fight while standing on a vertical surface for at least an hour.

Both his skills Tai and Boujutsu had increased. Naruto no longer had any trouble keeping up with Anko in a fight, at least he hadn't until Anko had upped her skill, making the blond realize she had been going easy on him the whole time. She had said that he was still at genin level, but if he gave it a month or two could possibly increase his skills to chunin at the rate he was learning.

His jutsu had made some decent improvement. Naruto had managed to learn two of the five jutsu he had set out to learn. The Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough), a simple C rank jutsu where the user sucked in air and blew it out to create a great force of wind that was used to knock opponents off their feet.

The Fuuton: Reppusho (Wind Release: Wind Gale Palm), another C rank where the user channel wind chakra to their palms and release it in a thrust. This could be used for either increasing the speed of thrown weapons, or to knock opponents off balance.

Because his clones had learned those jutsu, Naruto had delegated the thirty that finished the jutsu to work on the other ones until he had gotten them down.

Despite the progress he had made in those shinobi aspects, Naruto felt that his fuiinjutsu was where he had taken his largest leap in ability. Naruto's hand writing was finally good enough to begin working on seal creation. He had already made several that he had applied to his home. Like a basic security seal on his door that could only be unlocked through the use of his chakra, and a heating seal on his shower head to create hot water for his shower.

Naruto had also managed to place resistance seals on himself. The seals located on his wrists, biceps, calf's, thighs, chest and stomach. The resistance seals had a total of one hundred levels of resistance, each level the amount of resistance would double. So at level one it felt like he was wading through water, and at level two it would be like wading through a thick mud. Honestly, he could not really understand why the seals bothered having so many levels. Right now he was at level one, and it was ridiculously hard just to move. Naruto had found out that he needed to constantly channel chakra into his limbs to strengthen them enough to move through his exercises. Though the blond assumed that the idea was to slowly ween yourself off of using chakra in order to increase ones natural speed. And if this was just level one, he did not even want to imagine what level one hundred would be like.

The resistance seals were all connected to a master seal that controlled the resistance seals on his body. It was located on his right bicep and connected to his resistance seals with linking seals, which looked like chains that went to the resistance seals. Naruto had also ended up using a special genjutsu seal he had learned from the intermediate book to keep it invisible so others would not notice he had them.

He had also ended up created several containment seals, explosive tags and even a trap tag that released kunai when it detected a foreign chakra within a fifteen foot radius of it.

Finishing up his training and eating lunch Naruto created more clones to continue working while he headed into Konoha. Making his way down one of the streets of the village, Naruto ignored the hostile glares he got as he made his way towards the Higarashi Weapons store.

As he entered the store Naruto was surprised to find Tenten manning the cash register. "Hey Tenten!" Naruto greeted, causing the bun haired girls head to snap up.

"Naruto!" Tenten greeted as she came around the desk and walked up to him.

"Not with your team today?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side.

"It's my day off." Tenten shrugged before looking at him pointedly. "You know you haven't visited since that first time you came in here."

Naruto blinked and took a step back at the small glare she was giving him. "Er… well… I just got enough money to buy more equipment so..."

"So you have to have a reason to come to the store and visit?" Tenten asked, crossing her arms.

"Er… well… no! Of course not! It's just that…" Naruto stuttered, not really sure how to deal with girls. As far as the opposite sex went he had only dealt with Anko and Sakura, and one of them was completely psychotic, while the other liked to try and abuse him.

Tenten laughed and waved a hand in front of her face. "Relax, I'm just kidding."

"…Oh." Naruto said lamely, not quite sure what to make of her joke.

"So what are you here for?" Tenten asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I was here to visit you?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"Nice try." Tenten chuckled.

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Oh well… I'm here for some more equipment. Standard ninja tools for a C rank mission." Naruto said, getting down to business.

"You're going on a C rank? Already?" Tenten asked in surprise. Most genin don't go on C rank missions until they had at least four to six months experience.

"No." Naruto shook his head, wishing that he could be going on a C rank. "I just figured that the amount used for one should be enough for me to practice with for now."

"Well that stuff should be easy to get." Tenten said as she and Naruto went around grabbing the equipment he wanted. "So I take it you have your jonin sensei now?" Tenten asked after a while.

Naruto nodded. "Yep. My sensei is a guy named Hatake Kakashi." Naruto looked over at Tenten as she stopped. "You ok Tenten?"

"Kakashi huh?" She asked, looking at Naruto as he nodded. "I can't believe it." She muttered.

"Believe what?" asked Naruto in confusion.

"Kakashi is the 'eternal rival' of my sensei." Tenten said as she quoted the words eternal rival.

"Really? That's interesting. Who's your sensei?" Naruto asked.

"My sensei is Gai Maito." Tenten said as she restarted gathering Naruto's equipment. "He's a decent sensei if a little… eccentric." She shuddered a bit at the word. "He specializes in taijutsu, and he's good, I mean he's really good. He turned my teammate who is the dead last of our class into a force to be reckoned with."

"Taijutsu huh?" Naruto asked, looking interested. "Hey, do you think I can join you and your team for a training session?"

"Well… I don't see why not." Tenten said with a shrug as she led Naruto over to the cash register. "But aren't you supposed to train with your own sensei?" she rang up all of the equipment he had bought. "That will come to 4,000 yen."

Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out gama-chan, his frog wallet. "I would train with my sensei if he actually trained us." He scowled. "So far all we've really done are 'teamwork' exercises as he calls them." he handed her the money. "I mean, we occasionally spar with each other, but he usually stops us after like fifteen minutes, and he doesn't even correct any mistakes we have in our form. The man is one of the laziest jonin I've ever met."

Tenten raised an eyebrow as she put the money away. "What exactly are teamwork exercises?" she asked.

"Well, I remember we've had to toss a ball to each other blindfolded. Then there was this one time he chained us together and we had to find him in the forest in order to get the key to escape…" Naruto shuddered. "It took us nearly an hour to find him."

"That's it?" Tenten asked, receiving a nod. "Then it sounds like your sensei is either really lazy or really stupid." She snickered a bit as Naruto muttered 'or both' under his breath. "Our team had already started on tree climbing by now."

"Yeah, I had to do tree climbing myself." Naruto said as he sealed up his supplies in one of his personalized sealing scrolls. "So I usually get away from my team at 3:00 pm."

"Then you're in luck since my team usually stays out until 6:00 am to 9:00 pm." Tenten said.

"Cool, so I'll see you tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, that sounds fine." Tenten said. "We train at training ground 9. Just to warn you thought one of my teammates and my sensei are… weird."

Naruto gave Tenten a grin. "My sensei reads porn in public. I think I can handle weird. See ya Tenten!" Naruto waved goodbye as he left.

Tenten waved after him, getting back to manning the cash register when he left.

* * *

(The next Day…)

The next day Naruto headed over to training ground 9 after he finished meeting his team. When he got there he was greeted to the odd sight of a man and what could pass off as his clone hugging each other behind a sunset.

_Wow! Tenten meant it when she said her sensei was weird. And what the hell is with the mini-clone? _"Tenten." Naruto called out as he tried his best to ignore the two men hugging.

Tenten and her other teammate, a boy with long brown hair, gray pupiless eyes and an off white robe looked over at him.

"Hey Naruto!" Tenten said with a smile. "Glad you could make it."

Naruto gave the girl an amused grin. "What and miss… this…" He pointed over at the still hugging guys.

"Yeah…" Tenten blushed in embarrassment at her teammate and sensei. "I told you they were weird."

"Remind me to never doubt you again." Naruto joked.

"YOSH WHO IS THIS PERSON WHO IS JOINING OUR YOUTHFUL GROUP!"

"What the hell!" Naruto spun around and saw the clones were no longer hugging each other and were instead looking at him.

Now that he got a better look at the pair Naruto noticed their clothes in more detail. Green spandex with orange leg warmers and their head bands being used as belts. The only difference between the two was that the taller one had a jonin flak jacket while the smaller one did not. Another thing he noticed was…

_Dear Kami-Sama! I think those eyebrows are moving!_ Naruto thought as he looked at the eyebrows that were sitting just below their bowl cut hair. _Did they decide to super glue a pair of caterpillars above their eyes!_

"Gai-sensei this is Naruto." Tenten said in way of greeting. "He asked if he could join us."

"YOSH! IT IS MOST YOUTHFUL OF YOU TO JOIN US AS WE FAN OUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Gai shouted, giving Naruto the nice guy pose, complete with sparkling teeth.

"YES NARUTO-KUN! IT IS ALWAYS NICE TO SEE OTHERS WHO WISH TO JOIN US AS WE FAN OUR YOUTHFUL FLAMES!" the Gai clone shouted.

"Umm… right?" Naruto took a step back, slightly scared by the two shouting shinobi. He was starting to wonder if maybe going to train with Tenten and her team was such a good idea.

Tenten's mouth twitched into an amused smile as she noticed Naruto's discomfort. "Naruto these are my teammates Rock Lee." Naruto pointed to the Gai clone who gave him a nice guy pose, complete with shining teeth and did Naruto here them ping? "And this other one is Hyuuga Negi." Naruto's attention was then directed to the other one.

"You know your eyes look like a class mate of mines." Naruto said as he looked at Negi.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yep! It's some dark, weird girl named Hinata. Are you related to her by any chance?" Naruto asked, frowning when he noticed Negi stiffen at the name.

"Uh… why don't we start training?" Tenten suggested, knowing who Naruto was talking about and Neji's problems with her.

"TENTEN YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!" Gai shouted. "COME; LET US BURN IN THE FLAMES OF OUR YOUTH!"

"Riiight." Naruto said before turning to Tenten. "Do you use close range weapons?" he asked.

Tenten smirked. "I work at my parent's weapon shop. What do you think?" she reached into her pouch and grabbed a scroll. Unsealing a standard yet well-made katana. "It may not be my specialty, but I'm still pretty good with close ranged weapons."

Naruto grinned as he took his bo staff from his back. "Well then, let's see who's better with their weapon."

Tenten returned his grin as she ran at him, attempting to hit him with a vertical slash from the left. Naruto spun his staff, knocking her sword away and coming in with a jab. Tenten leapt back as Naruto came at her, making quick jabs and spinning attacks with his staff.

Naruto made sure to keep out of range of Tenten's sword, something the weapon using girl noticed. On Naruto's next swing Tenten locked her blade with his staff, keeping the bo staff pointed towards the ground as she dragged her blade across it. She came at Naruto with a slash. Ducking under the attack, Naruto brought his now free staff up and tried to hit Tenten with the end of it.

Tenten spun to the side, using her sword to push the staff away before coming right in. Naruto dodged the thrust of Tenten's sword, putting his staff on the ground and using it as leverage as he attempted to kick her. Not able to bring her sword to lock, Tenten ducked under the attack and jumped back.

The two eyed each other as they continued trading blows, neither one really getting the upper hand. Naruto had a reach advantage since his staff was longer. But Tenten was more skilled in her weapon, having been training with weapons since she was a child. As the two continued Lee and Gai had stopped their own sparring to watch the pair.

"You're good." Naruto grunted as he blocked a series strikes. "You're really good."

"Thanks." Tenten said with a grin as she moved back when Naruto began twirling his staff around in an offensive formation. "For someone who just started three weeks ago you're not bad yourself."

"What can I say?" Naruto shot back, ducking under a swing before side stepping another. "I'm a natural." He made another offensive spin as he tried to knock Tenten's blade out of her hand. It ended up back firing as Tenten managed to time her attack to his, knocking him off balance. Tenten went into a leg sweep, tripping Naruto and causing him to land on his back with an 'oof!' as he got the air knocked out of him.

"Natural or not." Tenten said as she stood over Naruto, grinning as she pointed her blade at his throat. "You've still got a looong ways to go to beat me."

Naruto looked at the blade currently being point at his throat. He tilted his head to see Tenten grinning down at him. Then he looked back to the blade. "I'll win next time." he declared.

"I'm sure." Tenten replied as she held out a hand to help Naruto up.

"Naruto-san that was a most youthful fight you had with Tenten!" Gai said.

"Yes Naruto-kun that was such an amazing fight!" Lee cried, drying his eyes on his sleeve. Before Naruto even knew what was happening Lee got right in his face, tears pouring out of his bug-like eyes like a water fall. "Oooooh! WE MUST HAVE A SPAR TO TEST OUR FLAMES OF YOUTH AGAINST EACHOTHER! I CHALLENGE YOU TO TAIJUTSU CONTEST, AND IF I CANNOT DEFEAT YOU, I WILL RUN SIX HUNDRED LAPS AROUND KONOHA! AND IF I CANNOT DO THAT I WILL CARRY SEVERAL BOULDDERS ON MY BACK AS I CLIMB THE HOKAGE MONUMENT!"

"THAT'S AN EXCELLENT IDEA LEE!" Gai shouted. "WAY TO STOKE YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH! I SHALL HELP YOU WITH THIS ENDEVOR! IF YOU FAIL, I WILL DO SIX THOUSAND PUSH-UPS ON MY THUMBS!"

"OH GAI-SENSEI!" Lee cried as he looked at his sensei.

"LEE!" tears began pouring from Gai's eyes as he looked at his student.

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE"

"GAI-SENSI!"

"LEE!"

As the jonin and his student began hugging Naruto finally got the full effects of the sunset genjutsu, complete with a sandy beach and crashing waves. Naruto looked down at the sand that had somehow appeared under his boots. Crouching down he picked up a sea shell and skipped it across the water.

"Holy shit this is real!" Naruto shouted, shock, surprise and more than a little fear etched onto his face.

Tenten nodded. "I tried dispelling it the first few times. It never works."

"My Byakugan can't see through it." Neji added his eyes somehow not able to get off the two man hugging clones.

"What the hell kind of Genjutsu is this!" Shouted Naruto as he continued watching what had to be the most unusual and creepiest scene ever, he couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine.

* * *

(One Week later…)

A week after his first meeting with Tenten's team and things had started to get busy for the blond. Naruto had decided to train with team 9 every other day, leaving his clones to work on what he had assigned them that day, while he went over to training ground 9. It was then that Naruto had realized just how much more he had to grow in order to get stronger. Naruto would come home every night he spent with them battered and bruised, or cut up and slashed, depending on whether he fought the force of nature known as Lee, or Tenten. Both of them were only genin, but they were so far ahead of him it was nearly laughable. He vowed then on that he would train even harder to beat them.

Of course he also had to deal with Anko on the other days, at least when she wasn't on missions. The snake summoning tokabetsu jonin had been rather put off when she had gone into the clearing and found out that Naruto had gone off to train with another group of people. She had of course conceded that for pure taijutsu, Gai was a better teacher. Of course, that was only after she had nearly fed Naruto to her snakes for training with others. After that Anko had decided that since Naruto was learning hand-to-hand combat from someone else, she would work on his stealth, detection and trap setting skills, by playing extreme death tag in the Forest of Death.

Naruto's fear of the place had been heightened that much more as Anko seemed to attack him with a new amount of viciousness, though whether from being put out at having Naruto with others, or just because she felt like torturing him was unknown.

Of course not all things were as… painful as that. Naruto's clones continued to make great progress in their work.

His tree climbing clones had finally managed to battle for a full hour without falling. Which was quite the accomplishment considering they had much smaller reserves then Naruto himself, especially with the amount of clones Naruto made each day to train with. He now had them working on water walking, though progress with that was much slower than tree climbing had been.

Due to not just his clones, but also gaining experience against other fighters, both his taijutsu and boujutsu had risen a notch. Being forced to fight Lee who was blindingly fast had made it imperative for Naruto to train his eyes in order to even see the blur the green clad genin left behind. As well as make more clones to help him perfect his taijutsu, it still was not good but Naruto had deemed it enough that he had started working on another style alongside Muay Thai. And since he was with Konoha's 'Green Beasts' as the duo called themselves, he had begun to learn the Gokken style they were practitioners of.

His boujutsu was also going good, like his taijutsu Naruto would fight against a live opponent to help him. It turned out that Tenten was really good at not just swords for close range, but also using a staff, Nagitana, and just about any other close range weapon. Naruto had learned to fight against a variety of different weapons and had begun experimenting with other weapons to use for himself.

Naruto's fuiinjutsu had also sky rocketed. While he was no master, and was not even at an intermediate level in his practical usage of fuiinjutsu he could now break down the fundamental seals in all the basic sealing arrays, turn them inside out and understood some of the more complex seals enough for him to modify them in order to suit his needs. Naruto was currently trying to come up with several of his own seals, ones that he hoped would revolutionize sealing, though progress was much slower and more… environmentally hazardous then simply copying and modifying seals.

There was also his jutsu clones. They had finally finished learning the last two he had set out to learn. The Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken (Wind Release: Fist of Divine wind), a B rank jutsu where Naruto focused wind to his fists and thrust them out. The jutsu caused tremendous amounts of blunt force trauma, often leaving a large Naruto sized crater shaped like his fists in the rocks he had used to practice the jutsu.

The Fuuton: Kaze No Yaibe (Wind Release: Wind Sword) was a A ranked jutsu that Konoha had gotten thanks to its alliance with Suna. This jutsu created a pinpoint slashing strike, where the user had to emitted wind chakra from their fingertips and materialize it into an invisible wind sword that would, depending on the power output, do anything from create cuts on an enemies' body, or slice them all the way through. This jutsu was the hardest one for Naruto to learn, he had only just got it down and even then he still had some problems controlling the blade. He had theorized that the only reason he could even use this attack was because his affinity for wind was unnaturally high.

His other jutsu was the Fuuton: Kaze Senbon (Wind Release: Wind senbon), another B rank jutsu where Naruto formed several dozen senbon out of wind and launched them at an enemy, turning anything into a pin cushion. The amount of senbon he could create depended on his control of his wind chakra, right now he could only make around twelve the fifteen senbon.

Naruto had been able to find these particular jutsu when he had managed to sneak into the jonin section of the library; it was actually disappointingly easy to gain access to that section since they did not even post guards in the library and the only people he needed to worry about were the custodian and the jonin who came there. Which there was a surprisingly small amount of jonin who seemed to go to the library, something Naruto chalked up to either laziness, arrogance or both.

Not that he was ungrateful, because the wind element was so rare in Konoha that there were very few jutsu for them, and most of the jutsu they did have were higher ranked then others, due to the fact that wind was almost a purely offensive element and very dangerous to use when untrained.

Of course Naruto was not quite satisfied with just learning a jutsu, and so, wanting to master them he had set his clones to work on them again. This time the fifty he had created for jutsu learning would only work on them one at a time, starting with the Fuuton: Daitoppa, the first jutsu he had learned.

However, Naruto's work was partially slowed down by his team training, which had not changed from the 'team work' exercises and minimal sparring Kakashi had them do. He had started them on a few other things, but most of it was theory on battle tactics and the like, which he was already studying himself. Still he supposed it was good for to review and Kakashi had offered him several unique perspectives on some of the tactics the blond had studied from the Third Great Ninja War. The only other thing he had to do with his team were the missions they went on, much like the one he was on now.

"This is Raven, I'm in position."

"Blossom, I'm ready."

"This is Blondie; I see the target and am waiting to take 'em out."

"This is scarecrow, move in and capture the target!"

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all jumped out from there hiding spots as they ran towards the target. Said target screeched and hissed as it ran, only to be intercepted by Sakura. It made a mad turn the other way; however Naruto began launching kunai at it to turn it around. Directing it towards Sasuke who used ninja wire to trap it.

Naruto leaned down and picked up the now struggling cat.

"This is Raven, we've caught the target." Sasuke said into his head set.

"_Confirm pink ribbon on right ear."_ Came Kakashi's reply.

"Blondie here, pink ribbon on right ear confirmed." Naruto said, looking back at the cat to see it had gotten loose from its bonds. "Hey Sasuke."

"Hn?" Sasuke turned around as Naruto threw the pissed off cat at his face.

"MEEERROOOW!" The cat screeched as it began to claw at Sasuke's face.

"AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!" Sasuke's screams were heard all around Konoha.

* * *

Several minutes later two twitching genin, and one grinning genin were standing in the missions room with their sensei.

"Mission to capture pet cat Tora complete." Kakashi said, opening the cage where the demo- cat had been placed in after mutilating Sasuke's face. Kakashi grinned a bit beneath his mask as he got to watch his own team suffer from the same horror he went through as a genin.

"Oh thank you so much!" Madame Shinji, a rather… large woman in expensive clothing said. She grabbed the cat before it could flee. "My dear Tora-chan how I missed you so! I was so worried about you! I don't know what I would do without you!"

_Wow it's no wonder that cat runs away so much._ Naruto thought as he watched the woman squeeze her cat to death.

_Squeeze, Squeeze, SQUEEZE! _Thought Sasuke, laughing manically at the cat's plight.

_Serves that cat right for hurting my Sasuke-kun_! Sakura thought.

_CHA! Stupid cat! Next time I'll make mincemeat out of ya!_ Inner Sakura shouted as she made several punching motions.

"Excellent job team 7." Sarutobi said as the woman and her cat left. "How about another mission? I have painting the fence for Kotara-san… walking the Inuzuka dogs… or we could-"

"No TORA!" came a scream from outside, signifying that the cat ran away… again.

Sarutobi blinked before continuing. "Of course there is always catching-"

"No!" Sasuke interrupted with an angry glare, having finally lost his Uchiha cool. "No more of these chores! I'm an Uchiha, and I demand you give me a mission worthy of an Uchiha!"

"That's right!" Sakura said, defending her crush. "Sasuke-kun deserves a better mission!"

_Oh boy._ Kakashi thought with a sigh. _This won't end well… though I would have expected something like this from Naruto, not Sasuke. How did I get such a mixed up team?_

Naruto sweat dropped as he looked at his two teammates. He turned his attention over to his sensei, who now looked distinctly uncomfortable, though it was hard to tell with his face nearly covered. Looking over at the table he noticed Sarutobi looking somewhere between amusement and anger. And finally Iruka, who was working the missions department, looking like he was about to blow a gasket.

"Treat Hokage-Sama with some respect!" Iruka shouted, slamming his hands on the table. "You're all only newly graduated genin! Everyone starts out doing this work! And it takes experience before you can start taking higher ranked missions, Uchiha or not!"

"What experience?" Sasuke asked sarcastically. "The most experienced mission we get is catching that thrice damned cat! I deserve a better mission!"

Sasuke-" Kakashi tried.

"Every mission to the village is important!" Iruka yelled, cutting off Kakashi. "You need to get over yourself and remember your duty!"

"MY WHAT!" Sasuke yelled as he shook in rage. How dare these people tell him about his duty! His duty was to kill his clan's murder! But he couldn't do that unless he was stronger. And he couldn't get stronger by running these errands!

Before things could degenerate even more Naruto decided to speak up. "I sort of agree with Sasuke-teme." Everyone paused to look at him, causing Naruto to flush a bit. "Well not about everything. But I do think we are ready for a C rank mission at least. We've gone on thirty one D ranks and have done plenty of team work exercises, so we know that we can work together. _'At least until the mission or training is over and then we ignore each other… well Sakura ignores me and Sasuke just ignores everyone'."_ However he did not mention that part out loud.

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe for a moment before looking at Kakashi. "Do you believe they are ready Kakashi?" he asked.

Kakashi looked over at his students in thought. _Well I'm pretty sure that Sasuke and Naruto can handle themselves outside of the village. Despite his outburst Sasuke is normally cool and composed; and Naruto has shown considerable maturity since coming onto this team. Sakura might be a bit of a problem, but then again, a C rank mission has little chance of ninja confrontation._ "What kind of mission is it?" asked Kakashi.

"An escort and protection detail. You are to protect the client heading back of to Nami No Kuni." Sarutobi replied.

Kakashi thought about it a little more before nodding. "Very well, I think we can accomplish a mission like this."

"Really?" Asked Naruto, getting a little excited at the prospect of going outside of the village. "So who are we protecting? A princess? A celebrity? Some kind of noble?"

"Calm down Naruto-kun." Sarutobi chuckled a bit at the boy's enthusiasm. "You can send in the client now."

Naruto and the others turned to the door. Almost as soon as it slid open the stench of alcohol slammed into the blond who nearly gagged, forcing him to cut off the chakra he had begun to sub consciously send to his nose. Shaking his head to clear he looked at the man who had walked in. said man was a forty something year old man with a graying hair and beard, rectangular spectacles on his eyes and a pot belly. He was wearing wooden sandals, beige shorts, and an off-white and alcohol stained shirt and a straw hat.

"What the hell! It's just a bunch of snot nosed gaki's!" The man exclaimed in annoyance, taking the bottle he had in his hand and chugging down several gulps.

_He's certainly not what I expected. _Naruto thought to himself, his left eye twitching erratically.

"I mean look at 'em! The one with the black hair in the shape of a ducks ass looks more like sir-broods-a-lot then a ninja. And that pink haired girl looks like his little whore. A cyclops, scarecrow. And some midget!" The man said after lowering the bottle. "You expect me to believe these are ninja! I believe it when I see it!" The man brought the bottle to his lips again. However, before the bottle even got to his mouth, a blade of wind came at him, slicing the bottle off right below the man's hand. The bottle fell to the floor and shattered, spraying the man's feet with Alcohol. "GAH!"

"Naruto you're not supposed to attack the client." Kakashi scolded in a bored tone. Though inwardly he was studying the blond. _That was a __Fuuton: Kaze No Yabe (Wind Release: Wind Blade)__, he's obviously been learning some new jutsu, and those hand seals were actually pretty fast for a genin. Though I wonder where he got that jutsu?_

"Attacking him?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in confusion. "I think your misunderstanding; if I had actually attacked him he would be dead. I was merely giving him a demonstration of our skills. After all he did say 'he'll believe it when he sees it'."

Sarutobi brought a hand up to pull his hat down over his head. _With all that's happened and the maturity he's shown, I sometimes forget that Naruto is still just a twelve year old boy, albeit one who's been through more than most people even twice his age._

Meanwhile, Iruka slammed his head on the table in embarrassment.

"U-u-uh… right…" Tazuna stuttered a bit as he looked at the clean cut of his bottle. He threw the piece he was holding away and looked at the group. "Anyways, my name is Tazuna, and I am a master bridge builder. You will escort me back home to Nami No Kuni, where I am building my next bridge." Somehow, despite his drunken stupor, Tazuna managed to straighten himself. "I expect all of you to protect me, even it costs you your lives."

_I wonder what he means with that statement? _Naruto questioned. _For a C rank mission like this, there should be no real danger other than bandits… Of course it could just be the ramblings of a drunken old man._

"_Right then." Kakashi said as he tried to get things back in order. "Why don't we all meet at the east gate in an hour?"_

_Naruto frowned. "Why don't we wait until tomorrow?" he suggested._

_Everyone turned to look at him. "Why do you suggest tomorrow Naruto?" Kakashi asked, curious to see what his blond student came up with._

"_Well first off its several hours past noon, if we leave now, we'll be forced to make camp before we even make it several miles from Konoha, since Tazuna's a civilian and I doubt he can run or tree hop to Nami No Kuni. And second, the man is drunk as fuck, a drunk is much harder to protect then someone sober. Less reasonable too." He looked around to see everyone staring at him like he had grown a second head. "What?" he asked._

"_Nothing." Kakashi said quickly, covering his surprise at the reasonable suggestion. "Just a surprising suggestion is all. But I do believe you are right. So then, we'll meet tomorrow at 8:00 am at the east gate."_

_Naruto nodded, "sounds like a plan. Well I think I'm gonna prepare for tomorrow. Laters!" Naruto tossed a wave over his shoulder as he left. Heading for his home to get packed for his first adventure outside of the village._

* * *

**Done. I don't really have much to say about this. You see his interact with Tenten and the meeting of team nine. Next up is the arch that everyone loves to hate, the dreaded… Wave mission!**

**Anyways I'm out, R&R to let me know your thoughts.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The review Q&A**

**Uncensored: I can understand where you're coming from about this pet peeve of yours. However, I would like to request that next time, if you havesomething bad to say, use your real screen name. I'm not gonna blow up just because you don't like something and at least you gave me a reason why. As far as changing his shoes back to shinobi sandals, I may end up giving him a wardrobe change later on in time, but it won't be for a while if I do.**

**Obakeinu-9.11: Actually when I type gaki on my computer it for some reason capitalizes the I when I press the space bar. I just never bothered going back cuz its too troublesome to correct. As for your question, it was actually a brain fart on my account, however since Naruto has to prioritize what he does with his money buying weapons would still be out of the cards until he is sure of how much he will be making.**

**Justbin: Now this has actually been some kind of debate for a long as time. The ranking system in my opinion is shit, and really makes no sense since a genin apparently has the ability to take down a jonin in this series (Naruto's fight with almost every jonin level ninja he has faced are prime examples). When I say jonin level or chunin level in anything I am saying it is the same as an average chunin or jonin. Naruto's abilities are the same as the average chunin, or the average jonin. And in this story Lee's speed is average jonin, people like Kakashi, Gai, Anko and any of the 'true elites' could kick Lees ass until he opens the Hachimon gates.**

**DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles: I won't be revealing that information at this time. Rest assured I do have a plan for Naruto as far as romance goes.**

**Drac-frst: You know I don't know, however we usually see Sasuke coming in and blasting out some new fire jutsu every time he gets in a fight, so it is possible. However he could also just be using the Uchiha library for his jutsu, if they have a library at least.**

**Greg: Yes, I do know that. However because of Naruto's admittedly short reach, I felt a bo staff would be best to start off with, and Sarutobi uses one so Naruto would assume using a staff was 'cool'. He won't be solely limited to a staff though, I plan on having him use other weapons.**

**Anonymous dude with no name (I don't know who you are so this is what you're going to be): That was actually done automatically, I don't know if you have read my Negima crossover, but I had written Neji, but it changed to Negi when I pressed the space bar because it thought that was what I was trying to write since it is the name of one of the characters in that story.**

**Mind Liger: I have a plan for Sasuke. As for Harems… everything is to remain unknown for now.**

**Luiz4200: Well we all know how much of a fan girl Sakura is.**

**Daydreamer727: you're going to have to wait to find out.**

**Kaminari-shi-ryu: Don't worry, I'm not going to say much for fear of revealing more information than I intended. However I will tell you Naruto will be getting an extra hard dose of reality on this mission.**

**TheDon1023: who know's, I shudder just thinking about it.**

**So long fucker: Ok so how did I make Naruto retarded? I'm not really sure how you can say that since I have done nothing to show that he lacks intelligence in any way, shape or form. Also, if your going to write a flame, don't be a pussy and do it anymously.**

**lk: I don't know, honestly I don't think Naruto needs a kekkei genkei to kick ass (If I do it will not be for a long time). Though I am looking for a way to replace Sage mode, while its cool I want to try something else.**

**Before we start, I would first like to thank all of the reviewers for their kick ass reviews! I really do appreciate them.**

**Also I would like to give a shout out to my Beta for this story, Senjuto, who is helping to make my story reach a whole new level of awesome. So thank you!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, it happens to belong to this guy named Kishimoto. You all know who I'm talking about. Just thinking about that guy owning this story makes me feel depressed.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 7: Journey to Nami No Kuni**

* * *

(The Next Morning…)

It was the next morning and Naruto was up bright and early going over his equipment. He knew he was probably overstressing things, but he felt that being over prepared for something like this was better than being under prepared. After all it was his first mission out of the village and it was important to make a good impression on their client. Even if said client was an old drunk like Tazuna.

_Ugh, Anko's paranoia is getting to me,_Naruto thought with a frown as he looked at all his equipment. He shrugged the thought off; paranoia could only be a good thing for a ninja.

"Let's see, Kunai scroll, check. Shurikenscroll, check. Ninja wire, check. Smoke pellets, check. Flash bangs, check. Food and camping equipment, check. Customized explosive notes." Narutogrinned as he patted the scroll holding his modified explosive notes. "Double check."

Finding all of his containment scrolls ready to go, Naruto grinned to himself and sealed all of the scrolls into a larger master scroll, which was then sealed into a containment scroll on the left hand side of his chest.

Finished with his preparations Naruto had only one more thing to do.

Naruto formed a ram seal and created a mental image in his mind. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"he said, getting a puff of smoke. When it cleared it revealed two Naruto clones that were already transformed into Kian and Akira.

Naruto channeled chakra into a containment seal on his left hand and unsealed an ink brush and some ink.

"Alright, turn around you two." Naruto ordered.

Knowing what Naruto was doing his clones turned around. The blond went up to Akira and pulled her shirt down to expose the back of her neck. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he began to write the only truly complex seal that was of his own make.

It was a seal that he had modified from a basic containment seal. This seal was designed to hold chakra instead of an item of some kind, and continuously release it into the person or object to help reinforce them or it. In this case it would continuously send chakra into his clone and allow it to last longer than a day, that way it could go work while he went on this mission.

It had been something he had been working on since he first got the idea of using henge'd Kage Bunshin to earn extra money. Knowing that his missions would take him out of the village, Naruto had realized that if he wanted his clones to keep their jobs he would need to find some way to make them last longer when he was out of the village.

When Naruto finished he checked, doubled checked and then triple checked the seal to make sure none of the ink was messed up. Satisfied he channeled enough chakra to create thirty KageBunshin's, it would be enough to last for a month, give or take a day.

He repeated the process with Kian. Before nodding to himself. "Alright done, I want you guys to keep a low profile while I'm gone. Don't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry," Akira said in her soft alto tenor, giving her creator a beautiful smile. "You can count on us."

"Right," Naruto said with a nod. He had created these clones with a specific personality in mind that was nothing like his. Having read a few stories Naruto created Akira from a few of the girls he had read about in some of his manga. She was made to be sweet, kind and dependable, always willing to help out others.

Kian was created based off of what Naruto thought Sasuke's personality would be like if he ever got that emo stick out of his ass.

The process of creating clones that were in truth nothing like him had actually been rather complicated, at least the mental process had. In order to create the clones like that Naruto had been required to immerse himself in the mindset of the personality he wanted to impose on his clones, and then create the clones. It had required a long and drawn out process of changing his mindset, he had only been able to really make them perfect around two weeks ago.

It did not help that he had also been forced to use a seal-less henge on them in order for them not to freak out. He had learned early on that if they were not transformed into who they were, the clones would start to hyperventilate before dispelling, though this problem mainly came from Akira. Not that he could blame her, if Naruto were to wake up and suddenly find himself as a girl rather than a guy he would freak out too.

"Well then, I'll see you guys later." Naruto said as he left his apartment and made his way towards the gate where he was supposed to meet his sensei.

* * *

Like Naruto, Sakura was busy packing the things she felt would be important for her mission. Clothing, extra shampoo and conditioner, a luufa, her make-up, that cute little dress that she had been hoping to wear for Sasuke-kun. You know, the important things.

When she finished packing Sakura hefted her backpack over her shoulder. She walked downstairs and headed towards the door.

"I'm going out on a mission mom!" she said, not waiting for a reply as she left, heading down the street in high spirits.

_Maybe now that we're going out of the village, Sasuke-kun and I can have some time alone together._Sakura thought with a giggle.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was packing his own belongings in his room in the Clan Head's home of the Uchiha compound. Despite the Uchihacompound being completely barren and lifeless, he continued to live it in. Of course he had been offered a place outside of the compound. However, he wanted this place to be a reminder of what he was, an avenger.

_I'm finally getting a mission that can help prove myself as an Uchiha. _He thought. _I'll prove my strength and use this as a stepping stone to get stronger so I can get my revenge against Itachi._

After he finished packing his stuff, Sasuke lifted his pack and left his room and then the house and clan compound all together, heading for the east gate.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all found themselves waiting around the front gate with their client Tazuna. Like always they had been waiting for nearly three hours.

"Where the hell is your Jonin-sensei!" Tazuna spoke in a disgruntled voice as he paced back and forth. "I thought ninja were supposed to be ready in a timely fashion!"

Narutosighed as he flipped another page of new his book, Intermediate Level Sealing Theory and Composition, By Namikaze Minato.

_I should have realized that Kakashi-sensei would be late. I wonder why I thought he would be on time just because it was our first C-rank mission as a team. _

"He'll be here Tazuna-san, however Kakashi-sensei is always at least three hours late to anything. In fact if he could, I'm sure he'd be late to his own funeral."

Tazuna looked over at Naruto with incredulous expression. "You can't be serious can you?"

"I'm afraid he is." Sakura said miserably, for once agreeing with Naruto. _Just once I wish he was on time. _She thought.

_CHA! Maybe we need to beat the crap out of him to teach timely manners! _Inner Sakura ranted.

"Hn," Sasuke said...er grunted.

Narutoflipped another page of his book. "Anyways he should be here in 3, 2, 1... Now."

"Yo!" Kakashisaid with a wave as he appeared in a puff of smoke.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screeched, forcing everyone within a fifty foot radius were forced to grab their ears in pain.

"So what's the excuse this time Kakashi?" asked Naruto as he stood up. "Did a black cat cross your path, forcing you to take the long way around?"

"Close," Kakashi eye smiled. "There was actually a herd of black cats on my doorstep, so I had to wait for them to leave, then walk around my house three times before taking the long way around. You know, to stave off the bad luck."

"LIAR!" Sakura yelled, once again knocking everyone off their equilibrium as their ears rung in pain.

"Anyway, let's get going," Kakashi said, picking out his ear as he began to leave. The others soon followed him, however Kakashi stopped when they got several feet from the gate when he noticed they were missing one.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked as Naruto had turned around and was looking at the gate. "Something wrong?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. Nothing's wrong. It just feels strange…this is the first time I'veever set foot out of the village…" He looked like he was about to continue, but shook his head and turned to face the others. "Well, let's get going."

Kakashi looked at Naruto curiously as the blond passed before shrugging and heading out.

The team began moving through the countryside of Hi No Kuni. Naruto in front, Sakura and Sasuke on the left and right respectively and Kakashi taking up the rear.

For a few awhile Naruto looked around at the environment, taking in all the sights he could. However, as time wore on his excitement about being out of the village began to fade. True he was out of the village, but everything looked the same. All he saw were trees, trees and more trees, eventually the green simply lost its splendor.

_Of course, we're still in Hi No Kuni._Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance. _I should have suspected this…_

Deciding to amuse himself Naruto looked behind him towards his teammates. Sasuke was brooding like he usually did, something that Naruto realized would probably never change. Kakashi was reading his porn like normal, the only noise coming from him being the occasional perverted giggle. And Sakura was chattering away, trying to talk to Sasuke and convince the raven-haired avenger to go out with her. Yet even that stopped when she seemed to realize that Sasuke wasn't even paying attention to her.

Naruto sighed. _Gah! This is so boring! I thought being out of the village would be cool and exciting!_

He knew he shouldn't be thinking that way. Shinobi were supposed to always remain calm, cool and collected, something Naruto had been striving to do ever since the Mizuki incident. But even he had his limits. And right now his were reaching the breaking point.

Trying to find some way to pass the time Narutoreached into his pouch and was about to take out his book again, when he stopped. Having spent as much time as he had with Anko in the Forest of Death, Naruto had developed what he had taken to calling his danger sense to a finely homed point. Even the most miniscule trace amounts of killing intent could be detected by him.

And right now there was a bit leaking from somewhere.

Looking around Naruto tried to find the source of the killing intent. It wasn't quite large enough to pin point, being fairly miniscule, so he was forced to really rely on his eyes. As he continued walking he spotted a puddle in the middle of the road.

_Odd, it hasn't rained for several days._Naruto thought with a frown. He looked back to see Kakashi eyeing the puddle before moving on. Naruto shrugged and turned back towards looking in front of him, wondering if he was just being paranoid.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

Naruto whirled around when he heard the shriek, and saw Kakashi with a pair of shuriken-linked chains, which were being held by two figures. The two ninja, who were obviously ninja by the headbands on their heads, yanked the cables resulting in Kakashi getting torn to shreds, sending body parts and blood flying everywhere.

For a split second Narutohesitated as he entered his first real battle. This gave the two shinobi, both of whom were wearing water breathing apparatus', tattered black cloaks and a pair of wicked looking claws with shuriken chains attached to them, to charge forward.

He watched as Sasuke threw a shuriken and kunai into the chains, making them stick to a tree, then running up towards the pair before he jumped up and kicked both of the two ninja attached to them in the face.

The pair released their chains and charged. Thankfully Naruto had been expecting some kind of attack, so even though he was surprised, he managed to snap out of the fugue state he had been in from seeing his sensei die. One of the Chunin charged at Naruto, attempting to take him out with his gauntlet covered hands. Naruto ducked under the claw swipe and struck the gauntlet's wrist, redirecting the attack. This seemed to surprise the man allowing Naruto to get in close.

Before the Chunin had a chance to react Naruto was in his face, grabbing his head with both hands before bringing the man's face down and smashing it into his knee. The man was sent stumbling back in a daze, his facemask dented from Naruto's blow.

It was because of the man becoming slightly disoriented that Naruto was able to close the distance again, smashing several hard punches into the man's rib cage. When Naruto sent a chakra enhanced double punch to the chest, the man flew backwards, smashing into the tree that was behind him and falling to the ground.

Naruto stared down at the unconscious man in a slight stupor. However, he was snapped out of it when he heard a voice somewhat behind him.

"Yo!"

Turning around Naruto saw Kakashi standing there with the other ninja that had attacked them placed in a headlock.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're alive!" Sakura said in relief as she lowered her kunai.

"Of course," Kakashi said, pointing over to where he had 'died'. Naruto and the other genin saw the remains of a log.

_He used a __Kawarimi__! _Naruto realized with some shock. _Then that means the blood and guts we saw was some kind of genjutsu to make it look like he had been violently killed. But what for?_

"Excellent job in defeating the enemy Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi said, turning his head towards Naruto. "Are you ok? I saw you freeze up there for a moment."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked a moment before the question registered. "Oh! Yeah I'm fine; I was just surprised that you had 'died' against these two." He gestured to the two unconscious chunin.

Kakashi nodded, "I'm glad to hear that. Also, you might want to take care of that wound." Kakashi pointed to a cut on Naruto's forearm. "Kiri ninja have been known to poison their weapons."

_Huh? I must have gotten it when I swatted that guy's attack away._Naruto thought, cursing himself for being so careless. Sighing he pulled out a kunai and without any hesitance stabbed himself right in the wound to let the poison bleed out.

"Naruto what are you doing!" Sakura screamed as she and everyone else widened their eyes at seeing Naruto deliberately injure himself.

Naruto just looked up at them and tilted his head. "What? I'm just bleeding the poison out."

"Yeah but now you might die of blood loss," Kakashi deadpanned.

"Hahahaha!" Naruto laughed as he tore the now ripped bandages off his arm and pulled out some extra bandages that he kept in his pouch. "Oh you don't need to worry about measly little wounds like this sensei, I've had wounds worse than this…" Naruto shuddered as he finished wrapping his bandages around his forearm.

"Far _far_worse," he mumbled, remembering all the times Anko had tried to up his resistance poisoning by having her snakes bite him, as well as the innumerable injuries she had inflicted on him to help his…pain tolerance, as she called it.

With his hand fixed Naruto walked over to the two unconscious chunin, pulling out some ninja wire as he did so.

"I'll take care of these two." Naruto said as he grabbed both chunin by their wrists and dragged them over to a tree, where he proceeded to tie them up.

"Urg!" One of the Chunin groaned as he woke up as Naruto finished tightening the ninja wire around them. He blinked and looked around before realizing he was tied up.

"Well, welcome back to the land of the living." Naruto said with a joyous grin. "Did you have a nice nap?"

The Chunin glared at the blond. "How did you know of our ambush?"

"Are you talking to me?" The blond asked. "Cuz if you are I can honestly tell you that I knew next to nothing about your ambush." Naruto shrugged. "All I could feel was your killing intent, but I couldn't sense where it was coming from. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be onto you though." Naruto paused for a moment as he looked over at Tazuna, who was looking more nervous than usual.

_Though them being here is starting to make sense, that must be why Tazuna has been so nervous,_Thought Naruto, having watched the man pacing nervously out of the corner of his eye while the group had been waiting for his sensei.

"It wasn't that hard, if you know what to look for." Kakashi said with a shrug. "Since it hasn't rained in nearly a week, there was no way that a puddle could have lasted very long on a clear day, much less seven."

"Wait a minute!" Tazuna said, looking a bit disgruntled as he glared at Kakashi. "If you knew these ninja were going to attack us, then why did you leave it to the kids?" he asked, feeling a bit irked.

"I could have taken them out before any trouble started. But then I wouldn't have learned anything," Kakashi said as he turned a mild glare onto the man. "I wanted to know who their target was, and what they were after."

"W-What do you mean?" Tazuna asked with a stutter.

"I mean I wanted to know if they after us, ninja attacking ninja. Or if they were after you, the master bridge builder," Kakashi said as his eyes narrowed. "When you made your request to Konoha, you asked for standard protection, from bandits and highway men and the like. You never mentioned that ninja were after you. If we had known this, it would have been designated a B-rank mission or higher."

Tazuna looked down in guilt under Kakashi's withering gaze. "Our mission was to simply get you to your destination and guard you while you built your bridge. If we had known we would have been fending off attacks from ninja, we would have staffed a different squad and charged for the cost of a B-rank mission. Even if you had your reasons for doing it, lying about a mission is unacceptable. As it is, this task falls beyond the boundaries of the mission we were given."

"We should go back," Sakura said, the idea of fighting enemy ninja frightening her. "This is too much for us; we're not ready for missions like this."

Naruto looked over at Sakura with a frown. "You can go if you want, but I'm staying."

Everyone looked over at Naruto in surprise. "It doesn't matter if he lied about the mission; the fact is we've already accepted it. As Konoha ninja we can't go back on our word, not only would that be disgracing ourselves and Konoha, but it could also cause people to lose faith in our village if we run at the first sign of trouble." Naruto looked over at Tazuna, "You don't have to worry about me leaving, even if they do."

"Hn. You think you could protect him yourself?" Sasuke snorted. "Please, you would be lost without someone like me watching your back." _I won't let this opportunity slip by; I will prove my strength here._

"So that mean you're in teme?" asked a grinning Naruto.

Sasuke just looked at the blond with a smirk. "Hn."

Kakashi looked between the two genin and sighed. Why was it that they only seemed to get along when it looked like a fight was brewing? "I guess that means we're continuing." _Still the next enemy we run into won't be low level Chunin. It will be a Jonin like myself._

* * *

In the middle of a large forested area, there was a large fortified structure being held between two trees. Inside that structure two individuals were having an important meeting.

In a room, a tall man with bandages covering half his face lounged in a large thrown like chair. To his left was one of his subordinates, awaiting his instruction. In front of him was a rather short fat man in a business suit, with frazzled gray hair and sunglasses on his face, despite how dark it was inside.

"What!" The short suited man shouted. "You're telling me you failed! I paid a lot of money to hire your group! I thought you were supposed to be some hot shot former ninja assassins! If this is all you're capable of-"

"Quit your whining…" the tall man growled as he hefted a large zanbatou style sword up with one hand, even though it was nearly as tall as he was. Bringing it around he pointed it at the now pale businessman, "Next time I'll be going to finish them myself. And this sword, Kubikiri Houcho (Head Cleaver), will be the last thing they see."

"A-are you sure about that?" asked the now nervous man. "It seems that the target has a high level ninja guarding him, and now that the Akuma brothers have failed, they'll be on guard for another attack. It will take some extreme skill to…"

"Just who do you think you're dealing with?" The man growled, not lowering his sword as he glared at the small fat man. "I am Momoichi Zabuza, the Kirigakure No Kijin (Demon of the Hidden Mist)."

* * *

It was later in the day, and Team Seven along with Tazuna had found a small clearing off the road to Nami No Kuni to rest for the night. Kakashi had made his students split up and prepare the camp. Sasuke had been charged with getting lumber and starting a fire, while Sakura had been ordered to prepare the tents. Naruto was the one who had gotten them some food, catching a few fish from a nearby stream.

After dinner Kakashi looked at his students. "Since this mission is now more dangerous than we initially thought, we are going to be taking two hour watch shifts. Naruto, you're going first, Sasuke you go second, Sakura will go third and I will go last." This was a standard watch procedure, letting the students go first so they could have more sleep when they started off again.

"Sure thing sensei." Naruto stood up and went to perch himself on a large rock a little ways away so he could keep watch.

"The rest of you make sure to get some sleep while you can." Kakashi began moving to his tent. Soon everyone else had started heading off to.

Naruto put some his hands up in the ram seal as he sat down cross legged, "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu." A few clones puffed into existence only to scatter as soon as they were formed, moving off several dozen feet away in all directions and henging into random objects and animals.

Closing his eyes Naruto began using a unique exercise he had learned in a book on chakra concepts and theories. The exercise was called Chakra Myaku (Chakra Pulse)and as the name suggested, the user sent out a pulse of chakrain all directions. This gave Naruto something a kin to a three hundred and sixty degree view similar to the sonar pings a bat used with sound waves. This had two purposes, the first was to allow Naruto to remain alert to everything around him, and the second was to use it as a basic chakra control exercise by slowly lowering the amount of chakra used while maintaining the amount of distance he could pulse his chakra.

It wasn't quite as effective in the middle of a forest as it would be elsewhere since the foliage reduced its efficiency; however that was what the clones were for.

"Can I help you Ojisan?" asked Naruto as Tazuna climbed onto the boulder he was sitting on. His eyes were still closed and he had not bothered to even look in Tazuna's direction as he remained perfectly still, something that had taken nearly two weeks to accomplish. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now? An old goat like you needs their rest."

"Hardy har har gaki." Tazuna grumbled a bit about disrespectful brats for a few moments, causing Naruto's lips to quirk upwards in a small smirk. He was silent for a moment before letting his curiosity get the better of him. "I was just wonderin'… why did you agree to come with me knowing I had lied?"

"Isn't that something you should be asking Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Your sensei wasn't the one who first agreed to continue the mission," Tazuna pointed out.

Naruto conceded the point with a nod. He was silent for a few moments and Tazuna was unsure if the blond would talk or not. Finally, "Forsaking and abandoning people in need is both dishonorable and cowardly. Below courage there is nothing. Those are the words from the Yondaime Hokage." Finally the blond opened his eyes and looked over at Tazuna, "They are words that I do my best to live by."

* * *

(Three days Later…)

When Team 7 got to the coast it was to find a thick fog had rolled in. Tazuna had led them to a man who had been willing to offer them passage across, and now the six of them were inside a motorboat to cross the waters and head into Nami No Kuni. Currently the motorboat was off however and the boatman was rowing, so as not to attract attention from anyone that may want to cause their group harm.

Naruto who was at the front of the boat was staring into the thick fog. _There's something odd about this fog._ He thought to himself. _Even for morning fog it seems to be really thick._ Of course, since this was his first time being in a coastal region, he supposed he might just be over thinking again.

"This fog is pretty thick," Naruto commented out loud, wondering what the others thought of it.

"Yeah, it's actually hard to even figure out where we're going," Sakura said, actually agreeing with Naruto. "I mean, the only thing I can even see is the water…" She looked off the side of the boat and into the rippling water.

"We'll be able to see the bridge any minute now," The boatman said in a quiet voice. "As soon as you set foot on the other shore, you'll be in Nami No Kuni."

As if on his words the fog parted where they were going to reveal the bridge. The group looked up as the shadow of it loomed over them. Even at the angle they were seeing it at, the large unfinished bridge was a sight for the group of genin.

Naruto whistled, "Alright I have to admit I'm impressed Tazuna-san."

"Thank you," Tazuna said with pride in his voice.

"I mean, I didn't think a drunk old man like you was capable of building something like this," Naruto continued.

Tazuna's shoulders slumped a bit. "…that wasn't very nice."

Naruto snickered.

"You guys need to keep it down," The man hissed. "The whole point of moving through the dense morning fog is so that we wouldn't be spotted. But it doesn't do any good if they hear us. Why do you think we're going like this? Turning off the motorboat and rowing?"

Naruto looked over at the boatman with a frown, "And who would 'they' be?" he asked.

"Naruto brings up a good question," Kakashi said as he turned to Tazuna. "I think we've been more than patient enough Tazuna-san. Before we reach the pier, I need you to provide some answers. The men who are after you, I need to know why." His voice took on a deeper tone, signifying how serious he was. "And if you don't tell us…I'll have to end the mission when we drop you ashore. That was the technical limit of this assignment, protecting you until you reach Nami No Kuni. Guarding you until you finish the bridge was left to my discretion."

Tazuna un-slumped himself and looked up at Kakashi, "Alright, I'll tell you…no I want to tell you. You are correct; this is beyond the scope of your original mission. The man who is after my life is very short man, who casts a very long and dangerous shadow."

"A very short man?" Questioned Naruto with a look of curiosity etched on his face. "So we're facing off against someone who would be better off in a circus or something?"

Kakashi ignored Naruto's jibe as he looked at Tazuna, "A man with a dangerous shadow? Who is it?"

"You know of him. At least I'm sure you;ve heard of him," Tazuna sighed. "His name is Gato."

"Gato? Gato of Gato Transports and Shipping?" Kakashi asked, a slight widening of his eye the only sign of shock. "_The_Gato? Rumors place that man as one of the richest men in the world!"

"Yes. The very same," Tazuna spoke with a slight nod. "On the surface, he appears to be nothing more than a legitimate businessman…however underneath that, the man is one of the rulers of the criminal underworld. He is known for using gangs and hiring ninja to ruin countries and initiate hostile takeovers of other business. He uses his business as a cover for his black market operations, smuggling drugs, contraband…even slaves."

"This guy is starting to sound like a grade-A douchebag," Naruto commented with a slight growl at hearing the man smuggled slaves.

"He came to Nami no Kuni a little over a year ago," Taunza ignored Naruto'scommented as he gave Kakashi more information. "He had used his wealth and violence to enter our country, and before we even knew what was happening, he had managed to seize control of all our shipping and transport."

"That makes sense," Naruto mumbled, getting the attention of everyone else. He blushed a bit but continued none the less. "Nami is really nothing more than a string of islands. They haveno other way to trade and receive supplies other than their shipping routes. By taking control over that Gato effectively controls everything."

The night before team seven had set out on their mission he had gone over to the library and gotten a geography book and had looked up any information he could on Nami No Kuni. Anko had told him one of the times after their spars that it was important to gather any information he could before a mission began, because there was always a chance that the mission could go to shit and anything he learned about the mission, whether it was about the client, the climate both geographical and political, the terrain or any number of seemingly useless information could prove to be the key that got him and his team out alive.

It was at times like these that he was thankful Anko had quite literally beat information into his head.

_Since when did Naruto get so smart?_A shocked Sakura wondered. _I've never heard him talk like this._

_**CHA! He's merely trying to make Sasuke-kun look bad**__! _Inner Sakura shouted. _**Don't fall for his tricks! He merely wants you to think he's better than Sasuke-kun! SHANNARO!**_

_Yeah! You're right! Well it's not gonna work! Stupid baka!_Sakura nodded her head in agreement with her inner… conscience.

_Listen to the dobe, trying to sound intelligent._Sasuke snorted, not wanting to admit, even to himself that he was jealous of how quickly the Naruto caught that fact. _Why does he even bother, all it does is make him look like a fool._

_He really has come a long way,_Kakashi thought to himself. _He's seems to have put in a lot effort to change himself from how he used to be. The incident with Mizuki can actually be considered a blessing in disguise with how much Naruto has grown. I think you'd be proud of him…sensei._

"The gaki is right," Tazuna said with an imperceptible nod. "On an island nation the man who controls the sea, controls everything from finance to government, to our very lives. Anyone who even attempts to stand up to him…disappears. However, even Gato has fears…and the one thing he fears is the bridge."

"Which of course is why Gato is after you," Naruto said with a nod. "Once the bridge is complete it will connect Nami to the mainland, and you won't need ships to get supplies. Since you're the master bridge builder, you're in Gato's way and he wants to off you."

"That means that this Gato is the one who hired those ninja," Sasuke said, already planning on what he would do when more ninja showed up. _This is my chance to prove my superiority as an Uchiha._

"That still doesn't answer my question," Kakashi said as he looked at Tazuna pointedly. "If you knew this was going to happen, knew that Gato was dangerous, why did you lie about the mission?"

"That's kind of obvious isn't it?" Narutoasked rhetorically as he thought over some of the things he had read on economics and political maneuvers that could be applied to this situation. "If Gato has been here for over a year, that means he's had a year to place a chokehold on all imports that come into Nami. And if he's even half as corrupt as Tazuna is saying he is, then chances are high that he's placed ridiculously high taxes on everything. I doubt this country even has enough for a B-rank mission. Am I right, Tazuna?" asked Naruto, turning to look over at Tazuna.

"No you're right," Tazuna said. "Our country has never been a major metropolis, and since Gato has come our country has been reduced to nearly nothing. We are poor to the point of emptiness, even our nobles have very little money, and what they and the rest of us have hangs in the balance of building the bridge."

Tazuna sighed, "As it is, we poor people are the ones who are paying for this mission; we simply don't havethe money to afford a B or higher rank mission. They were too expensive." Tazuna looked up at the group of Konoha ninja. "If you drop me off and abandon me when we get ashore, there will be no bridge. Gato will no doubt kill me before I can even get home."

A thick silence hung over the ninja as they digested everything.

"I don't think you need to worry about that Tazuna-ojisan," Naruto said, getting everyone's attention. "I think it was pretty stupid thing to lie about the mission. You knew you would be up against a man who was not adverse to hiring ninja, and that he could afford to hire ninja that were far more skilled then a group of genin. Had you gone to Hokage-jiji and been honest, he would have been able to arrange some kind of agreement to give you a team of Chunin or even Jonin and set up some kind of payment plan." Tazuna looked down at hearing that.

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "That being said I can at least understand why you didn't say anything. You had no way of knowing whether or not we would have helped you if you _had _been honest, and since we've already agreed to take this mission, and since Emo-The-Wonder-king over here," Naruto hiked a thumb up to point at the scowling Sasuke. "Was so adamant about us getting a mission, we can't afford to go back without a large black spot on our record."

Once again everyone was silent as Naruto spoke; sounding so different than what Sasuke and Sakura remembered him being at the academy.

"Well…I suppose we can continue the mission." Kakashi said at last. "However, if at any point I feel we're out of our league and I order us to abandon the mission, you three will follow my orders to the letter. Are we clear?" he asked in a commanding voice.

The three genin nodded at their sensei's words.

"Thank you," Tazuna mumbled as he looked at the group.

The boat continued to move silently as they made their way closer to Nami.

"We're almost there," The boatman said. "Just under this archway and past the mangroves and we'll reach the pier."

Everyone snapped to attention as they made their way under a large archway, passing through it and coming out on the other side to a small inlet lake. There were several buildings around the bank, and a few sparse trees located around and in the water.

As they got closer to the shore the group found that the buildings were mostly rundown, with rot and fungus spreading along them. Some of the buildings even looked burnt out, no doubt from Gato's thugs using violence to bring the population under Gato's heel.

The boat made it to the dock and the Konoha ninja plus one master bridge builder got off. After Tazuna and the boatman exchanged farewells the group set off again. For the most part it was silent, only the breathing of the group being heard. Naruto was taking point again, while Sakura and Sasuke were located on either side of Tazuna. Kakashiwas taking up the rear, his book safely stashed away in his pocket due to the seriousness of the situation.

As they continued moving Naruto stopped and looked into a bush that rustled a bit.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked, looking at his student. "Something wrong?"

"… No." Naruto shook his head and continued moving. They stated moving again, with Naruto paying extra attention to their surroundings.

As they continued walking Naruto paused and threw a kunai into a bush, startling the other genin and Tazuna.

"What the hell Naruto!" Sakura hissed. "Why do you have to try and scare us like- huh?"

Naruto walked right past Sakura and moved the bush branches aside, only to see a small white rabbit shaking like a leaf with a kunaistuck right above its head.

"Naruto-baka! Look what you did to this poor rabbit!" Sakura finally yelled, grabbing the rabbit and attempting to sooth its rattled nerves.

"Hn. Stop trying to act cool dobe." Sasuke commented, "It only makes you look even more like an idiot."

"Shut up teme," Naruto said, not giving Sasuke the chance to respond, the blond turned to look at Kakashi. "Um…sensei, I could be wrong about this but, isn't a rabbit's fur supposed to be brown this time of year? We have the same type of hare in Konoha, and they have a brown coat this time of year." He should know after all, he had skinned at least thirty of the critters.

"Yes it is," Kakashi said his mind a whirlwind of activity. _A white rabbit at this time year means it was raised in doors. That could only mean that someone used it for a…__Kawarimi._

Both Naruto and Kakashi who had been using chakra to enhance their senses heard a whoosh.

"Get down/ hit the dirt!" The two shouted at the same time. Kakashi grabbed Sasuke and Tazuna, pulling them to the ground, while Naruto did the same with a shocked Sakura.

**WOOSH-WHOOSH- WHOOSH- WHOOSH- WHOOSH- THUNK!**

The group looked up to see a large zanbatou stuck in a tree with a man standing on top of it. Said man was shirtless, with two cameo style armbands and pants. His face was half covered in bandages up to his nose and his head band was tilted slightly like Kakashi's, except not covering his eyes, holding up spiky black hair. The symbol of Kiri displayed on the head band with a slash mark running across the center.

"Well, well if it isn't Hatake Kakashi," The man said, in rough sounding voice.

Kakashi stood up and glared at the man. "Momoichi Zabuza, The Kiri No Oni. I never would have expected someone like you to be working for scum like Gato."

Zabuzashrugged, "It pays the bills. Besides it's all worth it if I get to fight an opponent like you. You know back when I was in Kiri, you were listed as an A-rank ninja with a kill-on-sight order in our bingo book. Hatake Kakashi, the man who copied over a thousand jutsu."

_I had no idea that our Sensei was so famous. _Sakura thought.

"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, why don't you hand over the old man and I'll let you and your genin squad go," Zabuza suggested.

"I'm sorry but you know we can't do that," Kakashi glared at the missing ninja. "It wouldn't look very good for Konoha if we just let you have him without even putting up a fight."

Zabuza shrugged, "Don't say I didn't try diplomacy first." Grabbing onto the hilt of his blade, Zabuza kicked off the tree. He landed on the lake a little ways away, and made a hand sign. "Let's see how well you can do Kakashi, Kirigakure No Jutsu (Hidden Mist Jutsu)."

A thick mist spread across the land, blanketing the already misted area so heavily that no one could see more than a few feet in front of them.

"Defensive Formation you three!" Kakashi ordered his genin squad, causing them to surround Tazuna in a frontal triangle formation with Naruto as the point, Sasuke on the left and Sakura on the right.

"Zabuza is a master of the Muon Satsujin Jutsu (Silent Killing Technique), if you're not careful you'll be dead before you even know it. Protect the bridge builder and leave Zabuza to me…" Kakashi turned back towards the lake and began to lift up his head band. "It looks like I'm going to need this."

"Ah! The Sharingan," Zabuza voice came from within the mist, his outlined form barely even visible. "It's an honor to be facing it so soon."

_How did Kakashi-sensei get that! _Sasuke thought in shock. _Only members of the Uchiha clan - my clan, can possibly have the Sharingan! Could he…_

_If Kakashi-sensei is using the Sharingan then this guy must be really strong._Naruto thought to himself, _Damn, I wish I had gone over that Bingo book Anko gave me! At least then I would know a little bit more about this guy._

"Still we both know that the Sharingan is useless if you can't even see," The mist began to thicken even more, making Zabuza disappear completely.

_Damn it, this mist cuts down the Sharingan's effectiveness._Kakashu cursed, trying to peer into the mist.

"Eight points…" Came the disembodied voice of Zabuza, causing the three genin and Tazuna to freeze as an intense killing intent filled the air. "The liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, jugular artery, brain, kidney and the heart. Now, which one shall I choose first?"

_Shit! _Naruto cursed. _This killing intent is unreal! Way more than anything Anko ever produced! And it makes it even worse with this mist, I can't see and I can barely think straight! _

The blond began shaking a bit before catching a hold of himself. _Got to remember what Anko taught to counter act the affects… _

Taking a deep breath Naruto pushed out his chakra to counter the killing intents effects like Anko told him to do. He instantly felt a little better, though it was still affecting him some.

_This…this killing intent,_Sasuke thought, struggling to breathe against the killing intent the two jonin were producing.

_Is this what a high level battle between two jonin is like? This suffocating feeling…_Sasuke began bringing a kunai to his throat. _I don't think I can take much more of it!_

"Sasuke! Calm down!" Kakashi said as he noticed the trouble his genin were having. "I won't let any of my comrade's die on me."

Sasuke seemed to calm himself down, lowering his kunai.

"You're all talk Kakashi," Zabuza appeared right in the midst of the genin and Tazuna. Just as he was about to cleave them all with Kubikiri Houcho however, Kakashi appeared right next to Zabuza and stabbed him in the gut, only for the Zaubza that he had stabbed to turn into water.

"Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone)!" Kakashi exclaimed right before Zabuza appeared behind him and cleaved him in half, causing Sakura to scream. However, much to Zabuza's surprise, Kakashi turned into water as well.

"It's over," Kakashi said as he appeared behind Zabuza and brought a kunai to the other ninja's throat.

"I see," Zabuza chuckled as he turned his head to look at the copy ninja. "You created and switched yourself with a Mizu Bunshin when you made your speech didn't you? That eye of yours is quite impressive; however…this battle is far from over!"

Zabuza swung his sword arm around, forcing Kakashi to duck under the powerful swing. Planting his sword into the ground, the mist ninja used the leverage it granted him to launch a powerful kick in Kakashi's face.

Kakashi flew through the air with Zabuza following after him. The silver haired Jonin threw some Makibishi spikes as he fell into the water, forcing Zabuza to stop.

"Makibishi spikes?" Zabuza sneered beneath his mask. "Come on Kakashi, are you even trying!"

Kakashi broke the surface of the water and gasped for some air, "There's something wrong with this water…"

"Hah! Now I've got you!" Zabuza appeared right next to Kakashi, going through a set of hand seals, "Suiton: Suirou No Jutsu (Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu)!"

Kakashi cursed as he found himself trapped within a water prison. He looked over at his students and began to make orders. "Run! Take the bridge builder and go!"

"Oh they'ree not going anywhere Kakashi!" Zabuza chuckled as he made a Mizu Bunshin to deal with the genin.

"Get out of here!" Kakashi yelled at his students. "This battle was over the moment I got caught!"

_He can't seriously think we can run does he? _Sasuke wondered. _Even if we managed to escape now, he would just kill Kakashi and come after us._

Sasuke ran towards the Mizu Bunshin in an attempt to surprise it. However as soon as he got in range the Zabuza clone kicked him in the ribs, sending the young raven-haired Genin flying back.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled in shock and fear at seeing her crush hit so easily.

Sasuke gasped out in pain as he landed on the ground and the air was forced from his lungs. He was about to get up when Zabuza appeared next to him and stepped on him, making the raven-haired Genin scream in pain as the Kiri nuke-nin began to grind his foot into Sasuke's ribs.

"You kids think you're ninja?" Zabuza sneered at the pathetic sight of Sasuke under his foot and screaming in pain. "None of you are worthy of the title ninja. When you have stained your hands with as much blood as me, then you can be considered ninja. When you-"

"Fuuton: Renkuudan!" Zabuza's speech was cut off as a cannonball-sized ball of wind smashed into the Mizu Bunshin, forcing it to disperse back into water molecules.

"You alright Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked as he ran over to his teammate and pulled the raven haired Genin up.

"…yes." Sasuke said, only slightly put off that Naruto had just saved him.

"Listen I got a plan, when I tell you I want you to launch the biggest fireball you can." Naruto said, looking over at Zabuza.

"So we're going to be working together now?" Sasuke asked with obvious sarcasm.

"Just get ready to launch your fireball." Naruto said, ignoring the sarcasm in Sasuke's voice. "Oi! No-brows-Ojisan! Are you done rambling now!"

"What did you call me you brat!" Zabuza seethed at the blond who dared mock him.

"You heard me you eyebrow-less freak!" Naruto shouted with a grin, it seemed Zabuza was sensitiveabout his lack of eyebrows. "You know if you're sensitive about your lack of brow hair, I know someone who can help you with that, he's got more than enough eyebrow to spare!"

"You little piece of shit! I'll kill you!" Zabuza shouted as his face turned red. He created half a dozen Mizu Bushins.

The Mizu Bunshins surged forward, running across the water.

"Sasuke I could use that fireball!" Naruto yelled.

**Sasuke nodded as he went through some hand seals and sucked in a deep breath."Katon: Goukakyouu No Jutsu!" A large fireball came out of Sasuke's mouth.**

Before the Mizu Bunshin could jump out of the way, Naruto finished his own hand seals. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

Sucking in his breath, Naruto blew out a large gust of wind that hit the fireball, turning it into a large firestorm.

The Mizu Bunshin didn't stand a chance as the hailstorm of fire hit them, dispelling them and evaporating the water used. Zabuzacursed as he was forced to release the water prison and drop into the water as the massive firestorm washed over his position.

"Did we get him?" asked Sasuke as he looked into the water.

Naruto scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, a Jonin of his caliber would take far more than that to defeat."

"You're right about that brat!" Zabuza shouted as he jumped out of the water, charging over to the two genin. Before he could close the distance Kakashi jumped in front of him.

"Your fight is with me!" Kakashi said, his sharing an eye glaring at the Kiri nuke-nin.

Zabuza glared at Kakashi before jumping back and placing his zanbatou on his back, "Fine by me! I'll just kill the brats after I kill you!" He began going through several hand seals, moving faster than any of the genin could follow.

However, Kakashi could see them, and was managing to copy hand seals that Zabuzawas doing with relative ease.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan No Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu)!" Both Kakashi and Zabuza shouted at the same time. Two large water dragons with glowing yellow eyes formed in front of the two shinobi, clashed against each other with a loud roar, canceling each other out.

Zabuza growled as he started doing more hand seals. As he did however he saw Kakashi begin doing his own hand seals. "What's this? It's like he can-"

"Read my mind?" Kakashi finished, copying Zabuza's hand seals at the same time Zabuza himself was dong them.

Zabuza snarled as he attempted to speed up his hand sealing. "I won't let some-"

"Copycat monkey like you beat me!" The two shouted at the same time.

As they continued hand sealing Zabuza stopped and stared as he found something behind Kakashi that shocked him.

"Is that me?" as his own figure appeared behind Kakashi in a wavy apparition.

"Suiton: Daibakufu No Jutsu (Water Release: Great Water Vortex Jutsu)!" Kakashi shouted, sending a huge vortex of water at a shocked Zabuza.

Zabuza was blasted through the air and only stopped when he hit a tree with enough force to the bark. Before anything else could happen several Kunai were launched at the Kiri nuke-nin, hitting him in his arms, left leg and torso. Zabuzacoughed up blood, staining his bandages as it leaked out of his mouth. A presence above him made him look up to see Kakashi crouched down on the tree branch with a kunai in his hand.

"Can you…see the future?" Zabuza asked, not quite sure why he had asked that, only that it seemed to fit with what he had seen.

"Yes." Kakashi said his mixed eyes staring at Zabuza, "and I see your death."

Before Kakashi could finish Zabuza off, several senbon pierced the man's neck. Zabuza's eyes rolled up in the back of his head as he fell to the ground.

"You were right," said a voice that came from Kakashi's left, turning he saw a young person whose gender was hard to tell due to the blue robes that covered his/her form. On the person's face was a mask that Kakashi recognized as a Hunter Ninja mask from Kiri. "This was going to be his final battle."

Kakashi grunted as he leapt off the branch and made his way over to Zabuza, checking the man's pulse.

"He's dead…" He mumbled, turning to look at the hunter ninja. "You're a hunter Ninja from Kiri?"

The Hunter Ninja bowed. "I am, I would like to thank you for stalling him for me. I have been after Momoichi Zabuza for a long time."

Kakashi sighed as he brought his head band back down over his Sharingan. His genin squad came up behind him, looking at the hunter ninja curiously.

The hunter ninja disappeared in a swirl of water reappearing next to Zabuza's fallen body. Bending down the hunter ninja picked up Zabuza, pulling the man's arm over his/her shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me, this body has many secrets, so I need to go and destroy it."

Naruto frowned as he watched the hunter ninja disappear in another swirl of water. _I get the feeling I'm missing something here…_

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Turning around Naruto saw Kakashi fall face first onto the ground, his one visible eye closed. Rushing over to him Naruto placed a hand on his neck.

"He's alive," Naruto said to Sakura who had come up to them. "He's just unconscious. Signs indicate chakra exhaustion."

Sighing Naruto stood and brought his hands in the ram seal, "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"Two clones puffed into existence and lifted Kakashi by the arms and legs.

"Tazuna-san, we need to get to your home now. Think you can lead us there?" asked Naruto.

"Uh…yeah," Tazuna said as he tried to get his bearings. "It's just this way, follow me."

"Sasuke you take point," Naruto said. Sasuke looked at him for a moment before deciding to comply. Normally he wouldn't, but being point would allow him to prove his superiority (in his mind anyway). The three Konoha genin followed Tazuna as he led them to his house with the two clones carrying the unconscious Jonin following close behind.

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Kirigakure No Jutsu (Hidden Mist Jutsu)- A C-rank supplementary jutsu. Normally used by Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) ninja, this jutsu creates a thick fog by having the user saturate his/her chakra into the moisture in the air. Some of the more experienced practitioners of this jutsu can create a mist so thick that even Doujutsu like the Sharingan and Byakugan can be fooled.

Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone)– C-rank clone jutsu. The user infuses chakra into the water in order to create a clone in the user's likeness. Unlike regular clones, this one is not an illusion but a solid copy made from water. The clone is always created with 10% of the user's strength no matter how many are made. Unlike Kage Bunshins this clone does not pass experience onto the user when dispelled.

Suiton: Suiryuudan No Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu)- An A-rank attack jutsu. The user creates a water dragon that will attack the enemy it is directed against. This jutsu is one of the few water attacks that are truly devastating, normally tearing through a person as if they were paper. The size and strength of the jutsu is relative to the control one has over water elemental manipulation and the amount of chakra they put into it.

Suiton: Suirou No Jutsu (Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu)- A B-rank supplementary jutsu. This jutsu is used to capture opponents by placing them in a circular prison made of water. In order for this jutsu to be used, the one casting it must always have at least on part of their body in the water in order to continuously channel chakra into it.

Suiton: Daibakufu No Jutsu (Water Release: Great Water Vortex Jutsu) - An A-rank attack jutsu. Creates a powerful vortex of water that can blast anything and everything in its path. This jutsuis extraordinarily destructive and can cause mass amounts of property damage and/or blunt force trauma to an opponent.

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**Here you all go. I hope you enjyed this intallement. Now I'm going to go and do... stuff, something to keep me occupied before I destroy my apartment out of boredom. R&R so I know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Review Q&A**

**Rockon5002: You make several good points and honestly, I feel that the kage bunshin no jutsu is a technique that Kishimoto made without putting much thought into it. Do you remember the battle between Neji and Naruto during the chunin exams? Neji had commented that he could not find the real Naruto because the kage bunshin's Naruto created had their chakra evenly split between each other. Here is the full, legal definition of the Kage bunshin no jutsu that Kishimoto gave when he came up with the idea:**

**Similar to the ****Clone Technique****, this jutsu creates clones of the user. Unlike the Clone Technique, these clones are actual copies, not illusions. The user's ****chakra****is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing jutsu on their own and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after one or two solid blows. They can also disperse on their own. The clones will be created in roughly the same condition as the original. **

**Shadow clones can't be detected by the ****Byakugan****because the clones have the exact same amount of chakra and aren't made from any other substance, making them indistinguishable from the actual person. In the anime, ****Sasuke Uchiha**** claims that the ****Sharingan****can distinguish clones from the original, however various events throughout the series seem to indicate that this is not the case, implying that the Sharingan was merely used to keep track of the original's movements**.

**I like to think of the use of this technique by using pennies. Say you start off with 100 pennies, then you take 50 of them and make a separate pile. That leaves you with 50 pennies and your 'clone' with 50. Each of you can split it again as many times as you want until you only have 1. However, because your body needs a certain amount of pennies to survive you can only split your chakra so many times. If Sasuke has 50 pennies and Naruto has 400 pennies, and the amount of pennies required to live is 25, then Sasuke can only split his chakra once before exhausting himself, making the technique more trouble than it is worth to learn for Sasuke, which is why we never see him use it in the anime (Sakura would die trying because she does not even have the perquisite amount of pennies to split without dying). Now this is not quite accurate since I do not know how much chakra Naruto has compared to Sasuke, but I do know that he has a hell of a lot more. I hope this example makes sense.**

**Aiten: that's why I said the training method can only help so much. Your muscles remember the moves your clones do, but your body still has to be conditioned to use them.**

**Meech Macko: His outburst will eventually lessen; I plan on giving him a 'mixed personality'. When more of the story comes out if anyone can guess the people he takes after, I will give them a cookie.**

**Roshane: I know how you feel, and if this arc was not important to Naruto's development as a character I would not have added it and gone with one of my own arcs instead.**

**DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles: Thanks, I'll be sure to change his nickname to that.**

**Animakingmike: You do have a point. The reason I'm having Sasuke be more of an arrogant asshole is because I feel that he would be jealous of Naruto gaining as much strength as he has in such a short amount of time. That was the whole reason he left Konoha in the first place after all. And since Naruto is showing his strength to early on, he's getting jealus earlier then he would in canon. I will eventually have him mellow out around the same time he does in the canon however, so don't worry.**

**SuperiorShortness: You do make a lot of good points. Right now Naruto is trying to show his team that he is not the same person he was (in a sense he is showing off) and that he has gotten smarter, by showing that he can glean a lot of knowledge from being given only a little information (You know, look underneath the underneath and all that). I'll try to find some kind of happy medium between the two sides.**

**So a few people have been asking me to update my other stories. I do understand how you feel about wanting fast updates. But trust me when I say that I can't just write like that unless I have idea's for my writing, I'm not like Kenchi618 who can write five stories at once and come up with a chapter for one of them every other day. In fact, half the time I write I am hardly even aware of what I am writing until I finish it and read the chapter over to make adjustments, I usually just let the words 'flow out' so to speak. I know your getting impatient, but if I were to write my stories without an idea on what to write, they will suck, badly. And I can guarentee that you will hate them and no longer be a fan because of just how shitty they are. Please be patient, I am not adandoning any of my stories and they will have chapters out. I will do my best to get them out before the end of this month.**

**This is a thank you to all of the people who have given me reviews! I really do appreciate them, and they have all helped me in some way, either giving me good advice and criticism, or inflating my ego to such massive proportions that I sometimes have trouble fitting my head through the door… which is cool in my book!**

**Another thank you is to my Beta reader Senjuto, who is fucking awesome and can beta my story almost as soon as I send it.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This is a most unfortunate situation that I have found myself in, but fear not! For I have a plan to acquire Naruto from Kishimoto's hands. All I need is some ninja wire, kunai, shuriken, several dozen explosive notes… and a rubber chicken.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 8: Meeting the Family**

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After the battle the group arrived at Tazuna's house. Said house was a decent sized two story house that was sitting on a dock just a little over the ocean.

As the group walked up to the house Tazuna banged on the door, "Tsunami! It's me, open up!"

The group could hear a quick shuffling of feet on the other side before the door opened, and a beautiful woman in her mid to late twenties with dark blue shoulder length hair and brown eyes could be seen. She was wearing a pink sweater, and a blue skirt.

"Tou-san!" the woman said in relief as she saw him. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Of course I'm alright!" Tazuna said with a large relieved smile at seeing his daughter. "It's all thanks to these ninja here."

Tsunami looked over Tazuna's shoulder to see the group with him. "Thank you very much." She said with a bow before she noticed the group of…triplets? Carrying Kakashi who was still completely out of it, "Oh my! Is he alright?" She asked.

"He's fine." Naruto said, deciding to take charge for the moment. "He just has a bad case of chakra exhaustion. Speaking of, is there anywhere we can let him rest?"

"Of course!" Tsunami said as she opened the door the group to enter. "I will show you to the bedroom where you can put him."

Naruto nodded as he and the other genin followed Tsunami up a set of stairs and into a hallway. She opened the first door on the left and let the Naruto clones in. Walking over to a closet in the room she opened it and grabbed a bed spread that she set out on the floor.

"Here you are," She said.

"Thank you." The clone in the front replied as they set Kakashi down. With their job done the two clones dispelled surprising Tsunami, who looked at the smoke where the clones had been in surprise.

"What the…?"

"Kage Bunshin," Naruto answered as he leaned against the wall next to window, making the woman turn to him, "They're just solid copies of myself."

Figuring it was some kind of ninja thing she nodded her head as Sakura sat down next to their sensei. "Are you going to be alright sensei?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Kakashi said in a somewhat strained voice, having woken up some time in the past few minutes. "I just won't be able to move for a week or so."

"What?" Sakura said in surprise.

"It's because of the Sharingan," Naruto said as the others looked over at him. "It's an amazing bloodline, but because Kakashi-sensei isn't an Uchiha it puts a great deal of stress on his body, since it's not built to harness the Kekkai Genkai's full potential."

Sakura and especially Sasuke looked surprised by Naruto's knowledge. Sakura looked from her her blond spiky haired teammate to her sensei, "The Sharingan sounds like an amazing bloodline…but if it puts that much stress on the body, I guess you have to think before using it."

"Dobe," Sasuke said, getting the blonde's attention. "How do you know so much about the Sharingan?"

Naruto looked over at Sasuke and shrugged, "I've been reading a lot lately. Naturally, reading about Konoha's most famous clans was one of my subjects, while there is little about how the Sharingan works, I know the basics. Like how the eyes are able to see through and copy any ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu and be able turn any technique back on the original user. Aside from that, Kekkei Genkai come from specific families, or clans, if someone who is not a member from a clan gets a bloodline such as the Sharingan implanted in them it simply can't be used properly. I'm guessing that's why Kakashi-sensei has to keep his eye covered, right sensei?"

Kakashi tried nodding, but when he found it impossible just spoke. "That's right Naruto…I'm pleased to see you're studying so hard."

"Hehehe…" Naruto gave an embarrassed laugh as he rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

The group was silent for a little while after that, thinking about all that had happened and what their next move should be.

"Well, at least we defeated that strong ninja this time," Tazuna said with a relieved laugh. "So we should be safe for now."

"By the way, who was that masked kid?" asked Sakura, she had remembered reading something about ninja who wore those masks before.

"That's the mask worn by Kirigakure's special hunter-ninja team," Kakashi answered. "They are also known as body erasers. Their duty is to completely dispose of a body without a trace. A ninja's body within it has many secrets that can be revealed with a proper examination of a medical ninja. Things like ninjutsu, different chakra types, herbs and many other secrets that will reveal things about the village. For example, if I died, the secrets of the Sharingan could be revealed. If you're not careful there's the danger that the enemy will steal your jutsu."

Naruto nodded to himself, he had recently read about the hunter ninja forces. Konoha had its own force of hunter ninjas, designed to hunt down missing ninja and kill them before they could become a problem.

"That's why the hunter ninja are around," The rest of the group turned towards Naruto. "In order to protect the secrets of their village, hunter ninja have the jobs of going into the world and hunting down the missing ninja of their village. They're specialists who guard their village's secrets."

"So that Zabuza has been chopped up and disposed of?" Sakura asked with a pale complexion as she spoke. "Scary!"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not so sure…"

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura as she looked over at Naruto. "What are you not sure about?"

Naruto frowned as he remembered what he had read about hunters. "When a hunter ninja disposes of a body, it's supposed to be on the spot. That way no one has a chance to discover the secrets they might hold before they can get rid of it. They usually cut off the head and then burn the body with a Katon jutsu. However…"

His mind went back to their encounter with the hunter ninja. "However that ninja didn't do that…instead he left with the body in tow. On top of that, he used senbon to kill the target," having spent as much time as he had with Tenten, Naruto knew a lot about ranged weaponry. After all, when someone is throwing weapons at you and has a huge fetish for said weapons, one tends to learn more then they initially bargained for, "and it didn't look like he was carrying any kind of heavy equipment that could decapitate a person… I'm just…it seems odd that a hunter ninja would be so ill-equipped to deal with the disposing of a body."

"You're absolutely right Naruto., Kakashi said, sounding proud that his genin had been able to figure all of that out. "I've been wondering about that myself. And I have a theory…"

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Within the forest just a little ways from where Zabuza had fought the Konoha ninja, the hunter-ninja looked over Zabuza's body. Reaching into a pouch, the hunter took out a tool kit and unrolled it on the ground. The ninja grabbed a pair of clippers and brought them towards Zabuza.

"First I'll cut off the mouth cloth and drain some of the blood." The ninja mumbled, carefully bringing the clippers to bear near Zabuza's clothed face.

Just before the hunter could cut the cloth, Zabuza's hand shot up and grabbed the hunter's arm.

"That's alright, I'll do it myself." Zabuza said in a slightly gasped breath.

"Oh." The hunter said, sounding both surprised and amused. "You've already come back to life."

Zabuza grunted as he grabbed the senbon in his neck and gave them a yank. "Damn, you sure are rough," He grunted as he pulled them out.

"Oh! You're pretty rough yourself, pulling them out like that; you may really die if you pull them out so carelessly." The hunter said.

Zabuza just gave a non-committal grunt. "How long are you going to wear that stupid mask?" he asked.

"I like this mask," The fake hunter replied, "It reminds me of the old days." Despite that, the fake hunter reached up and pulled the mask off, "Plus it was useful for this act. If I hadn't saved you, you would have definitely been killed."

Zabuza glared at his partner, and decided to let the fake hunter know just what he thought of the hunter's selection of pressure points. "If you were going to put me into a temporary death, you didn't have to aim for the neck you know. You could have used a safer acupuncture point," The Kiri missing ninja put the cloth back around his mouth. "You're brutal as always."

His partner merely smiled, "You're right. But we both know how you would get angry if I scarred that flawless body of yours. And the neck doesn't have much muscle; it's easier to hit the acupuncture point there."

The fake hunter examined Zabuza's vitals to see how much damage was done to him that both the fight and the temporary death state had given him. The man had a lot more wounds then usual due to who he was fighting, but the hunter determined he would live.

"You shouldn't be able to move much for about a week. But…knowing you, you'll probably be up and about sooner."

Zabuza at his partner out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "You're so pure and clever, that's what I like about you…"

"Of course," His partner smiled, "I'm just a kid after all." The fake hunter ninja stood up and looked around, "The mist has cleared."

Looking down the fake hunter ninja asked a question, "Will you be alright, next time?"

Zabuza's eyes narrowed and let out something akin growl. "Next time I will defeat the Sharingan."

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ZABUZA'S ALIVE!" Sakura screeched, causing everyone to hold their ears and the windows to rattle.

"Keep your voice down Sakura," Kakashi said before clearing his throat. "Think about it, the hunter ninja used senbon to kill Zabuza. But unless it hit's a vital organ, the probability of actually killing someone is low. It's an item used by doctors in acupuncture. Hunter ninja have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the human body. So putting a person in a momentary death-like state would be easy. Let's look at the facts. First, he carried away the body of the much heavier Zabuza. Second, he used a weapon that has a low probability of killing."

"So basically what you're saying is that Zabuza is alive," Sasuke stated, though it almost sounded like a question.

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying."

The announcement that Zabuza was alive seemed to have varying levels of effect on those in the room. Sasuke was smirking, thinking he would get another chance to fight a strong opponent and prove himself as an Uchiha, as well as brining himself one step closer to Itachi.

Sakura looked around in worry, not feeling anywhere near as confident as her crush. She knew that she had no chance of helping in a fight like this.

Naruto was surprisingly deep in thought, replaying what he had witnessed in Kakashi's battle with Zabuza. He knew that he had no chance against a man who could go toe to toe with his sensei. What's more Kakashi had almost been defeated, and were it not for the timely intervention of him and Sasuke, Zabuza underestimating then and a shit load of luck, they would have definitely lost.

"Don't you think you're over thinking this?" asked Tazuna, now worried that, that really strong ninja might actually be coming back. "I mean, hunter ninja are supposed to kill missing ninja."

"One of the shinobi rules is to always prepare for the worst possible scenario," Kakashi stated. "And even if Zabuza is dead, it just means that Gato is likely to hire an even stronger ninja. Either case point to the fact that we need to prepare."

"But…what can we do?" asked Sakura, frightened of even the thought of seeing Zabuza again. This whole mission had gone from bad to worse for her, and she was starting to feel completely overwhelmed. "I mean, we're just genin, and you can barely even move!"

"Hehe," Kakashi chuckled as if he somehow found this whole situation funny, "You guys will be doing some training."

"Huh? Training!" Sakura said in surprise, "Sensei, what's a little training gonna do! Our enemy is someone you struggled against, even with the Sharingan!"

_CHA! HE'S TRYING TO GET US KILLED! _Inner Sakura shouted.

"Sakura…who saved me while I was trapped in that water prison?" Kakashi asked in a slow tone, the question was rhetorical but it was obvious was point he was trying to get across. "You guys have all improved a great deal," The cyclopean Jonin looked over at Naruto and gave him an eye smile. "Naruto, you've improved the most."

Naruto blushed in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I have a lot of people who've helped me…"

Everyone looked over at him, wondering who was helping him.

_He does seem to be a lot better. _Sakura thought begrudgingly. _And smarter…the way he was talking, it's almost like he's a completely different person!_Of couse Sakura was still convinced that Naruto was an idiot who was simply trying to act smart in order to make her Sasuke-kun look bad.

_I can't believe the dobe managed to do so well_, Thought a miffed Sasuke, recognizing that what Kakashi said was true. _He must be getting some kind of help, otherwise there would be no way the dobe could have gotten this good. Who is it though? And why does he have someone teaching him privately, while I, an Uchiha does not?_

"Obviously this is just training for you guys to get better," Kakashi continued, unaware of the thoughts two of his genin were having. "Even if I train you, you won't be able to best Zabuza without me."

"But sensei, if Zabuza is alive he could attack at any time!" Sakura protested. "So should we be training..."

"Don't worry," Kakashi assured her. "You have to remember Zabuza was injured to, more so than I was. On top of that, he was put into a death-like state. His body will take a while to recover from something like that. So we'll train until then."

"Finally!" Naruto said, breaking out into a grin. "I didn't think you were ever gonna train us sensei!"

"Ma, Naruto I have trained you guys." Kakashi defended himself.

"Yeah, in teamwork exercises, and even then you continue reading that porn of yours." Naruto shot back. "I'm talking about training to up our individual skills."

"Teamwork is important," Kakashi said with a small shrug.

"I don't deny that teamwork is important sensei," Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "However, we both know that individual ability is just as important. If we can't even fight properly on our own merits, it won't matter if our teamwork is flawless. And you know that had Zabuza not underestimated us because we were kids, Sasuke and I would have been killed before we even had time to blink."

Kakashi conceded that point with a nod. Naruto was right, individual skills were important. However, the silver haired jonin had wanted to pound the idea that teamwork was the most important aspect of a shinobi.

"Why do you guys even bother?"

Everyone turned to the source of the new voice to see a depressed looking little kid of about six to eight years of age. He had blue coveralls on over a yellow shirt and a fishing hat on his head.

"Oh! Inari! Where were you!" Tazuna asked in greeting, holding out his arms as Inari ran to give him a hug.

"Welcome back grandpa," Inari said, before glaring over at the Konoha ninja.

"Inari, say hello to these people," Tsunami said, placing her hands on her hips. "They're the ninja that protected grandpa."

"But mom, they're just going to die," Everyone looked surprised and/or angry when Inari said that. Tazuna and Tsunami just sighed. "There's no way they can beat Gato."

"Man this kid's more emo than you are Sasuke-teme," Naruto commented, grinning when he received an angry grunt from his Uchiha teammate. "Listen here kid, there is no way some idiotic, rich, midget bastard is going to be killing us! When Gato tries to get your grandpa here, I'm going to beat his ass back to the age of the Rikudou Sennin!"

_There Naruto goes again, _Kakashi sweatdropped at his blond student's shift in attitude. _Genius one moment, loudmouth the next. It's almost like he has some kind of two people inhabiting that body or something._

"Pft," Inari huffed. "You must be some kind of idiot, thinking you can go against Gato." Inari turned around and made his way to the door, "If you don't want to die you should leave."

"Inari, where are you going?" asked Tsunami in a worried voice.

"I'm going to look at the ocean." Inari said before leaving, slamming the door shut on his way out.

"I'm sorry about that," Tazuna said in a depressed voice as he looked over at the Konoha ninja.

"Whatever, that kid needs to get his shit together," Naruto commented. "Seriously, anyone who broods more than Sasuke-teme the Emo-king of brood over here has a serious problem."

"Shut up Naruto-baka!" Sakura yelled as she attempted to hit him.

Naruto sighed as he caught the pink haired girl's fist. How long would it take for her to get he was not going to allow her to hit him anymore?

"Seriously Sakura, haven't I asked you to stop hitting me like two hundred times already. I'm not going to let you hit me anymore, I'm not your personal punching bag."

Naruto let go of Sakura's fist, seeing as how she was too shocked to do anything. _I swear she never changes, even after this has happened kami only knows how many times._

In the past month his crush had been getting less and less appealing. Naruto did not really know why he no longer really cared for Sakura, except that the more time he spent with her and the more time he spent with her _and _Sasuke the less he seemed to like her. Of course, it could have been her abusive personality and the fact that she always hit Naruto, but he had been dealing with that for years. He assumed that it was because he was spending time with girls that seemed to actually enjoy being with him. Tenten and Anko actually took time out of their days to talk to him. Often times when he was done training with either one of them they would stay out a little longer and just talk, sometimes they would even go out to get something to eat ven though that consisted mostly of Ichiraku's.

The blond shook his head and banished the thoughts, "Anyway, I think I'll be going to get some rest."

"In that case, there are a few extra rooms for you on the right if you want to take one of them, Tsunami said helpfully.

Naruto gave her a smile, "Thanks."

He left Kakashi's room, moving to one of the ones Tsunami had said was open. As he passed by Inari's room he heard crying. Curious he stopped and channeled some chakra to his ear.

"…Tou-san."

Naruto frowned when he heard Inari's sobbed whispers, sighing he began walking to one of the open rooms again.

* * *

(The Next Day…)

The next day Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke followed Kakashi, who was using crutches, outside to begin their training. As they stood in the clearing Kakashi turned around to look at the three.

"Ok, we will now begin our training," He informed them.

"About damn time sensei," Naruto grinned, masking his excitement. "I've been waiting for you to get your sorry ass into gear."

"Ma, no need for such language Naruto," Kakashi said with a sweatdrop. _I think Anko's really being a bad influence on him…_

"Now, before we begin training I want to talk to you about chakra," Kakashi continued on with his lesson.

"Why even bother asking us that?" Naruto asked. "We already know about chakra."

"Well, since you seem to know it so well, how about you explain what chakra is," Kakashi suggested.

"It's the energy we use to create jutsu." Naruto said in an uncaring manner.

"And?" prompted Kakashi, trying to get more out of the blond.

"And…nope, that's it." Naruto said with an indifferent shrug.

Kakashi sweatdropped again, _D__efinitely a bad influence._

"Right well, I suppose we should just get to training," Kakashi decided it would just be best to get started.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi gave all of them an eye smile. "You are going to be learning…tree climbing."

Sasuke and Sakura face faulted; meanwhile Naruto resisted the urge to sigh.

"How is climbing a tree supposed to help us get stronger?" Sasuke asked with his perpetual scowl in place.

_So he doesn't know tree climbing yet… _Naruto thought with a smirk. _This should be fun to watch._

"I'm glad you asked Sasuke," Kakashi eye-smiled at his raven haired student. "Aside from the simple fact that you'll be able fight on a vertical surface, tree climbing also helps in your chakra control."

Kakashi crutched his way over to one of the trees in the clearing. Bringing up a hand sign for focus, he channeled chakra to the bottom of his feet. He put one foot on the tree trunk, then his other foot. Soon enough he was walking up the tree, seemingly defying gravity. He stopped when he climbed onto a branch and hung upside down. Looking down he saw Sakura and Sasuke looking shocked, while Naruto looked bored.

_Could he already know this exercise? _Kakashi asked as he stared at Naruto.

"The feet are considered to be the hardest place to channel chakra to. Therefore if you can master tree climbing, you can master any jutsu, theoretically at least," Kakashi explained.

"Hey sensei, I already know this exercise," Naruto informed them, causing Sasuke's eyes to narrow and Sakura's to widen.

"I see. Well then why don't you show me," Kakashi gestured to a tree on his left.

Naruto shrugged as he walked up to the tree, subconsciously channeling chakra to his feet as he began to defy gravity and climb up. He continued walking until he was a little higher than Kakashi and then like him hung upside down on a branch.

Naruto looked over to Kakashi and gave him a cheeky grin. "See? You may now bask in the greatness that is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Well, it looks like you've got a head start on chakra control," Kakashi figured this must have been one of the many things that Anko decided to teach him. "Very well, since you seem to be so good at it, you can teach it to your teammates."

"WHAT!" Sakura and even Sasuke yelled.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at how his sensei was trying to dump 'his' work on him. "Or how about I leave a Kage Bunshin with them and you help me with something I've been working on."

Kakashi actually look surprised at the suggestion. However, he thought about it for a second before nodding. With his chakra nearly depleted he could not do much more than what he was doing now, but he may be able to give his student some advice.

"Very well, I don't see a problem with that. Though I need to see what you're working on in order to help you."

Nodding his head Naruto released the chakra from his feet and flipped over in air, landing on his feet in a crouch, "That's fine sensei. Kage Bunshin No Jutsu,"

Two clones appeared beside Naruto before bringing themselves over to each of his teammates.

"These clones of Naruto's will help you learn this exercise," Kakashi said as he threw two kunai at the two genin's feet. "Use those kunai to mark your progress; I suggest you start by running."

Nodding to himself he walked back down to the ground as well. "So why don't you show me what you're working on?" He suggested as he looked at his blond student.

Naruto nodded, "Alright, but we should probably go somewhere else, that way we won't be a distraction to the other two." Naruto didn't wait for an answer before he started walking.

After a few seconds Kakashi shrugged, pulling out his book and hobbling along after the blond.

Sasuke watched Naruto go with a seething expression. _How! How can the dobe be so much better than me! I've always been the best, an elite member of the Uchiha clan. Yet Naruto knows something I don't! _Sasuke looked over at a tree and glared at it, as if hoping it would spontaneously combust. _I won't let the dobe beat me!_

Picking up a kunai, Sasuke ran at the nearest tree.

* * *

When Naruto was sure that he and his sensei were far enough away that the noise he made would not reach his teammates, he turned to his sensei, "There are actually two things I want to work on. The first is I want to start working on my wind manipulation training."

"You're already training in elemental manipulation?" Kakashi's one eye widened in surprise. He had not realized that Naruto was working on something so advanced. "You do know that's a Jonin-level exercise right?"

Naruto nodded, "I know, but I already have several jutsu in my repertoire. I don't think I need anymore, rather, I want to be able to use the jutsu I do know more efficiently."

"That would make sense," Kakashi nodded his head. _This kid is so weird, one minute he's acting like Minato-sensei and the next he's reminding me of Kushina-san…_

"And you say you're a wind user?" he asked.

"Yes," Naruto took out a piece of chakra paper and made it split with his chakra to emphasis his point. "I actually wasn't planning on training in this until I got back home, I was told that Sarutobi Asuma is also a wind user and I was going to ask him for some advice. But if we're going to fight Zabuza and that hunter ninja, I want some kind edge over them."

"Well, I don't know how far you'll be able to get," Kakashi looked thoughtful, knowing the boy would be able to get a decent start on his elemental training due to his Kage Bunshins but he would not likely be able to complete it.

"Chances are Zabuza will be back in action within a week. But it certainly can't hurt." Kakashi paused for a minute before continuing, "Now, I'm not a wind user so I can't actually give you any tips. Thankfully my sensei was, and I got to see him training in his element on occasion." Bending down on the ground Kakashi picked up one of the fallen leaves and twirled it in front of him. "Your first step is to slice a leave in half using wind chakra."

"Hmmm…that doesn't seem to hard, though I'm guessing it's a lot harder than it sounds since it's considered a Jonin-level training exercise," Naruto mumbled to himself.

Kakashi nodded, "Elemental training is a Jonin-level skill. Most shinobi and kunoichis don't even _think_of starting this until they've been a Chunin for at least a year or two."

"Got it," Naruto said. He paused and looked at his sensei for a moment before speaking. "I was also wondering if you could show me the hand seals for the Shunshin (Body Flicker)."

"Shunshin eh?" Kakashi said, once again surprised. A Shunshinwas only a Chunin-level jutsu, but once again it was a jutsu that people didn't bother with until they at least reached Chunin. "Yeah I suppose I can show you the hand seals." Kakashi spoke. After all, it wouldn't hurt any and Naruto may even learn it from just that.

_If he's anything like his parents he'll have the jutsu down before the weeks end, possibly sooner…_

"The Shunshin is simply the ram seal, much like your Kage Bunshin No Jutsu," Kakashi explained, "However unlike the Kage Bunshins where you imagine multiple clones of yourself. For this you must picture yourself moving at very high speeds. I find it helps if you visualize where you want to be when you use it."

Naruto nodded, "Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi gave Naruto an eye smile, "No problem Naruto. Now then, I'm going to go…check on your teammates." Kakashi said as he hobbled back towards the clearing his two teammates were still in.

_He's probably just going to and read his porn, _Naruto thought with a sigh before perking up.

"Well whatever, I've got work to do!" Brining up his hands in the ram seal, Naruto began channeling mass amounts of chakra.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu (Mass multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu)!"

* * *

Back in the clearing Sasuke's feet hit the bark of the tree. He channeled chakra into his feet and began to run up. One step, two steps, four, eight, ten, fifteen. He felt the bark blast off of the tree, forcing him to mark his spot before he fell.

Sasuke flipped back down and looked at his progress. Fifteen steps. _Damn it! Why is this so hard!_

"You're using too much chakra."

Sasuke turned around and glared at the clone. "What?" he asked in a scathing voice.

The Clone sighed. He seriously could not understand how the boss dealt with this shit every day. "You used too much chakra, that's why the bark exploded. If you use too much, it pushes you off, too little and you slip off."

"Hey Sasuke-kun! Look up here!"

Their conversation was cut off as they both turned to the female voice, to see Sakura sitting on top of the first tree branch on her tree.

"Well it looks like she's got good control," Naruto mused.

Sasuke looked at Sakura with a glare, which did not go unnoticed by the pinkette.

_Oh no! Sasuke-kun looks mad, and I thought he would be impressed! What am I going to do!_

"Sasuke-teme stop glaring at Sakura and get back to work or you'll never be able to get this exercise down," The Naruto clone spoke in an annoyed voice, making the raven haired Genin turn his glare on him.

"Hey, don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura shouted, defending her crush despite said crush giving her a scathing glare that looked like he was trying to burn a hole through her.

"Sakura!" The clone who was helping Sakura shouted. "I know you want to be the center of Sasuke's attention, but I need you to focus on your training."

Sakura blinked in surprise. Naruto's clone was not acting anything like him.

_Well, not acting like his idiotic self,_ She corrected, remembering the way he had been talking recently. They were more like he was when talking about something he was knowledgeable in, something that was still taking some getting used to.

"But I already did the training!" Sakura said with a scowl. Acting smarter or not, there was no way she was going to let Naruto, or his clones, talk to her like that. "You saw me, I can already climb the tree!"

"Really?" the clone asked with a raised eyebrow. "So if I asked you to walk all the way to the top and back down you could do it?"

"Well…" Sakura hesitated. Running up to this branch had tired her out as it was, she was not sure if she could actually _walk_ to the top.

"Exactly," Naruto said as he saw her hesitation to answer. "You may have been able to get up there, but that's only because you have such good control of your chakra. However this also means that there is something else you are lacking."

Sakura frowned, not liking how Naruto seemed to be insulting her. "Are you insulting me?" she asked in a threatening tone.

_For the love of Kami! _Naruto's clone nearly facepalmed, "No Sakura, I''m not insulting you. Like Sasuke you have both good qualities and area's where you are simply lacking. Only your situation is reversed."

Sakuar gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"You have perfect chakra control; this is because your chakra reserves are so small," Naruto said with a shrug. "It's not all that surprising, since you come from a civilian family, larger reserves are not in your genetics like it would be if you were an Uchiha. Sasuke on the other hand has larger than average reserves, which equates to a lack of control."

_I don't think I'm ever going to get used to Naruto actually sounding smart,_Sakura thought as she listened. "So then…what am I supposed to do?" she asked.

"We need to get your chakra reserves up," Naruto said as if the answer was obvious. "The only way to do that is to work on chakra control exercises, but go for endurance, rather than simply learning the exercise. Now, I have a friend who helped me when I learned tree climbing. She said that 'you haven't mastered tree climbing until you can fight on a vertical surface for one hour like you were fighting on a horizontal surface'." Naruto said in quote.

Sakura gulped a bit, causing Naruto to smile.

"Don't worry; we're not going to be doing that yet. Right now you don't have the reserves for it. What I want you to do is to start running up and down the surface of the tree. I want you to do this until you're exhausted. You can take a small break when you tire out, but once you're rested, you're going to start over again."

Sakura paled a bit at what Naruto was suggesting to her.

Seeing this Naruto decided to add some incentive, "If you prove that you can be useful to Sasuke, he may pay more attention to you."

That seemed to do the trick as Sakura started running up the tree.

As Sasuke glared at him, the Naruto clone sighed. "You know glaring at me won't help you with your tree climbing. I suggest you use a little less chakra than before."

"I don't need your help dobe!" Sasuke said. He turned back to the tree and began running up it, albeit he used less chakra. For a while it seemed to be going fine until he slipped. He marked his progress and jumped back down. Looking up he glared at his mark. It was only five steps above the first one!

_Damn it! Sakura got this in one try! I'm an Uchiha and I haven't even gotten half as far as she has. _Sasuke thought as he glared at the tree.

"You need to relax Sasuke," Naruto's voice came from behind him. When Sasuke once again turned his glare on him, Naruto sighed. "Look, I'm trying to help you."

"I said I don't need your help!" Sasuke shot back. "I'm an Uchiha, this is no problem for me!"

"That's not what it seems like from where I'm standing." Naruto shot back.

"I said I don't need your help dobe!" Sasuke grit his teeth.

Naruto looked at Sasuke for a moment before he shrugged. "Fine, I'll just be sitting over at that tree, watching as you continue making a fool of yourself teme."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as the Naruto clone sat down and leaned back against a tree. He turned back to the tree he was working on. He would complete this exercise without the dobe's help! He was an Uchiha!

As Sasuke continued working, none of them noticed the small figure who was staring at them as it left.

* * *

Within their base the hunter ninja watched over the bedridden Zabuza, mixing some of the herbs they had.

"So even you have come back defeated."

The hunter ninja turned his head to see Gato standing in between two thugs. One of them was shirtless with a black hakama, and an eye patch on his right eye. His left shoulder was adorned with a vine tattoo pattern while he had barbed wire tattoos running down his arms.

The other was wearing a baggy gray jacket festooned with many pockets, a pair of black shorts and a black beanie on his head.

Both of them had a hand holding the sheathes of their swords, trying to make themselves look menacing.

Zabuza's partner thought the pair looked pathetic with their posturing.

"It looks like the Kiri Ninja are pretty pathetic." Gato continued as he moved into the room, feeling confident now that Zabuza was bed ridden. "You can't even avenge your men, how pathetic. And you call yourself a devil?"

"…" Zabuza said nothing, causing both of Gato's ronin to start unsheathing their blades.

"Hold on for a moment," Gato held up a hand as he continued walking up to Zabuza. He stopped at the bed and looked down at the Kiri missing ninja, "Hey. There's no need to stay silent."

Gato began to reach out his hand towards Zabuza's throat, but before it could get there the hunter ninja grabbed onto the business man's wrist.

"Don't touch Zabuza-sama with your filthy hands!" The hunter ninja snarled, giving him a glare that looked like it would burn straight through the fat business man.

"Hey let go! Let go you fucking- ARGH!" Gato shouted, only to scream as the hunter ninja snapped his arm, then tossed him back.

The two ronin moved their hands towards their swords. However, their eyes widened when they found the hunter ninja between them, holding their own swords against their throats.

"You shouldn't do that," The hunter ninja said. "I'm really pissed off right now."

Gato and both his cronies began to sweat.

"One more chance!" Gato shouted as he stood up and shook his unbroken hand in a fist. "I'm giving you one more chance to complete this! If you fail, I'll make sure that every ninja in Kiri knows where you are!" Gato and his two thugs left, slamming the door on their way out.

"Haku," Zabuza said, getting his partner's attention. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know," Haku said with a smile, spotting the protrusion in the sheets that showed Zabuza was holding a kunai. "But it's still too early to kill Gato. If we cause a commotion right now, the hunters will be after us again. We must be patient."

Zabuza sighed. "Damn…I hate it when you're right."

"Right about what?"

Hearing the voice, Haku and Zabuza looked over as the door opened to see the Akuma brothers walking in.

* * *

Later that night the Konoha ninja were sitting at the dinner table with Tazuna and his family. Naruto and Sasuke were shoveling food down their throats; Sakura had her head on the table and looked like she was going to pass out. And Kakashi was, much to the displeasure of Tsunami, reading his porn.

"So Sasuke, Sakura, how's training going?" Kakashi asked as he flipped a page of his book. He would have left since he finished eating almost as soon as the food had been set in front of him, having eaten so fast no one could even see him take off his mask, but it would be rude to leave while the others were eating.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, somehow still able to make that sound despite his mouth being full of food.

"Ugh…Naruto's a slave driver…" Sakura groaned, not even bothering to lift her head up. Out of all the genin she had had it the hardest, since she did not have the stamina of the others.

"Really?" Kakashi asked turning to look at Naruto who was on his fourth serving of rice. "So how was your training Naruto?"

Naruto stopped shoving food down his gullet and swallowed what he already had in his mouth before answering, "Well…I'm making some progress, but its slow going." Naruto frowned as he thought of his training, "I'm doing better at learning the Shunshin than elemental manipulation however."

_What! He's learning the __Shunshin__! _Sasuke questioned in his mind, just adding another reason to be mad at Naruto.

"That's natural," Kakashi said. "After all, elemental manipulation is a Jonin-level training technique."

_Naruto's going through Jonin-level training! _Sakura wondered in shock.

Sasuke seethed even more at hearing that the dobe was learning something that a Jonin normally learned. Standing up he stomped out of the house, slamming the door closed behind him.

_I should have seen this coming…_Kakashi sighed. _I probably shouldn't talk about Naruto getting stronger in front of Sasuke._

"I wonder what crawled up his ass and died," Naruto looked over at the door Sasuke had stormed out of before shrugging. "Though, I'm surprised it could with that twenty foot pole he's already got sticking in there."

"Naruto-baka! Don't make fun of Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura shouted, standing up and rearing her fist back to hit the blond.

Naruto just looked at her, "Do you want me to double the amount of training you're going to be doing tomorrow?"

Sakura's mouth snapped shut as she sat back down, not wanting to even go through the training the blond had placed on her again much less have it doubled.

"That's what I thought," Naruto nodded his head and turned back to his food.

"Actually Naruto," Kakashi started. "Since you seem to be much farther than your teammates, I was hoping you could go with Tazuna-san tomorrow."

Naruto blinked for a few seconds before shrugging, "Sure thing sensei."

It would just mean he had to wake up earlier and get his Kage Bunshin working. He looked over at Tazuna and gave the man a reassuring grin.

"Well it looks like you'll be saddled with the best protection we've got old man! I won't be letting any of Gato's thugs near you!"

"I'm sure," Tazuna chuckled at the boy's cocksure attitude. After having seen Naruto come up with that plan to help his sensei, he no longer doubted the blond shinobi.

Everyone continued eating for a little while longer, until Sakura noticed something about the picture hanging on the wall behind Tazuna.

"Hey Tazuna-san, what's with that picture on the wall over there?" she asked, pointing to the picture of Tazuna and his family. "It looks like a piece is missing."

The three family members tensed at the mention of the picture. An air of sorrow seemed to fill the air.

"It's…my husband," Tsunami said after several minutes of tense silence, her voice sounding a little choked up.

"The man they called the hero of Nami," Tazuna added in a solemn tone.

Inari abruptly stood up after hearing that and ran up the stairs.

"Inari!" Tsunami said in a worried tone. The woman turned on her dad with an angry expression, "Father! You know you can't talk about that man in front of Inari!"

"What's wrong with Inari?" asked Sakura, feeling depressed for causing such obvious pain to someone else.

"Inari…he lost someone he loved didn't he?" asked Naruto, surprising the others at the soft tone of his voice. "That man…your husband was important to him right?"

"There seems to be some kind of story behind this…" Kakashi added. "Care to share?"

Tazuna sighed as he began to tell his tale. "Inari had a friend that he was real close to, a man who was a father in all but blood. They were very close, like a real father and son…Inari was always laughing and smiling back then…" Tazuna paused as he clenched his hands. "But Inari changed, since that incident with his father. The word courage has been stolen from the people of this land. And from Inari, ever since that day…because of that incident…"

"That incident?" asked Kakashi. "What happened?"

"Before I get to that, I first need to tell you about the man who was called the hero of Nami," Tazuna said.

"Hero?" asked Naruto, getting interested hearing more about someone who had done something amazing enough to be called a hero.

"It was about three years ago that Inari met that man," Tazuna said. "Some bullies were picking on him, trying to steal the dog that Tsunami and I had gotten for him. After arguing they threw the dog into the lake, and then they pushed Inari into the lake as well."

"That's horrible!" gasped Sakura.

"No more horrible than smashing your fist into someone's head for no reason," Naruto mumbled loud enough for only himself and Kakashi to hear.

Tazuna ran a hand through his hair as he gave a sigh, "And it was worse because Inari couldn't swim. However, right then as Inari was drowning, the pooch remembered he could dog paddle. Inari almost drowned that day, however, a wandering fisherman managed to save him. His name was Kaiza, he was a fisherman who came here to follow his dreams. After that Kaiza and Inari became very close. It may have been because Inari's real father had died before he could get to know him, but he and Kaiza were inseparable, like a father and son. It was only a matter of time before Kaiza became a part of the family. And Kaiza was also a man the city needed. There was one time that the damn was overrun with water, and was going to flood the city. Kaiza swum out to the damn by himself and closed it. Kaiza was called the hero of this city. And Inari could not have been prouder." Tazuna paused in his story as his face took a darker tone. "… But then Gato came to this city."

"Gato killed Kaiza didn't he?" Naruto said, causing the others to look over at him in surprise.

Tazuna nodded, "Yes, only it was much worse than that. Gato had Kaiza executed in front of everyone, including Inari." Gasps were heard from Naruto and Sakura, both surprised and appalled that Gato could do that. Kakashi just looked down, he already knew of the hardships of the world and he knew things like this happened more often than others would like to admit.

"From that day Inari changed, he stopped believing in heroes that day. The day the whole city lost hope…" Tazuna trailed off.

For a moment the Konoha ninja were silent as they digested what they had heard. It was definitely a sad story, hearing that a child saw his father figure murdered in front of him.

Naruto stood up and began making his way towards the door.

"Where are you going Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"If you're thinking of training, take the day off," Kakashi said. "If you use up too much chakra you could die."

"Don't worry sensei, I'm just going to have my Kage Bunshin do some work while I sleep," Naruto reassured his sensei. Kakashi nodded while Sakura and the others looked confused. "But I need to get some training in; otherwise I won't be able to prove to Inari that heroes still do exist."

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Shunshin- This jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed.[2] To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalize the body and move at extreme speeds. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance and elevation between the user and the intended destination. Shisui Uchiha was feared as 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' (瞬身のシスイ, _Shunshin no Shisui_), likely referring to this technique.

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**Another chapter finished, this one somewhat of a filler between chapters. Not much to say, let me know what you think, R&R and all that.**


	9. Chapter 9

**The review Q&A**

**SuperiorShortness: Your points are well founded about the Sharingan. But do you remember the manga when Zabuza was the one who told everyone about the Sharingan's capabilities? If he knows that much about the doujutsu despite not being a shinobi for Konoha, then I feel Naruto should be able to learn a bit more. It's not like he understands the inner workings of the eyes, there is no way the Uchiha would allow that, but logic would dictate that because Kakashi is not an Uchiha he won't be able to use them as well as they can.**

**I will fix those problems with Sasuke and Naruto that you mentioned, thanks for pointing them out.**

**Runewizardd: Not likely, I doubt he'll be like some kind of shunshin mania, but I may eventually have him create his own speed technique (Won't be for a long while if I do though).**

**Exwindz: Eventually his personality will even out. Right now he is trying to be a serious shinobi, but due to his original personality he often has several outbursts of his old self.**

**THEtoken1: The shunshin decription at the end was actually a description taken from so it had better be the real definition. As for why people can use it to appear within a closed space… no clue, they could just come in through a window or something. I just think Kishi had a brain fart like he usually does.**

**Leaf Ranger: Yes I did. I'm pleased to see you noticed that.**

**Obsessive Child: You do make a good point, to be honest I am unsure if there is an idea that has not ever been used yet. However, I do plan on making some serious changes that will start to come about around the time of the Chunin Exams.**

**Once again this is a thank you to all of the awesome reviewers that have been adding to the number of reviews on this story. I've only been posting this chapter for two weeks and I've already got 300+ reviews, so thank you!**

**This thank you is for Senjuto for the awesome and quick beta's. were it not for him, you guys would have to wait several days until a new chapter came out.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would not be starving and would be able to buy more food than just top ramen and TV dinners… ah, the life of a college student.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 9: New Ideals**

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The next morning after Naruto had woken up and created several hundred clones to work on his jutsu and his elemental training, while he had left with Tazuna to head over to the bridge. When they got there the place was already fairly busy and Naruto was forced over to one of the sides of the large unfinished bridge so that he could watch the 'master bridge builder' work while at the same time not getting in the way of him or the others working on the bridge's construction.

Naruto looked over at all the construction workers who were doing construction on the unfinished, but still impressive, bridge. He had been here for several hours and had to admit he was getting kind of bored really bored if he were honest with himself. Standing around watching an old man and a bunch of people running around working without doing anything himself was really boring.

Naruto sighed as he looked up at the sky, _I'm really beginning to regret letting Kakashi-sensei talk me into this. Even staying with Sasuke-teme and Sakura would have been better than this._

"You seem kind of bored standing around here all by yourself," Tazuna commented as he carried a large piece construction metal from one side of the bridge to another.

Naruto turned to look at him with a grin, "Are you kidding. I'd much rather deal with an old drunk like you than a girl who would rather smash my face in than say even one kind word, and a brooding emo teme who only speaks in one syllable grunts."

"Hahaha, you know kid, you're alright!" Tazuna laughed as he set down the construction metal for the other workers to grab and weld to the end of bridge where they were extending the length that would eventually reach the mainland.

"Hey Tazuna!"

Naruto and Tazuna turned to see one of the workers coming over to the old bridge builder. A man wearing an outfit similar to Tazuna's who was bald and looked around the same age as the bridge builder himself was.

"Hn?" Tazuna scratched his ear as he looked over at the man, "What is it Giichi?"

Giichi looked at Tazuna with a small frown, "I've been doing a lot of thinking recently and, I'm thinking about stopping my work on the bridge."

"What!" Tazuna yelled in surprise, "This is so sudden! Why would you do this!"

"Tazuna, we've been close friends for a long time now," Giichi started, and Naruto sensed a 'but' coming. "I want to help you, but if we continue this work Gato will notice us. And if you get killed, then what's the point?"

Naruto walked over to the two of them with a small frown, he did not like this man's cowardice. _It seems Tazuna-Ojisan was right; the people here have lost their courage._

"We should quit building this bridge while we're ahead," The man continued on, trying to impress the reasons he wanted to quit upon his friend.

"I can't do that," Tazuna placed a hand on his construction helmet and tilted it down as he looked at the man. "This bridge is our bridge. This is the bridge we started building together believing it would bring resources to our super poor country."

The man looked at Tazuna imploringly, "But if we lose our lives-!"

"It's already noon, let's stop for today," Tazuna interrupted Giichi, turning around and leaving the man before he stopped and spoke without looking back, "Giichi, you don't have to come back tomorrow."

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Naruto found himself frowning as he followed Tazuna into the city and took a look around. Said city looked more like a hovel than anything else. The buildings were run down and in a state of total disrepair and looked even more dilapidated now that he could see them up close.

The grocery stores had very little in the way of food, and what they were selling was un-fresh and rotten.

People were looking over their shoulder as they walked, almost as if they expected to be attacked or stabbed in the back by some unknown enemy. Parents were shooing their kids down the streets in an effort to get home faster.

But worst of all were the many people who obviously had nowhere to go and were simply sitting on the street sidewalks and alleyways. Some of them held signs that said they were willing to work for food, some just sat or leaned against buildings looking like they had not eaten in months. Many of these people who were starving appeared to be children.

Looking at this place and seeing how bad the people here had it brought pain to the young blonde's heart. It reminded him a lot of his childhood, the year after he had been kicked out of the orphanage and had been forced to look through the garbage in the hopes of getting a decent meal. Fortunately, he was snapped out of his reverie and growing depression by Tazuna.

"I'm supposed to bring home food for lunch." He started saying as he and Naruto made their way to what looked like it was supposed to be a store, if it weren't for the fact that there was only a small amount of food and it was almost all rotten.

"Here we are," Tazuna said as he entered the store.

Naruto followed in and watched as Tazuna looked around at the meager amount of food they had. _There's hardly any food here,_ the blond thought to himself.

Naruto had known what it was like to starve, having been kicked out of the orphanage when he was five. He had lived on the street for a year and had taken to eating out of the trashcan. In fact, it was because he had gone to try and get something out of the trash can at one Ichiraku's Ramen that Naruto had been able to get an apartment. It had been a stroke of luck that the Sandaime Hokage had been eating there at the time and had spotted Naruto. After getting the story from the blond, Sarutobi had made sure to get the boy his own place to live.

Seeing the poor amount of food and the state said food was in made him wonder whether it was better to have food all around you, but not be able to eat it. Or better knowing there was not enough food to feed yourself with.

_It probably doesn't matter in the end,_ he said to himself as Tazuna finished buying his goods and left the store.

Naruto followed soon after and as they began to walk down the street again, felt a small tug on his leg. Stopping the blond turned around and looked down to see a child, who couldn't be more than five or six, he was twig thin and wearing nothing but dirty rags. He had his hands sticking out in front of him, making it obvious what he wanted.

"Hey Tazuna," Naruto said in a soft voice, but still loud enough for the bridge builder to hear. The man turned around to see Naruto looking at the small child. "I'm sorry, but do you think I could stay here for a while…?"

Tazuna looked from Naruto, then to the child and back to Naruto again.

"Sure thing kid," Tazuna said, realizing what was going on.

Naruto smiled as he created a ram seal. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu," he said, causing a clone to appear next to him, "My clone will escort you back home."

Tazuna nodded to Naruto as the clone caught up with him. When the two of them started leaving Naruto looked down at the awed kid who was looking at his retreating clone and smiled.

"Do you have any friends or family that are also hungry?" Naruto asked.

The kid looked away from the direction his clones took off and looked at him. "Uh huh, I've got my onii-chan, and lots of friends who are…" He trailed off and looked down.

Naruto nodded in understanding as he held out his hand, "Why don't you show me where they are, and I can make all of you some food."

The child looked at Naruto's hand for a second before taking it and leading Naruto to where the other orphans and homeless people he knew were.

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"Tsunami! I'm home!" Tazuna called out as he entered the house, taking off his helmet and putting it on the coat hanger next to the door.

Kakashi who was reading over on the couch looked up and frowned underneath his mask, "Tazuna-san, where is Naruto?"

"Oh the kid," Tazuna rubbed the back of his head and gave an excuse to cover for the blond. "Don't worry about him, he made one of those clones to escort me, he said he still had some things he needed to do in the city."

Kakashi's frown deepened, _Naruto has grown a lot in the past month, so I don't think he'll do anything reckless. Still, this is Naruto we're talking about, so it may be good to ere on the side of caution…_

"Thank you Tazuna-san," Kakashi said as he stood up and made his way towards the door. "I think I'm going to check and see how my other students are doing."

Tazuna watched as Kakashi left before shrugging and moving into the kitchen where Tsunami most likely was.

When Kakashi left the house, he bit his thumb and began to make several hand signs. He sighed as he felt some of the small amount of chakra he had leave him, he would only be able to use this once until his reserves were completely recovered. Slamming his hand into the ground as he called out a jutsu,

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!" As soon as his hand touched the dirt, a seal array appeared on the ground under his hand.

There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared, Kakashi saw a small pug sitting there. The pug was wearing a blue vest with a Konoha headband, and had a lazy expression on its face.

"Yo Kakashi," The pug said as it lifted a paw in greeting. "You haven't called me lately, is there something you need?"

"Pakkun," Kakashi greeted, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a small torn bandage. "I need you to find the person this scent belongs to, come back and tell me if he's alright."

Pakkun nodded as he took a whiff of the scent. Putting his nose to the ground, he sniffed around a bit before looking up, "I got the scent Kakashi, I'll see you later."

As Pakkun took off, Kakashi looked after him before sighing and going back inside.

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"… And then the chunin and jonin of our village all started chasing me around the village." Naruto finished telling the story of his grandest prank of defacing the Hokage Monument to the kids who had gathered around him.

The child who had come up to him begging for food, had led Naruto to where a group of fifteen people ranging from the ages of five to twelve had been, all of them wearing the same rag-like clothes that he was and all of them starving from lack of food.

With a talent for showboating that only a prankster of his caliber could have, Naruto had proceeded to wow the entire group by creating fifty clones of himself. He had divided them up into groups. Group one was twenty-five clones who had used his still-fledging water-walking skills to stand above the water with a net and catch as many fish as they could. Clone group two had been twenty clones split into two groups of ten. One group had gone to get fire wood, while the other built several fire pits to cook the food caught. The last group had been five clones who were given the task of helping Naruto play with the children.

They had done everything from playing tag to giving piggy back rides. Naruto had even shown them some of his less destructive jutsu such as the jutsu he had now taken to calling the Kage Henge (Shadow Transformation), due to the fact that Anko had told him his jutsu was not an illusion like the standard Henge but a real transformation.

Once the clones had finished cooking Naruto had gotten the children to settle down, and he and his clones had passed out food to them, watching in a mixture of amusement and sadness as the group of ragtag kids devoured their meal as if they had not eaten in months. The blond suspected that this was actually very close to the truth.

"That's so cool Onii-chan!" One of the kids said, a little girl with long brown hair and green eyes.

Naruto grinned at her, "Yeah it was, until Iruka-sensei caught me at least." He finished with a bit of a sheepish expression.

"Who's Iruka-sensei Nii-chan?" asked another kid.

"He's the person who taught me to be a ninja," Naruto replied, leaning back on his hands as he looked at the group that was gathered around him. "He's pretty cool, except that he always seems to have this magical ability to find me after my pranks."

Naruto stayed with the kids for the next several hours, regaling them in tales of his pranks. He had to admit it was nice to have a receptive audience who loved to hear about his pranking career, since before it had never really been seen in anyway except a negative light aside from his 'rival for Hokage' Konohamaru, but he had only seen the kid a few times in passing since he became a ninja.

Looking up at the sky Naruto frowned when he saw that the sun was starting to set,

"Well it looks like I have to get going." He stood up, much to the disappointed of the kids.

"Awww! Do you have to Onii-chan?" asked the one who had led him here.

Naruto smiled and ruffled the kid's hair, "Yeah I do…I have to help protect the bridge builder. He's going to save this country from Gato, to make sure that you guys can all live happy lives again."

"Really?" the boy said in an awed tone.

Naruto gave the boy his foxy grin, "Of course! Which is why I have to protect him, that way Gato doesn't try to pull anything funny!"

"Wow…you're like a hero!" one of the girls said.

Naruto chuckled a bit; hiding the small amount of hurt those words gave him. Sarutobi had said he was the hero of Konoha, the one who protected it from the Kyuubi; but none of the people saw him like that. However, here were people he had just met, kids, but people none the less, that thought he was a hero. It was both a heartwarming feeling and slightly depressing.

"You think so…? Maybe," Naruto said, giving the little girl a smile, "it's nice to know some people think that anyway."

* * *

Less than fifteen minutes later Naruto walked through the front door to Tazuna's house.

"I'm back," Naruto called out as he went over to the table where his team along with Tazuna and his family were sitting, eating dinner.

Kakashi looked up from his book and gave his blond student the ever famous eye-smile, "Ah. Naruto, did you take care of whatever business you had?"

Naruto nodded as he sat down and began piling food onto his plate, "Yep. It's all taken care of."

_I think I should have realized something like this would happen,_ Kakashi thought to himself as he went back to his book, but didn't read in favor of his thoughts. _Given that while different, the situation a lot of these people are in is similar to Naruto's earlier years._

Kakashi had been able to find out what Naruto was doing through Pakkun. What he had found was both surprising, and at the same time not so surprising.

Having been in the ANBU at one point, Kakashi was one of the people who Sarutobi had placed as a guard for Naruto after giving the boy his apartment. It was an unnecessary precaution for the most part, as most people would follow the law and only a few would try and break it, mostly drunks that he and the ANBU dealt with before they became a threat to Naruto.

The blond had rarely ever been able to get any food for himself. Most if not all of the stores refused to sell to him, and the one store that did charged triple the price for rotten goods. Even after having this reported to the Hokage nothing had changed for Naruto, especially since the civilian council had managed to horde more political power after the Kyuubi's attack before Sarutobi had reclaimed his position and now controlled nearly all of the stores, and those they did not were blacklisted if they allowed Naruto entrance, making it very hard for his student to get food.

_That he would already be working on water walking is impressive. It still looked a little shaky, but the fact that he can already stand on water shows he's training hard. _

Kakashi was actually impressed with the initiative of his blond student, as most would wait for their sensei to begin teaching them. That Naruto had taken to learning things himself showed that he was willing to go above and beyond to learn and grow stronger.

Kakashi looked over at his other two students, both of whom did not have the same motivation and determination the blond had. _Hopefully he can help me with the other two._

As everyone began eating again, Naruto looked over at his two teammates. Sakura did not look like she had done nearly as much as he had her do the other day. Obviously Kakashi had not been going as hard on her.

_He probably stayed in the house and read his smut,_ the blond thought with a sigh.

The problem Naruto had realized when he had his Kage Bunshin helping Sakura was that she lacked the motivation to actually train. During the time his Kage Bunshin had been training her, the pinkette had taken to complaining about how he was a slave driver and how all this training would make her look 'manly'. It did not help that she refused to eat properly, preferring to diet rather than remain skinny and toned by exercising.

His eyes then landed on Sasuke who was once again bruised and dirtied, and scarfing down food even faster than him.

_At least one of them knows how to work hard._ While Naruto did not feel Sasuke had the proper motivation to get stronger that Naruto did, he knew that the raven-haired Genin always worked harder than the others on what he was being taught than the others that had been in their class.

"Hey teme," Naruto said, making Sasuke pause mid-bite to eye the blond. "How's that tree climbing coming?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin.

Sasuke glared at Naruto as he swallowed. His tree climbing wasn't coming all that well; he had only managed to get ten steps higher then yesterday.

"Better," Sasuke lied with a smug look, not wanting to give Naruto the satisfaction of knowing he was having difficulties with the exercise. "Pretty soon I'll have this exercise complete."

"Oh?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow. "So you call ten steps higher than last time better? I didn't realize that an 'elite' Uchiha felt such a small amount of progress was something to be proud of."

_Oh no,_ Kakashi sweatdropped as his blond student began antagonizing his raven-haired student. _This doesn't look good. _

"Naruto-baka! Stop-" Sakura did not get to finish as Naruto tossed her a small glare laced with killing intent, not in the mood to listen to her shouting.

Sasuke stiffened in his seat as he glared at Naruto, "How did you know that? Were you spying on me?"

"Hardly," Naruto scoffed, "I have several clones stationed around the house for added protection. One of them simply saw you training."

"And what do you care!" Sasuke hissed, angry that the dobe was making fun of him. And that the dobe had surpassed him in something he should be able to do easily.

"You're my teammate, of course I would care," Naruto said with a shrug, surprising Sasuke and the others. "I may dislike your stuck-up attitude, but you're still my teammate." Naruto looked over at Sasuke, the sides of his mouth twitching upwards a bit. "And if you ask nicely, I may just be willing to lend you a hand."

Everyone looked over at Sasuke, who seemed to be having some kind of inner debate. The raven-haired Genin looked over at Naruto to see the blond looking at him with a calm expression.

_When did the dobe become like this?_ He asked himself. _Ever since that Genin test he's been like this. No…I think he was like this even before that. But I don't know how or when. When did he change?_

Sasuke closed his eyes for a second as he tried to decide what to do.

"I…" Sasuke paused, as if what he was going to say next was some kind of sin, "I would like your help…"

Those who thought Naruto might say no just to string the Uchiha along were surprised when the blond just gave a nod, "Then wake up around 7:00 tomorrow morning and we'll get started on tree climbing."

Kakashi looked at the two and gave a small smile that went unnoticed under his mask, _I guess there was nothing to worry about. Naruto seems to be getting through to Sasuke after all._

_What's going on?_ Wondered Sakura as she looked between her two teammates. _One minute Naruto-baka is insulting Sasuke-kun, and the next he's offering to help him? Does he have some kind multiple personality disorder or something?_

_CHA! THAT'S GOT TO BE IT! WHY ELSE WOULD HE ACT LIKE SUCH A BAKA! SHANNARO! _Inner Sakura ranted, seemingly in agreement.

However one person there was getting fed up with the way these ninja were acting. Tears began to form in Inari's eyes as he glared at Naruto. An act which did not go unnoticed by said blond.

"You got something you want to say kid?" asked Naruto as he eyed the now ready to burst Inari.

Inari stood up and slammed his hands down on the table, "Why do you guys bother to try so hard! No matter how hard you train, you're no match for Gato's men! No matter what glorious claims you make or how hard you work when facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed!"

Naruto smirked at the kid, "You know you're exactly right."

Everyone who had been expecting some kind of outburst looked over at Naruto in surprise as he spoke.

"The weak will always be defeated by the strong," The blond looked up at Inari, his smirk widening a tad. "Gato and his men are weak, there nothing but cowards who pick on people who can't even put up a fight against them. They can only fight against people who don't have the strength, or the will to fight back. Against a fully trained shinobi, a bunch of thugs means nothing." Naruto put his head down on the table as he looked away from Inari, "We are not weak. Don't lump us in the same category as you, we're nothing alike."

Inari's tears began to run down his face even harder than before as he glared at Naruto, "I'm glad we're nothing alike! I'd hate to be like you! You don't know anything about this country, yet you keep being so nosy! What the hell do you know about me! I'm different from you; you're always acting so happy, like you don't even have a care in the world! You don't know how hard life can be!"

Naruto lifted his head up and glared at the kid, unconsciously channeling killing intent into his gaze, enough so that Inari's eyes widened and he began to shake. Having never experienced killing intent, Inari was unable to properly defend himself and was forced to sit back down, as his legs were no longer capable of supporting him.

"Listen to yourself, bitching and moaning about your life. Thinking you've got it so hard," Naruto's voice was soft, an almost unnoticeable whisper. Yet it somehow managed to carry across the entire room, and was thick with a rage that even Sakura, oblivious as she normally was to Naruto, could hear. Several of the people in the room flinched, including Inari.

Naruto stood up and walked over to the kid who was too frightened from the blonds killing intent to move. Naruto's glare seemed to increase as his mind went back to the children he had met in Nami. The ones that had nowhere to go, whose parents had disappeared, most likely due to Gato having his men kill them.

"You sit here in this home with your loving family, with a mom who cooks for you, and worries about you, and loves you unconditionally. You have a grandfather who is building a bridge so that you and your country can be free of Gato's reign," Naruto snorted at the boy in disgust. "What a hard life! Oh my tou-san died, boo hoo, look at me whine and bitch like some little pussy!"

Having enough of her teammate berating the kid Sakura stood up and glared at Naruto, "Naruto-baka th-"

"Shut! Up!" Naruto punctuated both words with a harsh glare, his killing intent turning on Sakura who paled and sat down as she found her legs unable to support her.

Naruto turned his gaze back on Inari, "I bet you've never even stepped foot outside this little sanctuary have you? Never even been into the town recently, where children even younger than you have lost their parents, both of them! Children who don't have a mom to cook them food, or a grandfather who's willing to stand against a tyrant for them!"

Naruto remembered his own past, being kicked out of the orphanage at a young age, living on the street for nearly a year. Not being able to buy food from the stores unless it was rotten, being forced to find a lot of the stuff he owned in the garbage cans from the people who had thrown their stuff away.

But most of all he remembered the loneliness he had to deal with.

The glares and harsh whispers people had given him.

'_Look it's 'him'!'_

'_Who does he think he is, walking around this street like he owns the place!'_

'_Listen you are not to go near that 'boy' again!'_

'_I'm so glad he didn't become a ninja.'_

'_Yeah could you imagine what would happen if he did. I mean he's the-'_

Naruto gritted his teeth as voices flashed through his mind, "I'm glad I'm nothing like you! You're nothing but a pussy, sitting here whining about how hard your life has been when there are people in your own town who have it far worse than you! A sniveling little bitch whose disgraced Kaiza's name!"

Inari's eyes widened as the blond mentioned the name of his father figure.

Naruto snorted in disgust before turning around and heading towards the door.

"Naruto, where are you going?" Kakashi asked as the blond opened the door.

"Destructive therapy!" Naruto yelled as he slammed the door shut.

Every one stared at the door Naruto had left through; wondering what had caused the blond to have such a strong reaction to Inari's words. Inari sniffled several times before he too ran out of the door.

_This is a disaster, though I can't say I'm surprised that Naruto reacted like that,_ Kakashi thought as he stood up, putting his book for the moment. He stood up and walked out the door. Walking around to the back, he saw Inari sitting with his feet dangling over the water.

"Can I join you?" asked Kakashi, causing Inari to turn his head.

* * *

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

There was a large puff of smoke that covered the clearing as Naruto summoned over four hundred clones. Without preamble Naruto unsealed his bo staff and charged them. Smashing into their midst with a furry that seemed to give his namesake new meaning.

The clones who had been surprised by the sudden and brutal attack began to retaliate. Striking out with limbs and kunai in an attempt to take down there creator.

Naruto snarled as he dodged some attacks, blocked others and then retaliated with a vengeance. A strike to the head for one clone, a dazzling set of spinning maneuvers that ended up taking out a horde of the Naruto copies. The blond shinobi did not stop at just using his staff however. He used feet, elbows, head butts, knees, anything he could think of as he tore through his Kage Bunshin.

He did get a hit a few times, several kunai got stuck in his torso, a few cuts appeared on his arms, and bruises came to his face. However Naruto continued on, fighting like a man possessed until the last clone had been killed.

When they were all gone Naruto stood there, hunched over and panting. His eyes began to droop as he fell onto his back. One last thought passed through his mind as he fell into blissful unconsciousness.

_The nerve of that brat, thinking I don't know what it means to suffer…_

* * *

"It seems we're out of medical herbs," Haku mumbled with a sigh. Closing the pantry the hunter ninja walked back into Zabuza's room.

Walking over to the bed, Haku looked down at him. "You were far more injured than I thought. We're all out of herbs."

"What's your point?" grunted Zabuza.

"My point is I need to go out and get some more for you," Haku's gave the man a blank stare, slightly irritated by Zabuza's cavalier attitude. "I'll be back some time around noon, I should be able to get enough for you to finish healing."

"Whatever," Zabuza grunted, trying to shift his position in the bed despite the sharp pains he felt as he moved.

Haku looked over at the Akuma brothers, "Take care of him while I'm gone. If I find out that you've let him bully you into letting him so much as sit…"

The two brothers gulped at the implied threat, "Don't worry Haku, we won't let him talk us into anything," Said Gouzu, the older brother.

Haku looked away, "You said that last time as well." Not waiting for a reply Haku left the room.

* * *

Haku hummed a small tune while walking through the forest, looking for the herbs that the fake hunter ninja had found a few days ago. After passing a particularly large tree Haku found the herbs. Bending over to pick one up before pausing, having caught sight of a figure lying on the ground a little ways away.

Acting cautious Haku approached the prone figure to see who it was, recognizing the blond that had come up with that plan and used the collaboration jutsu to nearly kill Zabuza. The hunter's breath hitched, wondering what should be done.

Kneeling down Haku looked the figure over. The boy had tears in his cloak and clothing, showing off the blonde's surprisingly muscular figure underneath. There were also a lot of kunai and shuriken strewn around him, and dried blood over his clothes and on the ground.

Haku reached a hand out to the blonde's throat. The boy was a hindrance to Zabuza's plan; the best option would be to remove him before he could cause a problem. However, Haku paused midway to Naruto's throat, sighed and gently began to shake the blonde's shoulder.

"Hey, wake up. You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here," Haku said.

Naruto stirred; stifling a groan he opened his eyes. And the first thing he saw was…

"Tenshi?" he asked as he saw a beautiful girl with a heart-shaped face and a set of chocolate brown eyes. His slightly groggy and his sleep addled mind coming to what he obviously thought was the correct conclusion.

Haku blushed at being called an angel, "I'm afraid not. If I was, you would have to be dead in order for us to meet."

Naruto blinked a bit as the blurriness to his vision began to clear up. Sitting up he stretched his arms above his head as he let out a loud yawn. Bringing his hands back down and leaning against them, Naruto turned to look at the person who had woken him.

It was a young woman who looked to be maybe a year or two older than him. She had long dark brown hair, and chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a pink yukata with blue floral designs on it. A small black choker was around her neck. She was currently smiling at him with a kind smile.

Naruto blushed a bit, "Um…sorry. I just um…" he said, unsure what to say.

Haku giggled a bit, "That's perfectly alright. Though, you should be more careful, if you stay out here all night long you may catch a cold and die. Then you really would be seeing angels."

"How is that?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't know colds could kill. And in any case I've never been sick a day in my life." He paused as he looked over at Haku and tilted his head and gave an expression of curiosity, "So what about you? What are you doing this early in the morning?"

Haku smiled and lifted the basket she was holding, "I'm picking some herbs for my…friend who got injured a while ago. I'm gathering these to help in his recovery."

"That's actually pretty cool," Naruto said, gaining an interested look in his eye. "I've been reading about herbs since I have picked up a small hobby in gardening a while ago, but I don't really know too much. Do you need any help picking them?"

"That would be nice," Haku said as she bent down, setting the basket back on the ground and grabbed a few of the herbs.

Nodding his head Naruto formed a quick hand seal, "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

A clone appeared next to Naruto before it hopped off towards the house. Bending down Naruto looked over to see Haku looking at him curiously.

"It's a clone" He explained, figuring that was why she was looking at him. "I had offered to help my teme of a teammate with his training; if I don't show up he'll probably come looking for me."

Haku nodded at the explanation and, feeling this would be an opportunity to gain some insight into Zabuza's enemies the fake hunter decided to start a conversation.

"So you're a ninja?" she asked.

* * *

Sasuke frowned as he looked around the living room and saw no sign of Naruto, "Hn. I should have known that idiot wouldn't be here. He probably realized he couldn't help me and left."

"Well that's not very nice teme," Naruto said as he walked in the door. "If that's the way you feel then perhaps I shouldn't help you."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, looking away from Naruto. He looked back after a few seconds. "Why were you out already?"

Naruto looked over at Sasuke and shrugged, "I usually wake up this early in the morning to do my own training."

Sasuke smirked, "You sure you didn't just fall asleep in the forest?"

Naruto blushed in embarrassment, "Shut up teme! Are we gonna do this or not!"

Smirk still in place Sasuke left with a grumbling Naruto following him.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to help this teme with his training," the blond mumbled. _If I wasn't a __Kage Bunshin__ and given orders to help this prick, I would kick the boss's ass!_

* * *

Naruto looked up and blinked as he registered the question. A second later he grinned, "Yeah, I am! I bet the totally awesome headband gave me away huh?"

"Maybe a little. That and the clone you made," Haku said with a smile. "So why did you decide to be a shinobi?"

Naruto paused as he grabbed a herb, he shook his head and pulled it out. "I became a shinobi so I could gain the respect of my village!" he said enthusiastically, "I plan on becoming the greatest Hokage to ever grace the elemental nations!"

Haku raised an eyebrow as Naruto jumped to his feet and pumped his fists into the air. "I see…that's quite a grand dream," Haku paused for a second before plunging on. "So what's a ninja doing out this early in the morning?"

"Erm…" Naruto blushed a bit as he remembered his destructive therapy session, "Training!"

He answered with enthusiasm. After all, destroying several hundred copies of one's self can constitute as training, right?

Haku noticed the lie but let it slide, "So why are you training?"

"To become strong of course!" Naruto shouted with a wide grin that stretched across his face and closed his eyes, making him look like a fox.

Haku looked the blond up and down, noticing the tightly packed muscles underneath Naruto's cloak, "You seem plenty strong now."

Naruto shook his head, "Maybe, but I'm not strong enough. I have to become stronger."

"To become Hokage?" asked Haku.

Naruto nodded, "Not just Hokage, but the greatest Hokage."

"Are you doing this for someone else? Or yourself?" asked Haku.

Sitting back down Naruto looked at her curiously. "Er…huh?" was his rather unintelligent reply as he scratched the back of his head.

Haku noticed the look and covered a hand to her mouth as she released a giggle.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, a blush adorning his face at the sound of Haku's giggle, "What's so funny!"

"Nothing," Haku replied with a smile, "So do you…have someone who is important to you?"

"Someone…important?" Naruto asked in a questioning and perplexed tone.

Haku nodded, remembering the day Zabuza had come and gave her a purpose. "When a person has something important to protect, that's when they become truly strong."

Naruto paused in his herb picking as he looked up at Haku. Listening to those words, Naruto remembered Iruka-sensei protecting him from Mizuki and allowing him to graduate afterwards.

His mind flashed to Hokage-Ojisan who had been with him ever since he had been kicked out of the orphanage.

And he remembered the Ichiraku family, who owned the only restaurant (AKA food stand) that did not kick him out.

More images played through his head. Anko helping him with his tort…training in the Forest of Death, sparring against the literal fighting Hurricane Rock Lee. His growing improvement with a bo staff and recently a katana, thanks to Tenten. And her father Kaito, who sold him goods at the same price as everyone else and had given him said staff for free.

They were all people who he had grown close to. He would easily fight to protect them, even give his life.

"I know exactly what you mean," Naruto said solemnly, his usual enthusiasm and occasional snarky attitude diminished.

"You'll get strong," Haku said, seeing the understanding light enter Naruto's eyes. Standing up Haku looked at Naruto. "By the way…I'm a boy."

Naruto froze for a second, his eyes went wide, his face turned green and he felt like he wanted to vomit.

_Oh no! Oh No oh no oh no! If I called a boy angel I'm gonna-_ he paused mid rant as Haku began to walk away and his nose caught a scent.

"You're lying," Naruto stated, causing Haku to freeze and look back at him. Grinning Naruto stood up and walked over to her, "You almost had me fooled, but there is no way you can be a guy."

Haku kept calm and merely raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What makes you say that?"

"Well, the first thing is you have no Adam's apple" Naruto had been reading up on human anatomy and so he knew that was one of the…differences between male and female.

_The other differences are…_ he shook his head, _Mind out of the gutter Naruto._ Looking back at Haku he continued.

"Second, you're far too pretty to be a man," He grinned as Haku blushed, _It's too bad I can't make Anko turn red like that…Gah!_

He shook his head again and cursed Anko for corrupting him. "And finally, no self-respecting male would ever smell of lavender and lilac."

"I…see," was all Haku said, to surprised that someone had called her out to actually say anything, though a part of her mind was trying to come up with an excuse for posing as a boy.

"I'm guessing you're posing as a male because of Gato's reign of tyranny over the island?" Naruto asked.

Haku felt herself relax as the blond unwittingly provided a cover story. "Yes, Gato's men have been known to do things that were…less than savory to women that they catch alone."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah I could imagine that slime who already works for someone as slimy as Gato would do…things like that." He tilted his head for a second before smiling and thumping his chest, "I know! Why don't I escort you home? That way if any of Gato's goons even try to touch, I'll beat the shit out of them."

Haku giggled but grew worried as she tried to find a way out of this situation, "That's ok, I don't want to interrupt your training. I have already taken too much of your time."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Haku cut him off, "Please do not concern yourself with me, I have been evading Gato's men in the morning ever since he came here."

"…Oh, well ok," Naruto said in a somewhat dejected voice. He perked up again after a few seconds. Looking up he saw Haku walking away again. "Wait!" He called out as he ran to catch up with her.

"Yes?" Haku asked as she turned around, wondering what the blond would want this time.

"Um…well I was just…" Naruto blushed and squirmed a bit before pressing on. "I was just wondering if…if I could see you again…like tomorrow maybe?"

Haku bit her lip as she was presented with this new dilemma. On the one hand this would be a good opportunity to learn more about Zabuza's enemy. On the other hand, she would be playing with a young boy's heart, someone who for some odd reason reminded her of herself. However, her desire to help Zabuza overrode her desire to keep the young blond from being heartbroken.

"I can do that," She said with a smile, even as her stomach churned a bit. "What time would you like me to meet you?"

"How about 7:00 tomorrow morning?" Naruto suggested with a smile, relieved that she had not turned him down. Though he had hung out with Tenten a lot, and gone out to get dango with Anko, he had never actually considered those to be 'dates'.

_Though I'm not sure if this would be considered a date,_ He thought to himself before shaking his head and dispelling the thought. It really didn't matter if it was or wasn't.

"Ok," Haku said, "I'll meet you here tomorrow at 7:00 am tomorrow. Until then," She gave him a small bow of her head before leaving Naruto alone.

Sighing Naruto scratched his head, "So what should I do now…?"

He could start training again. He had not been able to train his body yesterday because he had been protecting Tazuna, and he did not actually count his enraged clone slaughter last night as training.

"Yeah! That's exactly what I'll do! Time for some training!" he shouted as he pumped his fist in the air.

Then his stomach growled.

"Hmm…perhaps I should train after I eat something…"

* * *

In another clearing Naruto watched Sasuke run up the tree with a frown. The raven-haired Genin had made some decent progress, going twenty more steps up the tree. But it still was not anywhere near the top.

Sasuke grunted as his foot was blasted off the trunk from using too much chakra. He scratched the spot with his kunai before rebounding against several trees before landing on the ground. Looking up he scowled.

_I only made it four more steps! How can I gain the strength needed to kill Itachi when I can't even do this!_

"Looks like you're using too much chakra still…" Naruto commented.

Sasuke glared at Naruto, "Shut it dobe!"

"Don't yell at me!" Naruto glared at his raven-haired teammate, "I'm here to help you!"

Sasuke scoffed, "Some help you are. All you do is tell me I'm 'using too much chakra'," He said in seeming imitation of Naruto.

"I see," Naruto paused for a moment. "Fine then, I guess you'll do better off without my help," Turning around Naruto began to leave.

"Wait!"

The blond stopped and looked back at Sasuke who looked like he was swallowing something vile.

"I…I'm…I'm sorry," He mumbled out at last, "Please help me."

_It sounded like he was choking on the words,_ Naruto thought with a mental chuckle. "Weeelll, I suppose I could."

Walking back into the clearing Naruto stopped in front of Sasuke. Taking a deep breath he began to speak, "Your first problem is you're using too much chakra." Sasuke scowled but did not say anything. "I think the reason is you're not thinking with a clear head. Whenever I did this exercise, if I thought about anything other than climbing the tree, I lost my control and would fall off the tree."

He paused to see if Sasuke understood his words, receiving a nod he continued. "So what you need to do is clear your mind. Don't think of how you can't do this, or how superior you are to everyone else, or even of how you want to kill your brother for what he did to your clan."

"How do you know about that?" Sasuke asked with a glare.

"I read a bingo book and your brother was in there, it said he was wanted for killing the Uchiha clan," Naruto said with a shrug, patting the pouch where his bingo book was located. "It wasn't hard to figure out who the 'man you intend to kill' was after that. And while I can understand why you want to, right now thinking about him is merely a distraction for you. Now, clear your mind and being channeling your chakra."

Sasuke sighed and decided to do as ask. It couldn't hurt more than anything he had been doing recently. When all thoughts, even the many plotted ways he would kill Itachi, were gone, he channeled his chakra to the bottom of his feet. Feeling ready he ran at the tree, jumping on and sticking his feet to the trunk he began to move up, two steps, four steps, ten steps, fifteen, thirty, fifty five, sixty. Before Sasuke knew it he had reached the top of the tree.

Blinking in a bit of surprise he grabbed onto the top and swung himself on the top most branches. He looked out over the forest, seeing how far it went on. He looked back down to see Naruto looking at him with a smirk. Unbidden a smirk came to his own face.

_It looks like the dobe has his uses after all…_

* * *

Later that night Naruto came in with a beaten and battered looking Sasuke, said raven-haired Genin's arm was around the whiskered blonds shoulder as Naruto held him up and walked over to the table.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura screeched as she saw Sasuke. Everyone winced and covered their ears at the loudness of her voice. Except for Sasuke, who was simply too tired to cover his ears, and Naruto who was holding Sasuke up. "Naruto-baka! What did you do to Sasuke-kun!"

"Quiet down Sakura," Naruto said in an annoyed tone. "I was just helping Sasuke with his training," The blond looked over at Kakashi. "He can reach the top now, so we're working on perfecting his tree walking."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he looked up from his book. "What do you mean perfecting?" he asked in curiosity.

Naruto grunted as he set Sasuke down at the table, said raven-haired Genin resting his head on the table as soon as he was seated. "What I mean is, perfecting. I was told that the tree climbing exercise is not truly mastered until you can stay on a vertical surface for one hour, while in combat," The blond answered as he grabbed a plate and some food.

"That's actually a good idea," Kakashi said, looking over at Sakura. "Sakura, tomorrow, Naruto and I will be guarding the bridge; I want you and Sasuke to work on mastering tree climbing."

Sakura paled a bit at the thought of doing what Naruto had said, but nodded as it would not be wise to go against her sensei, "Yes Kakashi-sensei."

"Good," eye-smiling Kakashi turned to Naruto, "You don't have a problem with this do you Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head, "That's fine; I can get my training done early in the morning before we leave."

"Excellent!" Kakashi said with another eye-smile, "I'll be counting on you to back me up in case something happens."

Naruto grinned, "You just want me there so that if a something does happen, you can read your porn while I do all the fighting."

"Now you know that's not true Naruto," Kakashi said with a fake tone of hurt, which may have been more believable had he not gone back to reading his porn. "I would never let a comrade fight on his own if I could help it."

"Uh huh sure," Naruto rolled his eyes as he began eating. "You would be more convincing if you weren't reading your precious Icha Icha right now sensei."

"Well, you never know when I'll get another chance," Kakashi said as he turned the page and dutifully ignoring the glares from the two females in the house. "Especially if something happens tomorrow; I have to use my time wisely after all."

"Hah!" Naruto laughed, "Just admit it; you're a lazy ass bastard who simply doesn't want to do anything other than read his porn."

Throughout the whole conversation Sakura who had been getting increasingly red, spoke up. "Would you two shut up! I don't want to hear you talking about sensei's porn addiction!"

_CHA! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT OUR DIRTY OLD SENSEI READING PORN! SHANNARO! _Inner Sakura raged.

Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other before shrugging.

"Sure Sakura," Naruto said, another grin coming to his face, one that Kakashi recognized as the grin when the blond was doing his pranks. "If you want we can talk about how you have a shrine of Sasuke hidden in the back of your closet instead…"

As soon as Naruto said that several different things happened. Kakashi dropped his book as he fought to keep from laughing. Tazuna did laugh. Inari looked confused as he wondered why someone would have a shrine of another person in their closet. Tsunami blushed a bit as she wondered if Sakura might have some kind of mental problems. Sasuke blanched, turning as pale as a ghost and praying to every Kami he could think of that Naruto was lying. And Sakura…

"Na-ru-to!"

…Was red with anger, red enough to make a tomato seem pale, wondering how he knew she had a shrine dedicated to Sasuke in her closet that she paid homage to every morning.

"You're dead!"

* * *

**Done! I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment. Be sure to let me know what you think. Comments and critiques are always welcome.**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Review Q&A**

**Kitsune95: Why would he do that? Naruto is not one to want others pity, and even if he was ranting about how shitty his life was would not have affected Sasuke or Sakura. Sasuke would have scoffed thinking the dobe was lying or something, and Sakura would have believed he was telling her that so she would pity him and go out on a date, or something along those lines. Naruto knew this, so no I really don't think he would have spoken of his past.**

**Wolfenden: He just guessed, it's not like he had ever been to her house, it was really something he said to make fun of her. But can't you totally see her having something like that? As for Haku, it's a little bit of both. The idea of Haku being a gender confused male that is hotter than many of the females Naruto's age makes me sick to my stomach. However I do have a plan for her… I won't tell you what that is, but if you can guess I'll give you a cookie.**

**Lord Mist: You are right. Fem. Haku is cliché, but I have a reason for making Haku a female and hope that I can make it so that this is not as bad as the others. As for the Wave mission, as I said before, if this arch was not so important to Naruto's development as a person there would be no way I would write this. However, this is where he gets his 'true strength comes from protecting my precious people' mind set, so it's kind of necessary.**

**Tragicmat1: I have read all of his stories, I'll be honest due to the fact that his writing is bomb and he actually updates constantly, he is probably my favorite author on .**

**Naruto Namikaze The Legend: Well if you want he can wear a trench coat, but just about every other story has that. What about a red trench coat with black flames on the bottom, a picture of a nine tailed fox on the back doing some kind of dramatic pose and the kanji for, well Kanji for some kind of nickname on above the fox. I gave him the cloak right now because it will help him conceal his movements and hand seals, giving him an advantage over some of his less powerful opponents. I may change it later on though.**

**Krsnik02: I don't even think the Sennen Goroshi is an actual jutsu, that was really just a gag like how the Oiroke No Jutsu is an S ranked Kinjutsu, it's really not but it's funny to make it so.**

**You guys are seriously awesome with your reviews! I really love the feedback, encouragement and other comments I'm getting. Hearing your opinions really makes posting my stories here worth it. So thank you!**

**This is a shout out thank you to everyone who has been reviewing my chapters! Many people have made a lot of good points in their critiques, and a lot of others have help me keep my massively inflated ego up, while others have also helped to keep my head from getting large enough that all the hot air in it could power the state of Texas with ease. So thank you!**

**Thank you Senjuto, for continuing to beta my stories, I do appreciate how much more awesome they are! :D**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Because if I did you would know, if I owned Naruto…Naruto would not be an idiot, Sasuke would come out of the closet, Itachi would have never died… at least not by Sasuke's hand, and Sakura would have been bitch slapped at the very start of the series. So yeah, I don't own Naruto.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 10: Calm Before the Storm**

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The next morning saw Naruto getting up bright and early, making some breakfast in the kitchen while everyone else slept. He flipped the pan cake currently on the frying pan; while at the same time put a few spices on the sizzling pieces of bacon that was in the other pan. Having been cooking for nearly a month, he had gotten good enough to make a fairly decent meal. Nothing extravagant, but now he could eat his food and actually enjoy the flavor, rather than eat his food and wanting to gag.

Normally Naruto would have had a clone make him breakfast while he got ready to start the day. Since he had started taking his training more seriously he had found himself having less time but this was special, at least to Naruto it was. He was making for someone else, not just himself and for whatever reason, felt that it would not be the same if a clone made it. It was a pretty odd notion for him, considering he had no clue why he felt this way, but he had never been one to question things like emotions and feelings and usually just went with the flow when it came to these things. And so, here was making breakfast.

When all the food was done he put it in a container before sealing it and a blanket he had gotten from a closet, in a scroll. Putting the scroll in his pouch Naruto hurried out of the door and began making his way towards the clearing that he was going to see Haku in.

* * *

Haku put on her yukata after she finished taking a shower, this time not wearing the chest bindings she had worn to conceal herself with. She looked in the mirror for a moment as she grabbed her brush and began to comb her hair. As she did, she thought about why she was doing this.

Not going to see Naruto, her mind was clear on that. Zabuza had always told her to 'know thy enemy to allow for an easier victory,' though she was sure he was just quoting from someone else. The man may be a skilled shinobi, but he was nowhere near intelligent enough to come up with a saying like that.

No what she was wondering was, why was she getting so dressed up? She often took care of her appearance, as evidenced by the blemish-free skin and silky black hair. But she had never before bothered to truly comb her hair other than the necessary times she needed to get knots out. Nor had she worn makeup before, something she was now wearing, though it was really just a hint of lipstick that she had found in her bag for the times she had to go somewhere in disguise to gather information for Zabuza when he asked her to.

She shook her head as she realized that thinking about it wasn't going to help. Finished with her brushing Haku stood up and left her room.

* * *

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned around and grinned as he saw Haku walk into the clearing. "Hey Haku-chan! How are you…doing?"

He blinked when he noticed that her chest was decidedly…larger than last time.

Now having spent as much time as he had with Anko, he was now well aware of the female figure so it was not a surprise that he had noticed this rather easily. However, since Haku had been wearing her bindings yesterday Naruto had not even noticed them before, and the difference was extremely noticeable.

Haku who happened to take notice of where he was looking blushed and, despite being fully clothed covered her chest. "You know, it's kind of embarrassing when you look at me like that."

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her face before his eyes widened as his face took on the hue of a tomato, "Oh, no! I was just…I was surprised because well…because of yesterday and all! And I! erm…"

Haku giggled as Naruto got completely flustered, her embarrassment fading a tad as the blond continued sputtering out excuses. "It's ok; I suppose it would be surprising. I usually wear chest bindings to hide them."

"Oh…" Naruto said in realization. "So…how about we start again?" he asked sheepishly. "How are you doing?"

Haku brought a hand to her mouth as she giggled from Naruto's behavior, "I'm doing well, thank you. And what about you, did you have a nice sleep?"

Naruto grinned, "Yeah it was good, better than sleeping out in the woods like I did last time we met. To be honest, I think sleep is overrated." The blond grinned for a moment, "Though I did have some fun yesterday, beating the crap out of Sasuke-teme."

Haku blinked at the blond and tilted her head slightly, "Sasuke…teme?"

"Yep! Sasuke-teme," The spiky haired shinobi gave a grin.

"Who's that?"

Naruto looked at her strangely for a second before remembering that she did not know who his teammates were, having never met them before, "Sasuke is one of my teammates. All Konoha ninja operate in four man cells, three genin and a Jonin. Sasuke-teme is one of the other genin on my squad, and let me tell you the prick is a real piece of work, though he was surprisingly docile after our training."

Of course it could have been because Sasuke had been far too tired to actually get angry, not that it mattered to Naruto.

Haku giggled a bit before getting curious, "So…why would you beat the crap out of your own teammate?"

"Training," Naruto chuckled a bit, "I was helping him with his tree climbing."

"Tree climbing?" the raven-haired girl asked in a voice that was a mixture of idle curiosity and awe. She knew what tree climbing was of course, she could do it too, but appearances had to be kept in order to stave off any suspicion that Naruto might gain.

"Yeah, it's an exercise us ninja do," Naruto thought about the best way to explain it. "Basically we ninja use an energy called chakra for all of our cool jutsu, by channeling chakra to the bottom of our feet and this allows us to climb up a vertical surface."

"That's sounds pretty amazing," Haku commented.

"I suppose it is," Naruto said before grinning. "I remember after I had helped him get all the way to the top. Hehe, he looked so smug, thinking he was all badass. I had to burst his bubble by telling he hadn't mastered the technique until he could fight on a vertical surface for one hour as if he was standing on a horizontal one."

Naruto smiled as he looked up at the sky and remembered the beat down he had given Sasuke, "I remember after that Sasuke was pretty pissed for a while. That look on his face was priceless, he looked so…"

"Disgruntled?" Haku suggested when she noticed Naruto having some trouble finding the right word.

"Nah, I'm sure he was disgruntled. But he really just looked constipated," Naruto said as he reached into his kunai pouch.

Haku tensed when she saw his action but covered it with a giggle, "Well that type of training does sound pretty hard."

Naruto nodded as he pulled out a scroll, "Yeah it can be. I remember when my friend Anko was teaching it to me." Naruto shuddered as he laid the scroll on the floor and unrolled it, "She had me run across a single tree while she threw kunai, shuriken _and _snakes at me…while laughing!"

"She sounds kind of crazy," Haku commented as she watched him channel some chakra into what she recognized as a containment scroll. There was a small puff of smoke as the contents were unsealed, and Haku saw a container of steaming breakfast, pan cakes, bacon and a pitcher of orange juice, all of it laid out over a blanket.

"Breakfast?" Haku asked in surprise, she had not expected him to do something like this. It was oddly heartwarming.

Naruto looked up and gave her a sheepish grin as a small blush spread across his face, "Well, I thought…since I asked you to meet me here and all, it would only be proper that I make you some breakfast…" He looked away as he finished, a small blush spread across his face.

Haku also found herself feeling a little flustered as a tint of pink reached her cheeks,

"Thank you." She said, smiling as she sat down.

"No problem," Naruto grinned at her, handing her a plate as he put some food on it.

Haku accepted the plate and watched as Naruto dished himself some food as well. She looked at the food for a few moments, not ruling out the possibly of the food being poisoned. Such a tactic was often used among ninja when doing assassinations. Usually ninja would do this when their mission was to assassinate a small time thugs or merchants since they would not have enough money to afford someone to check for poisons. This meant that there was a good chance that hers was.

However, she did not think Naruto was the kind of person to do that. Aside from the fact that there was no way he could know who she was, he seemed far too kind-hearted to use such an underhanded tactic.

"_Sometimes you're too soft Haku…"_

_Like me,_Haku thought as she remembered some words Zabuza had said whenever she refused to kill her opponents, something she still could not do to this day. It was the one area she felt she had failed her master. She had never been able to kill anyone; it did not matter if they were enemies or not. In battle she had always just knocked her opponents unconscious, that way they could complete the mission without needless death.

"You ok?" asked Naruto as he noticed the odd look on Haku's face. "Why aren't you eating? Is it bad?"

He hoped it wasn't bad, but maybe his clones cooking skills hadn't passed over to him. _That would really suck. All that time they spent cooking and others still can't eat it._

"Huh?" asked Haku before she realized what Naruto had said. "Oh no!" she picked up her fork and began to grab a decent sized piece of food with it, "I was just thinking about something…"

Not wanting to be rude she took a bite, the food wasn't amazing or anything, but it was good. "It's good," She complimented, taking another bite of her food.

"You think so…?" Naruto asked as he rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish expression. "I only just started cooking a month ago, so I wasn't really sure how good I've gotten."

"Well you don't need to worry," Haku said with a smile. "It's definitely good, especially considering you've only started cooking for a month. A little more practice and if you didn't want to be a ninja, you could end up being a chef."

Naruto put a hand to his chin in mock thought, "Now there's a thought. Maybe I could work at Ichiraku's if I ever decide to retire after being Hokage."

"Ichiraku's?" asked Haku in curiosity, having never heard of such a place. "What's that?"

Naruto looked up and grinned, "Only the best place in the world! The very place that makes the ultimate food of the gods, and Kami's gift to man!"

Haku giggled a bit as she saw fire light up in Naruto's eyes as he spoke of a place that obviously sold his favorite food. "And what food do they make?" she asked.

"Ramen of course!" Naruto shouted as he held a fist up to his face. "There is nothing better than the noodle goodness that is ramen as it slides down your throat, or the broth that tastes of heaven while you drink it. Ramen is the gift that Kami has bestowed upon man, in order to grant us unworthy mortals a small taste of heaven before we die. Ramen is the food of the gods!"

Haku sweatdropped a bit at the boy's obvious obsession for the unhealthy noodles. "Eh, sushi's better," She said with a shrug.

"What!" Naruto shouted as he looked at her with a shocked look. "How could you possibly think that rotten fish could be better than a gift that Kami herself bestowed upon us?"

"Sushi is not rotten," Haku shot back with a glare. "And it's far better than those disgusting and unhealthy noodles you eat!" She gave Naruto a smirk, "It also doesn't make me short."

"Hey! I'm not short!" Naruto shouted. How dare she insult him for his height! Ever since he had entered the academy Naruto had been the shortest person in class, so one could imagine that he may be a little oversensitive about the subject.

"I've grown a whole two inches since I…" He paused for a moment before his cheeks burned, with embarrassment "since I started eating things other than ramen."

Haku giggled before it turned into a laugh. Naruto scowled a bit as Haku lay on her back and held her stomach, trying to regain her breath.

"It's not funny…" Naruto mumbled in embarrassment. _So what if it makes me short, it's still the food of the gods, _He said to himself, reaffirming his belief in ramen.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Haku apologized as she struggled to get herself under control. "But you have to admit, it was funny." She sat up and looked at Naruto with a smile.

Naruto tried to glare at her Uchiha-style, but ended up giving her a sheepish grin. "Yeah…hehe, I guess it was."

They continued eating for a while in silence. Normally Naruto would find any kind of silence uncomfortable, even with his recent changes in personality. Whether it was the sound of his clones shouting out jutsu, or his own sarcastic remarks while training, or Anko's sarcastic remarks while she was beating the crap out of him; Naruto always needed some kind of noise.

Yet the silence here was oddly comforting, as if he didn't need to have any noise around Haku in order to be comfortable. It was perplexing.

"So this Ichiraku you mentioned," Haku started, getting the blonde's attention. "Are the people there important to you?"

"Yep!" Naruto said with a grin, "In fact they were the first of three people to ever become precious to me." His grin faded into a small frown, "…I'm…not well-liked in my village." Haku's ears perked up when she heard that, as well as catching the hurt in his tone.

"For some reason…people hate me, and I never knew why." He decided to leave out the part about having a nine tailed rampaging fuzzy sealed inside of him; after all, it was supposed to be a secret. He shook his head and continued, "They were some of the first people to look at me like I wasn't some kind of monster. I remember they would often give me free meals when I didn't have enough money to buy food…"

Haku looked at the blond next to her wide-eyed. The tone of his voice, the way it sounded so helpless. It was the exact same tone she herself had before Zabuza found her. It was then she realized why this boy had reminded her so much of herself.

A part of her should have realized it sooner, and was now berating herself for having not seen it. She looked into his eyes and saw the same pain she herself had felt before she was given a purpose. The pain of loneliness, the feeling of having people hate you for something beyond your control. The blond had the same eyes that she had.

"I had people very dear to me once…a long time ago," Naruto looked over at Haku in surprise as she started talking. "My parents. I was born in a small snowy village in Mizu no Kuni. My parents were very kind people…and I was happy. But…when I grew up and began to learn the ways of the world…something happen."

Naruto noticed Haku's expression getting depressed, "You don't have to tell me something like this, just because I shared some of my past with you." He told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Haku looked up and her eyes widened as she realized what she had just been about to tell him, something that only Zabuza knew of. She was about to heed his advice and stop, but for some odd reason felt compelled to tell him. Like there was some kind of force that was pulling the words out of her mouth, compelling her to let the blond know of her past so that he would understand that he was not alone.

"No," She shook her head. "I…want to tell you…I've kept this in for so long, maybe telling someone will help."

Naruto looked at her before nodding and offering a smile, "So, what happened?"

"My father… he had gathered a mob, and then he killed my mother." Naruto gaped at her as she told him that, not even able to truly comprehend what she was saying. "Then, he tried to kill me."

"What?" asked Naruto, sounding like he didn't understand what she was telling him.

"The country of Mizu has had endless civil wars, and those with Kekkei Genkai came to be hated. Because of these clans with Kekkei Genkai bloodlines were used as weapons in countless battles. As a result these clans were blamed for the cycle of war that had plagued the country. After the wars, these clans were forced to hide their Kekkei Genkai, or be willing to risk getting butchered by the hunter squads specifically designed to kill Kekkei Genkai clans."

"You have a Kekkai Genkai?" asked Naruto as he realized where this was going.

"Yes," Haku said, "My mother was from one of the clans that carried a Kekkei Genkai. My father discovered this…because I had been careless enough to use it…"

A few tears came to Haku's eyes but she wiped them away. "I had discovered my Kekkei Genkai's powers and had gone to show my mom, I had thought they were so cool at the time and wanted her to be proud of me. I remember her slapping me for it and telling me to never use it again. However, my father had also seen me use my abilities. I remember coming home one night and…my father…he had killed my mother and tried to…tried to…"

Haku had to pause as more tears came and she cursed herself for showing such weakness and in front of an enemy no less! Someone she shouldn't even be telling this too! She should not have even told him this much in the first place. Not only did she have nothing to gain from telling him, but he could use this information against her and Zabuza should he figure out who she was.

She was shaken from her thoughts when Naruto came closer to her and wiped away the tears on her face.

"I think I understand," he said, looking at her with a look of understanding and compassion. He too had noticed the look she had when she was talking about her past. He had seen her eyes whenever he looked in the mirror, more often than he cared to admit and more often than anyone else would ever know. When the pressure of the villagers' hatred became too much he would gain those eyes, and considering how much hatred they had for the blond he looked like that quite often.

He shook his head and focused on the girl in front of him, "You don't have to say anymore…"

She knew she should follow the young man's advice, as there was no reason to tell him potentially harmful information. However…

…Haku shook her head, "No. I want to…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "After that he had tried to kill me and I…I was forced to kill my own father and the rest of the mob that was with him. In my panic I had accidently activated my kekkei genkai and used it to kill them. After that I ran…I ended up living on the street, scavenging for food from the trash cans…everyday coming a little closer to death until I wanted to die…I…"

Naruto was not sure how, why or when it happened, but before he knew it, Haku had bowled him over, clutching to him like some kind of lifeline. For several minutes Naruto was too shocked to do anything other than lay there, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Thankfully, his experience with Anko, while so completely different from this new situation it was not even funny, had enabled him to know what to do when a member of the opposite sex was hugging you. Either hug back, or make a smartass comment about the person hugging you being a child molester.

Naruto decided to go with hugging.

He wrapped his arms around Haku's shaking form, one hand going to the small of her back and the other going into her hair and running through it, much like how his grandfather figure, Sarutobi would hug him when he was depressed.

"It's ok…" Naruto said in a soft voice, "let it all out…"

Naruto was not sure how long he had stayed like that, with Haku lying on top of him crying. Not that he particularly cared; it was obvious she had suffered even more than he had. If he knew his parents, and they had tried to kill him, he probably would have broken a long time ago. That she had survived was a testament to how strong her spirit was.

"I'm sorry," Haku sniffled out eventually, after getting all the crying out of her system, "I don't know what came over me." In all the time she had been a tool for Zabuza she had never cried, and now here she was bawling her eyes out not only on some stranger, but an enemy she would have to do battle with when Zabuza recovered.

Shaking her head Haku sat up and set her hand in her lap, looking down at them as if remembering the past.

"S'ok," Naruto said with a small smile. Wanting to comfort Haku in some way, the spiky haired blond moved on instinct and brought an arm around the raven-haired girl's shoulder.

Haku smiled as she leaned into the blond, resting her head on his shoulder. Even knowing he was an enemy she felt an odd sense of peace settle over her. Enough so that she had dropped most of her defenses and guards.

Maybe it was the odd aura the blond exuded, the strangely warm and comforting presence that he held. Or it could have been the similarities that she had seen between him and her, the look in the eyes and the general presence of someone who has lived a life of loneliness. However, whatever the cause was, Haku honestly did not care and just wanted to feel some form of comfort no matter how fleeting it was.

They stayed like that for a while longer until Naruto asked a question. "So…do you have a someone important to protect?"

"I do," Haku said, closing her eyes as she continued resting her head. "However, I don't think he would understand anything, if I were to tell him this…"

She had tried once when he asked her about it. However all Zabuza had done was give her this blank stare as if he did not understand. Not surprising considering he did not even remember his parents and most of his memories were bloody and violent, most of said violence being instigated by Zabuza himself. Yeah, she doubted that even smacking him in the face with her past would help him understand.

"Ah," Naruto said, sighing he leaned his head on Haku's. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, enjoying Haku's scent. The only other person he had been this close to was Anko and she smelled like blood, snakes, dango and sake. Not the most pleasant mixture of scents.

"I should probably go…" Haku commented after a while. They had been here for over an hour; no doubt Zabuza was wondering where she was since she had never taken this long to do something as simple as gather herbs, which was the excuse she gave him.

Naruto nodded reluctantly and let go of Haku, "Yeah…I should to; chances are my sensei is most likely looking for me by now."

The two stood up and Naruto created a clone to clean the picnic supplies. The two looked at each other for a moment, unsure what to do. After all, what do you say when someone essentially just bared their heart to another?

Haku was the one to move first, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Naruto was a little embarrassed since Haku was at least three inches taller than he was, making him reach her shoulder. Not that it stopped him from hugging back, and enjoying the feel of someone hugging him.

"Thank you," Haku said as she backed away and gave Naruto a smile.

Naruto grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, don't mention it. Getting hugged by such a pretty girl, I think I should be thanking you."

Haku blushed at the compliment the blond gave her, having posed as a guy for so long she had never received compliments from anyone. It felt…nice.

She managed to reduce her blush to manageable levels and smiled at Naruto, "I had a nice time. Maybe…maybe we can do this again tomorrow?" she asked. Haku knew it was wrong to be so close to the enemy, but he understood her, something she was sure that even Zabuza could not do.

"I'd love to!" Naruto said with a large grin, excited that she actually wanted to see him a second time, "Same time tomorrow?"

"Yes," Haku said, her smile widening a tad.

* * *

"You're late," Kakashi commented to the blond as he read his book with a disgruntled Tazuna at his side. "We've been waiting for over an hour you know."

Naruto shrugged as he walked up the two, "Sorry, I ran into one of Zabuza's accomplices and had to fight them to the death."

Kakashi stopped reading and looked at him for a second. Naruto became nervous, wondering if he had seen through his half-truth.

His wonderings were banished when Kakashi eye-smiled, "Naruto…I'm…so proud of you…coming up with such an awesome excuse…I now feel like my time being this team's sensei have truly born fruit."

Naruto sweatdropped, "Uh…yeah, let's go with that. So…" He grinned, "are we gonna get this show on the road or what!"

"We would have done that an hour ago if you had been here…" Tazuna mumbled.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that and assume you said, 'Gee I'm glad he's not three hours late like Kakashi'." Naruto shot back with a small glare.

Kakashi shrugged as they began walking, "Well don't worry, I'm sure if you work on it a little more, you'll be three hours late too."

Naruto face-faulted at his sensei's words before getting up and run a hand over his face, "Sometimes I worry about you sensei."

* * *

(Three Days Later…)

It had been six days total since Naruto and the others had escorted Tazuna to Nami No Kuni, and in those six days the three genin had grown much stronger. Thanks to Naruto's tort-training, Sakura had actually managed to increase her reserves a fairly decent amount. She had not mastered tree climbing, but had managed to at least double her reserves, though she still refused to do any physical exercise in fear of looking 'manly'. Both Kakashi and Naruto had tried to get her out of that phase, however neither had any luck with it and eventually gave up.

Sasuke had improved much more drastically than Sakura. While his reserves had not improved much, he had mastered tree climbing. He had also admitted, even if only to himself, that Naruto was alright. He had noticed that the more time he had spent with the blond the stronger he got, and so did not complain or let his jealousy get to him too much.

Not that it had changed the dynamics of their rivalry; Naruto still thought the raven-haired Genin was the arch-typical brooding teme. And Sasuke still believed that Naruto was a blond idiot who was inferior to him, even if he knew that was not true as the two were fairly close to even when it came to their physical prowess in hand to hand combat.

Naruto himself had probably improved the most. Not that anyone other than Kakashi would know that since the blond preferred to keep his training secret in order to avoid any jealousy on his team's part. He had managed to learn Shunshin, and could even do it without hand seals, giving him an edge when he needed extra speed. He had also mastered water walking and was now adding the leaf floating exercise to it. He had also increased his training seal to level two.

Of course he had found level two nearly impossible to move in for the few two days. Naruto had learned that in order to properly use the training seals he had to enhance his body with a constant stream of chakra so that his body could move when the resistance seals were on. Once he could move through a set of taijutsu kata's at the speed he could normally, he would slowly decrease the amount of chakra he was using to keep himself moving. It was a slow going process, especially because he had to sometimes take the seals off so he could get used to his body's speed without them, but he knew that once he started getting the hang of it, this form of training would be allow him to use his training to its maximum effect.

His elemental manipulation had unfortunately, not gone as well as he had hoped. So far Naruto was only able to slice the leaf one third of the way through. Thankfully some good did come out of the training, as all of his wind jutsu took less chakra to use and he had better control over some of the higher level ones.

Things had also gotten a little better at the house as well. Inari though still quiet, no longer made comments against Naruto. Sometimes the whiskered blond had even caught the kid watching and following him when he trained, though the blond had no idea what that was about. His relationship with Sakura had remained unchanged, she still seemed to either ignore him or tried to hit him on some occasions. Though this may have been on the account that Naruto had begun finding amusement in torturing the girl every chance he got with comments on her obsession with Sasuke. He and Tazuna got along pretty good, they would often tell jokes and Naruto, in a bout of inspiration had used his Tajuu Kage Bunshin NoJutsu to make a one hundred man strong work force, much to Tazuna and the workers amazement and delight. Kakashi also seemed to be treating him well, not that he hadn't always, but the man seemed to respect him more. Something Naruto suspected came from when he had made that excuse for being late.

Naruto had also spent more time with Haku, who had come to meet him in the same clearing every day since they had met. The two had grown extremely close despite the short amount of time they had been together due to their similar experience they shared from their past. They had never spoken of the time Haku had mentioned her past; and in truth, they didn't need to, having come to understand each other well enough due to the similarities in their lives.

Instead Naruto would often regale her in tales of his pranks. How he had started his pranking career in order to get back at all the people who had ignored and made fun of him, though the main reason was a little darker than that. He would tell of her setting up stink bombs in restaurants, small explosives in toilets that would go off when someone flushed in the academy, painting the Hokage Monument in broad daylight and other pranks he had pulled throughout the years.

Haku had never laughed so hard when he had told her some of them. If she were honest with herself, being with Naruto had been the most fun she had ever had. It depressed her to know that this happiness and content she was feeling with the blond would end soon.

* * *

Looking out the window from her room Haku sighed as she finished getting ready to meet up with Naruto. It was the last day they would get to see each other as friends. Zabuza was now completely healed and had told her the plan to kill the bridge builder would commence tomorrow, which had been why she decided on having dinner with the blond instead of breakfast like normal.

Looking herself over in the mirror one last time, Haku tried not to let her emotions spill before she looked away and left her room.

"Going somewhere?"

Haku stiffened as she turned around and saw Zabuza leaning against the wall.

"You're going to see that boy again aren't you?" he asked.

"How did you know?" Haku asked, knowing better then to lie to Zabuza. She had never been able to lie to Zabuza, not that she had ever tried to before.

Zabuza looked at her before casting a careless shrug, "Since you came back the second time to 'get herbs' and had this odd glow about you." He put up quotation marks when he said getting herbs, "From what I understand, that only happens when a girl becomes a woman."

Haku blushed a bit at the implication, "W-we haven't done anything like that…"

Zabuza chuckled in amusement at seeing Haku actually get embarrassed about something for once, "There are other ways to become a woman."

"And you would know?" Haku asked in a slightly snappish voice.

"Whoa, looks like the claws are out today," Zabuza said, hiding his surprise with a laugh, "I don't think you've ever snapped at me unless I hurt myself."

"I'm sorry Zabuza-sama," Haku said, looking contrite.

"Meh, its fine," Zabuza replied, not really caring that she was a bit snappish. He paused and look at her intently, "you know I don't approve of this. Getting close to the enemy unless you're going to assassinate him is not what a ninja would do."

Haku winced and looked down, "However, I am not going to stop you, should you wish to see him."

That cause Haku's head to snap up so quickly Zabuza was sure she would snap her head. "You won't?" She asked in a guarded voice.

"You're not a child Haku," Zabuza said, "you can make choices for yourself; I'm not going to stop you."

He began walking away, but still managed to toss a parting comment over his shoulder, "Just be ready to not let your feelings get the best of you when we take down the bridge builder and everything will be fine."

* * *

"Going somewhere Naruto?" asked Kakashi as his blond student left the dinner table and went over to the door.

Naruto stopped and turned his head to look at Kakashi. "Just going to get some fresh air sensei," He replied as he scratched the back of his head. "You said that tomorrow, chances are Zabuza will be healed. I…admit I'm feeling a little nervous."

His other two teammates looked at Naruto in surprise. The old Naruto would have never admitted to being nervous about anything.

Kakashi however narrowed his good eye as he saw through Naruto's lie, though what he was lying about Kakashi was unsure of. He decided not to press the issue for the moment and shrugged, "That's understandable, just don't stay up to late. We're waking up early tomorrow."

"Bah! You worry too much sensei!" Naruto whined, waving his hand in the air. "I'll be fine, and even if I'm late I'll just tell Zabuza about the black cat that crossed my path, forcing me to take the long way around. I'm sure he'll understand."

While everyone else in the room face-faulted, Kakashi eye-smiled, "Perhaps, but I don't think he would get the joke like I would."

"Whatever," Naruto said as he left.

* * *

Walking into the clearing Naruto saw Haku was already there.

"Haku-chan," Naruto said with a smile as he walked up to the beautiful raven-haired girl.

Haku gave Naruto a smile of her own as she gave him there by now, customary hug, "It's good to see you Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned as he broke the hug, "You make it sound like we haven't seen each other in years rather than yesterday with a tone like that."

Haku just gave him a sad smile, something that Naruto noticed but ignored as he grabbed her by the hand and led her to one of the trees. Sitting down Naruto leaned against the tree while Haku sat in between his legs, leaning her head against his chest. This had been something that they had started doing on their third meeting. It had been amusing when Haku had first began snuggling into the blond, who had felt his face about to burst, something that the fake hunter ninja had found surprisingly amusing. Though after the first fifteen minutes of blushing, stuttering and trying not to pass out from the feeling of having a beautiful young woman pressed against him, the whiskered blond had gotten used to, and come to enjoy the cuddling they did.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her as close as possible without making her uncomfortable as he put his head on hers. He took in a deep breath as Haku's scent filled him, letting out a sigh as he nuzzled deeper into her hair, causing Haku to giggle a bit. They stayed like that for nearly half an hour before Naruto broke the comfortable silence.

"You work for Zabuza, don't you?" he asked. He felt Haku stiffen his arms and aimed to reassure her, "Don't worry, I don't care if you do."

Knowing Naruto enough to realize that he was not the type to lie to her, Haku relaxed, melding back into Naruto. "Yes…when did you figure it out?" she asked curiously.

"The moment you told me about your past," Naruto said, shrugging a bit. "A girl from Kiri with a Kekkei Genkai, and a former Jonin turned missing ninja from Kiri wanted for the attempted assassination of the Sandaime Mizukage. It wasn't all that hard to figure out." He complimented himelf on reading up about Zabuza in the bingo Book, otherwise he probably would have not even considered that Haku may have been working for him even after she had told him of her past.

Despite being surprised that Naruto had known for this long and not done anything against her, Haku nodded. Or maybe she should not be so surprised, especially since she had known Naruto was her enemy from the moment they met and done nothing against him.

"How is Zabuza by the way?" Naruto asked.

Haku sighed, "He's fully healed."

"Then I suppose you'll be attacking the bridge builder tomorrow," Naruto hypothesized.

"…yes," Haku commented in a quiet whisper.

"I wish you wouldn't you know," Naruto said, his grip on Haku tightening a bit.

Haku buried herself even deeper into Naruto, her head nuzzling into the blonde's neck, "… I know." She tried not to let her sadness get to her; "… are you angry?"

"No…" Naruto sighed, "I know you can't help it. This battle is necessary. Zabuza is your precious person, I know I can't stop you." Having spent as much time as he had with Haku, her ideal's had been permanently imprinted and taken into his own ideal's, namely her thoughts and beliefs on true strength coming from protecting those who are precious to you.

"You know, you don't have to fight if you don't want to," Haku suggested. She knew it was unlikely, but she really hoped Naruto would not participate in the battle.

Naruto smiled, "I could…however, the people here that I care about. Kakashi-sensei, Tazuna-ojisan and his family. And even my teammates, much as they annoy me, have become my precious people." Naruto paused and tilted Haku's head so she was looking at him. He gave her one of the genuine smiles that only she, Anko and the Hokage had ever seen, "Just as you are."

Haku bit her lower lip as a few tears spilled from her. She put her head back in the crook of Naruto's neck, "You know…you're going to make it that much harder for me to fight you…"

"Sorry…" Naruto apologized. "Am I…precious to you as well?" he asked.

"Of course," Haku said in a whisper.

Naruto bit his lip as he made a decision. "Haku," He said, making said girl look up at him, "I have something important I want to tell you…"

Haku looked at him for a moment and saw the hesitation in his eyes. She smiled at him, reaching out a hand she began to gently stroke the whisker marks on the left side of Naruto's face.

_KAWAII! _She thought with an inner squeal as Naruto began to lean into her hand and purr.

"What do you want to tell me?" She asked.

Naruto opened his eyes, which he had closed when Haku began her whisker stroking. He grabbed her hand to stop her, finding it difficult to concentrate due to her ministrations. Haku blushed a bit when she realized what her actions were doing to the blond.

Taking a deep breath Naruto began to tell her something that no one in his age group knew. "The day I was born, the Bijuu known as Kyuubi attacked my village…"

* * *

Kakashi looked at the three genin, all of whom were looking rearing to go, "Are you three ready?" he asked.

"Hn," Sasuke said/grunted with a smirk. He felt more than ready to prove his might as an Uchiha to everyone. With all of the training he had done the raven-haired Genin had never felt stronger.

"Yes sensei," Sakura said, looking a little unsure of herself. Truthfully, she felt nervous and sick to her stomach, but she wanted to prove to her Sasuke-kun that she could be a valuable comrade.

"Naruto?" Kakashi asked, looking at the blond who had been uncharacteristically quiet.

"Something's missing…" Naruto murmured before the proverbial light bulb snapped, "Ah hah! Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Two dozen clones appeared with a puff of smoke before spreading out around the house.

"Just in case that midget Gato decides to send some goons to deal with Tazuna's family while we're away," he explained at seeing the questioning glances.

"That's a very good idea Naruto!" Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"You know with the way you're all talking, it sounds like this Zabuza character's is going to come back right now," Tazuna said with a nervous laugh.

"Sorry," Kakashi replied, "just being careful is all. So are you ready to go, Tazuna-san?"

Tazuna nodded, "Of course, I want to get this bridge done. And with the gaki's help it should be possible to finish the bridge in no time!"

"You can count on me ya binge drinking old man," Naruto said with a two fingered salute.

"That's not a very nice name…" Tazuna complained with his head down.

Naruto grinned, masking his nausea from knowing what's to come, "Let's go!"

* * *

"_Is the ambush ready?" _Gato asked from his cell phone.

On a small boat under the bridge the Akuma brothers, Haku and Zabuza didn't bother listening as Gato began squawking for them to answer him.

"Are you ready Haku?" asked Zabuza.

Haku hesitated as she put on her mask. "…Yes."

"I need you to get in the game Haku," Zabuza said, "we can't afford to get careless around Kakashi and his brats."

"I understand Zabuza-sama," Haku said.

Zabuza looked at her while the Akuma brothers looked confused.

"Hmmm…very well, let's get this show on the road."

* * *

"Wh-What is this!" Tazuna shouted as he the mist was covered in a thick fog. So much so that the only thing visible beside the bridge, were the bloody bodies on it, thankfully they were still alive.

Tazuna ran over to one of them who was conscious and lifted the man up, "What happened Ed!"

"A m-monster…" the man choked out before passing out from blood loss.

"So he is back…" Kakashi muttered.

The mist began to thicken and Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "Here they come! Defensive formation!"

Kakashi and the three genin pulled out their weapons and surrounded Tazuna, as the mist became so thick they could not see more than ten feet in front of them.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted as fear began to take her again, but she quickly steeled herself, "This is…"

"Yeah, this is Zabuza's Kirigakure No Jutsu alright," Kakashi said, wearily eyeing the surroundings even thought he could not see very far.

"Long time no see Kakashi," came Zabuza's disembodied voice. "I see you're still with those brats… and look at that one…he's still shaking."

"That's just cuz' the teme forgot to take a piss before we left and has to go real bad." Naruto said, keeping Sasuke from saying something cool. "You wouldn't mind if he goes over the bridge before we get this party started do you?"

"Dobe!" Sasuke grunted with embarrassment.

"Naruto-baka!" Sakura shouted with an angry blush on her face.

"Looks like that brat's still got a mouth on him," Zabuza commented, "perhaps I should fix that!"

After he said this a dozen Mizu Bunshins appeared around the group. All of them holding the swords attached to their back.

"Hey teme," Naruto commented with a smirk forming on his face, "want to see who can kill the most first?"

"Hn, you're on!" Sasuke smirked.

The two disappeared in a burst of speed, reappearing at their original positions several seconds later as all the Mizu Bunshin dispersed.

"I think it's six for six," Naruto mumbled before turning to Zabuza and shouting, "hey no brow-Ojisan, think you can make another one for the tie breaker!"

"Tch. Cheeky brat," Zabuza muttered, appearing in the mist. "They saw through my Mizu Bunshin. My how you brats have grown, it's a good thing I've got my backup with me."

On cue Haku and the two Akuma brothers appeared within the mist as well.

"What the fuck! Didn't we deal with those losers before we got here?" asked Naruto as he saw the Akuma brothers.

"It looks like they managed to escape their confinements," Kakashi said, "I thought the ANBU would have picked them up."

"I take it you want the blond brat, Haku," Zabuza said.

"…Yes," Haku replied.

"You're too soft Haku."

Haku did not reply as she stepped forward and prepared to face Naruto in combat.

_It's a good thing both Naruto and Sasuke have grown, I didn't take the Akuma brothers actually escaping into account,_ Kakashi thought. _I'm gonna have to talk to the ANBU about getting a quicker response._

"Sasuke, with your increased speed you should be able to deal with the Akuma brothers," Kakashi said. "But be weary, last time they were caught off guard because the element of surprise they were going for didn't work. That won't be the case this time."

"Hn. Whatever," Sasuke said, he had wanted the hunter ninja. However two on one was just as good. He tightened the grip on his two kunai and charged.

"Naruto…"

"I know," Naruto interrupted his sensei, "I've got the hunter ninja."

Kakashi looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Good luck," he said before running off into the mist.

Unlike the others who had ran off to fight, Naruto calmly walked away from Tazuna, moving several meters away from the bridge builder and Sakura to start his battle. Haku followed him, stopping when they were unable to see the others.

"Naruto-kun…" Haku started.

"Don't," Naruto interrupted with a head shake. "We both knew this was going to happen, I don't regret meeting you, even if this battle was inevitable."

"I feel the same," Haku said, her masked face looking down.

"Haku, do you think you can take off your mask? I want to see that pretty face of yours even if we're supposed to be enemies," Naruto said.

"Still the charmer even in battle," Haku replied, taking off her mask to see a tear-stained yet smiling face.

"Hey now, no tears," Naruto said, "if you start crying, then I'll start crying and then I'll be considered a hypocrite for calling Inari a cry baby."

Haku made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Don't be, I'm barely holding myself back from balling like some snot-nosed brat here. You've got nothing to be sorry about," Naruto flipped his kunai into a reverse grip. "It actually makes me feel kind of special, knowing you can cry for me even though we have to fight each other."

"Then I'm glad I can do this for you at least," Haku said, "…I suppose we should start…"

Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes, "Yeah…" Opening them again, he looked at Haku and charged.

Haku did the same and the two met in the center of the arena, Naruto's kunai clashing against Haku's senbon.

The battle of the bridge had begun.

* * *

**So here it is, the battles are starting now. I get this feeling that this is the moment everyones been waiting for with this arch. So let me know what you think. Comments, critiques and the like are all welcome here.**

**Also this is just a request but for any fanfic authors who are reading this, can you please PLEASE udate your stories! I think I'm going stir crazy here being one of the few people who actually update their work.**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Review Q&A**

**Jozern: well Kishi never did show what happened. I always assumed that Kakashi left them tied up and the Anbu eventually picked them up.**

**Ralob: I know! I swear his updates are one of the only reasons I have not lost my sanity right now since no one else is.**

**JrF Steel: I'm having… issues with that story. I want to be more descriptive in the beginning and go into detail on how Naruto and the others start out and what they do, but have no clue how to write it.**

**Animekingmike: Hahaha! Don't worry I have no intention of giving Naruto the trench coat, while I am as much of a fan of the trench coat as the next guy, it would be really stupid of him to wear something like that.**

**Silouette: He has always had his seals active. Since naruto has not actually been in combat aside from his small scuffle with the demon brothers and him and Sasuke using a collaboration jutsu, none of which required him to release the seals. The demon brothers because they were so surprised since he was not in fear and giving him the advantage and Zabuza because all he used were jutsu.**

**Kitsune95: Actually when I wrote these archs, they were all one chapter (Like 25-40,000 word chapters), and then I broke them up into smaller segments that I felt were good places for a chapter to end. This way it is easier for both myself and my Beta to correct. So each arch is written out long before I answer reviews, these chapters just happen to be shorter because they would not have worked if they were longer since I would be cutting off one piece of a chapter with another.**

**This is another thank you to all the people who have been reviewing my story. I now have over 400 reviews! YAY! In fact in this last chapter alone I got 79 reviews! I Don't think I've ever had so many people review a single chapter in any of my fanfics! And I only just updated like two days ago! Which is fricken awesome!**

**Another thank you goes to Senjuto who is continuing to help my writing by beta'ing for me!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…however I do own the voice in my head. You know the one who gives me all the ideas for what I would write if I did own Naruto. He's also the one who tells me to kill people…**

**I know, scary right?**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 11: The battle on the Bridge**

* * *

Kakashi was just barely able to duck under a swing from Zabuza, the attack coming so close he actually felt the top of his hair get chopped off. He cursed as he realized his Sharingan was useless in this mist. He had only managed to catch a glimpse of Zabuza, and that was always right before he attacked. So far all Kakashi had been able to do was dodging the attacks when he felt them coming.

"That was a close one, eh Kakashi?" came Zabuza's amused voice.

"I've had closer," Kakashi replied nonchalantly while trying to come up with a plan to defeat Zabuza. Any thoughts on plans stopped when Kakashi rolled under a sword swing that came from his front, flipped over another swing that came from behind and sidestepped a third one that he caught out of the corner of his eye.

_He's using __Mizu Bunshins__ to attack from multiple directions…great._

"You know, your brats don't stand a chance," Zabuza conversed lightly, as if they were not in a life and death battle. "You guys may have gotten lucky when they ambushed you, but the Akuma brothers are a force to be reckoned with, and they won't be underestimating them this time. And Haku…well, Haku is my secret weapon."

"I think you're underestimating my genin," Kakashi said, ducking under another swords swing, before sidestepping the next.

_Damn it, where is he? _Kakashi gave a mental curse, though he did not let his inner thoughts be known, "After all, Sasuke is from one of Konoha's most powerful clans."

"Ah yes! The famous Uchiha clan, though I hear he is the last," Zabuza replied. "However, even an Uchiha can fall, and that boy is still nothing more than a runt."

"Don't underestimate Sasuke," Kakashi said, trying to keep him talking so he could find him threw hearing. "He's not one to be trifled with. As for your 'secret weapon' I'm afraid Haku has met his match. Despite not looking like it, Naruto is the strongest of my genin. He won't be taken down so easily."

Zabuza snorted in amusement at the man thinking some brat could possibly contest with Haku. Though in truth he knew that she would be unable to actually kill the kid after spending nearly an entire weak sneaking out of their base just to see him.

"I think it's you who underestimates their chances for survival. And don't think I haven't noticed what you've been doing. I know how to project my voice, trying to find me with your ears isn't gonna work. Also that Sharingan of yours is useless; since I am a master of Muon Satsujin Jutsu I don't need to use my eyes to fight."

_Shit!_ Kakashi swore as he was forced to duck roll away from another sword swing. He should have realized this battle would not be the same as last time. He began dodging more attacks as he tried to come up with a new plan.

* * *

Sasuke ran at the two Akuma brothers. The demons brothers smirked before Gouzu, the older brother shot right, and Meizu, the younger brother went left. Sasuke was forced to stop as he tried to keep both of them in his sights.

It didn't work as Meizu came in behind Sasuke, making the raven-haired Genin roll left. When he came up, Gouzu was in front of him, slashing at Sasuke with his clawed hand. Sasuke jumped up and managed to kick the claw away with his left foot, at the same time he spun around and smashed his other foot in Gouzu's face.

Gouzu stumbled back and glared at Sasuke, "A lucky shot."

"Hn," Sasuke said with a smirk as he charged back in.

However, he had forgotten about Meizu who came in from the left and slightly behind him. It was only Sasuke's fledgling danger sense that allowed him to dodge, jumping back and to the right. Meizu continued on, jumping over Gouzu before turning around.

The two then came at Sasuke in a crisscross weaving pattern, forcing the Genin to try and divide his attention between them. Meizu came in high with a slash from his claw, while Gouzu came in low. Sasuke managed to duck the high slash, blocked the low slash by using his hand to redirect Gouzu's hand, placing it on the man's forearm and pushing it over his head. However, he ended up getting hit when Meizu continued on, jumping over Sasuke and kicking him in the face.

Sasuke's head snapped back as he stumbled backwards a few steps, his nose now bleeding as he glared at the two. He began going through several hand seals and took a deep breath,

"Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu!" A large fire ball spewed from Sasuke's mouth, barreling towards the two.

The Akuma brothers just smirked and began going through their own hand seals, "Suiton: Teppoudama (Water Release: Gunshot)!" The two shot out two large cannonball-sized bullets of water, which combined and doubled in size.

It struck the fireball and the two jutsu cancelled each other out and burst into steam that began to mix in with the mist, making it even harder for Sasuke to see. Said Uchiha was now forced completely on the defensive as the Akuma brothers used their impressive teamwork and the thick mist to attack.

Sasuke just barely managed to jump back from another claw swipe, only to be forced away from a jab with another claw. He blocked a kick, but was hit in the face with a thankfully, un-clawed fist. On and on this went as the two brothers worked in perfect synchronization to keep the young Uchiha heir on the defensive, never giving him a moment's rest with their relentless attacks.

Jumping back Sasuke tried to gain some room to think of a plan. However, the two were not about to give him any breathing room. Gouzu came in with a low kick, high kick combination. Sasuke ducked the high kick and then blocked the low kick, only to see Meizu come at him from the slightly behind and to his left.

Gritting his teeth Sasuke channeled chakra to the bottom of his feet like he would do with tree climbing; only this was to give him an extra boost in power and speed. Using Gouzu's leg for leverage he jumped up in a corkscrew style twist, spinning until his body was parallel to the ground. The raven-haired Genin brought one foot to bear on Meizu and smashing under his chin, the force of which lifted him a few inches into the air before stumbling backwards.

Using the small distraction Sasuke turned on Gouzu launching a feint with his left fist. When Gouzu went to block, Sasuke kicked him in the leg, making Gouzu wince and lurch slightly, allowing the raven-haired Genin to smash his fist into the man's breathing apparatus.

Gouzu went stumbling back and Sasuke smirked.

"Lucky shot?" he asked with a cocky grin. _I think I'm getting the hang of this. Itachi, I'll catch up to you soon._

"Grrr! That's it! No more playing around!" Gouzu growled, "Meizu! Time to teach this punk a lesson!"

Meizu appeared at his brother's side and the two of them began to attack again, their moves even faster and more unpredictable than before.

* * *

Haku and Naruto continued to clash against each other, using their speed to move around and dodge each other's attacks. Naruto would come in with a powerful and unpredictable combination, while Haku would use her speed to either dodge or redirect all of the attacks. Haku would come in with her graceful fighting style, aiming for vital points with her senbon. However Naruto was more than up to the task of fending them off with reflexes he had gained from fighting against Lee and Anko.

The two seemed to be evenly matched. Haku had an advantage over speed, and more experience. Whereas Naruto was stronger, had an unpredictable style that Haku couldn't follow, and better reflexes.

The battle looked almost like a dance, more beautiful than deadly as the two continued to clash. The only sign that it was otherwise were the even number of bruises on the pair's faces and the tears on their clothes.

The two jumped back after clashing again, the battle had felt like it had been going on for an hour, when in truth it had only been two minutes.

"Damn, you're really good Haku-chan," Naruto said, his breathing only slightly heavy.

"Thank you, I learned from the best," Haku held up her senbon as she prepared to attack.

"Yeah, no brows-Ojisan is pretty tal-" he cut himself off as he looked out into the forest. Haku used his apparent loss of focus to close the distance between them, lashing out with a kick. Naruto barely had time to jump back and only just dodged her.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off of your opponent Naruto-kun," Haku said as she tossed a few senbon at him.

Naruto blocked them with his kunai before throwing it at Haku, who managed to catch it and throw it back, forcing him to dodge. "Sorry, my clones just dispelled. It seems your midget of an employer sent some of his goons to try and capture Inari and Tsunami."

Haku frowned in thought as she wondered what Gato was thinking, since that had not been part of the plan.

Her thoughts were cut off as Naruto came at her. He lashed out with a high kick, forcing Haku to jump back. As she did Naruto used Shunshin to get behind her. Haku only had time to notice Naruto disappear before he kicked her in the back of the head.

Haku tumbled forward but changed it into a roll. Coming up she saw Naruto coming at her. She blocked his right fist, redirecting the attack away from her. At the same time she came in with a kick. Naruto managed to block it by bringing up his leg, but was caught off guard when Haku hooked her leg with his and pulled him into a punch.

Naruto stumbled back, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs out of it. When he looked up again his eyes widened as Haku appeared right in front of him. She aimed the senbon in her hand at Naruto's neck, but the blond was able to move out of the way, twisting his body just enough to let the senbon holding hand pass before grabbing onto it and pushing it away at the same time.

Jumping back Naruto threw a kunai and went through several hand seals, "Kunai Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

Ten more kunai appeared and headed towards Haku, who went through her own hand seals. She managed to create an ice mirror that formed from the puddle at her feet, said mirror being create in only a second. The raven-haired girl managed to step through it, and the moment she did the mirror melted before the kunai could hit it.

Naruto grabbed another kunai before whirling around and blocking Haku's senbon. The two pushed against each other for a moment, using the small respite to breath.

"Seems we're fairly evenly matched," Said Naruto. He pushed against her senbon a bit, and noticed that she moved back slightly, letting him know that in a contest of physical strength at least, he was the stronger of the two.

"It would appear so, but I have the advantage," Haku said, seemingly not concerned that the blond was pushing her back.

"Oh?" asked Naruto, pushing Haku back a little more.

"Yes," Haku replied as she channeled chakra through her muscles to strengthen them and hold Naruto long enough to do what she needed. "The first thing is we are surrounded by water, the second is you only have one hand," With that Haku surprised Naruto as she used one-handed seals.

"Sensatsu Suishou (Death By A Thousand Flying Water Needles)!" Haku stomped on the ground, causing the water on the bridge to shoot up before forming ice needles which charged at Naruto.

Naruto used a Shunshin to get away from the attack and reappear behind Haku, lashing out with a kick towards her legs in an effort to knock her off balance. However, Haku had already predicted that this would happen and spun around, swatting the leg away and sticking several senbon needles into his joint.

Hissing in pain Naruto jumped back, "Damn it, that hurts." Naruto grunted as he pulled the senbon out of his knee cap, wincing even more as he felt it heal. "That was a low blow, Haku-chan," Naruto said, pouting at her.

"So is attacking someone from behind," Haku returned.

Naruto winced, "Touché." He jumped back and went through several hand signs, "Well since we're using jutsu now, allow me to show you one of mine. Fuuton: Kaze Senbon!" Several dozen senbon needles made of wind formed in front of him before shooting off at Haku who began to dodge and wave in between them.

Naruto charged forward hoping that the senbon attack would distract her long enough that he could knock her out. His hope was dashed as she spun around while dodging the last wind senbon, blocking his hand and redirecting it to the left before kicking him in the chest.

Naruto winced a bit but was able to lash out with his own kick that caught Haku in the legs, sending her to the ground and forcing her to roll back.

She flipped back up onto her feet at the same time Naruto regained his balance. The two paused for a moment, watching each other wearily for a moment, before they shot towards one another again.

* * *

Kakashi cursed as he blocked and dodged several more strikes, channeling chakra into his kunai so that it could compete with the power of the nuke-nin's sword. This was getting ridiculous. He had been unable to really catch more than a glimpse of Zabuza since the battle started, making his Sharingan almost useless. On top that he was starting to tire, he had a several dozen cuts along his clothing, though none of the attacks had gotten any more than a passing lance. On top of that his Sharingan was draining a lot of his chakra.

Kakashi knew that if he did not end this soon he would be in trouble.

"Getting tired are we Kakashi," Zabuza said with a smug tone.

"Not at all," Kakashi shot back; in truth he was getting really tired.

"Heh, we both know this battle is over," Zabuza said, "Even if you could hold out, your brats won't last much longer."

Kakashi was forced to dodge several more slashes from Zabuza's zanbatou before the man disappeared into the mist again. The Konoha Jonin waited for several moments before he felt it, a small fluctuation in the air current that told him the former Kiri jJonin was coming in from behind him.

Spinning around Kakashi dodged that large zanbatou, letting it smash into the concrete where he had previously been, cracking it from the force of the blow. The copy ninja then stepped on the blade and closed distance with Zabuza, his kunai in a reverse grip. Kakashi plunged the kunai into Zabuza's neck, noticing that said ninja was leaking out water rather than blood.

A second later the Zabuza he had stabbed burst into water and Kakashi was forced to jump back as another zanbatou slashed into where he had just been. A moment later the large sword along with the person holding it wavered in the mist before disappearing.

"You can keep thinking that if you want," Kakashi said, eyeing the mist despite knowing it would not do any good.

"And even if there not, you forgot one important fact," Zabuza's voice seemed to echo from everywhere.

"Oh? And what's that?" asked Kakashi.

"My mission," was Zabuza's laughing answer.

_Mission? I don't get it, his mission is to… _Kakashi's eyes widened, "The bridge builder!"

* * *

Sakura stood in front of Tazuna with a kunai drawn. Her entire body was shaking as the three battles went on around her unseen. But just because she could not see them, did not me she could not hear them. The pinkette heard everything, from the clang of metal, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, grunts, screams. All of it was nearly enough to overwhelm the poor girl with fright.

_This is all too much,_ Sakura said to herself, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried her best not to let her fear get to her, and continue her job to protect Tazuna. _I feel so out of my league…like I'm completely useless and at any second I could just die. On top of that, Sasuke-kun and even Naruto are fighting out there, while I'm just sitting here doing nothing._

She was so worried about what could happen to her that she never noticed Zabuza appear behind her and Tazuna until it was too late.

Zabuza hefted his blade off his back just as Sakura and Tazuna turned around to see him. As the giant zanbatou was about to cleave into the pair Kakashi appeared in front of them, using his body to shield the pair from attack.

"TOO LATE!" Roared Zabuza as his blade came down.

Kakashi's eyes widened as the blade came down.

There was a splash of blood and Sakura screamed.

* * *

Sasuke stumbled back as he received another fist to the face from Gouzu. His breathing was getting ragged and his clothes were torn and ripped from the many close calls he had with the pair's poisoned gauntlets. It seemed they had been toying with him, after that second punch Sasuke managed to land the two had seemingly turned up the heat.

Now they were nearly twice as fast, twice as vicious and had used it to their advantage, turning Sasuke into what amounted to a glorified rag doll.

Sasuke rolled out of the way of another attack, moving into a series of flips, knowing from experience that Meizu would be there to attack him from behind. As soon as he landed on his feet he was forced to dodge to the left, but ended up running right into Gouzu who hit him in the face.

Sasuke shook his head and jumped back as Meizu came towards his position. He would have thrown several kunai, but Gouzu appeared on his left and came at him with his clawed hand. Sasuke was forced to backpedal right into Meizu and only barely managed to dodge the claw swipe he sent.

_Damn it!_ Sasuke cursed as he dodged another attack, only to be knocked back by a kick to his chest. Sasuke skidded across the ground before pushing himself up. _How am I supposed to beat these guys if I can't even follow their movements! They mask each other so well that I can't predict them!_

As Gouzu came in with another lunge, Sasuke tensed and timed his attack until the last second. Pushing the clawed hand down, Sasuke used it to jump over Gouzu and smash his foot in the Chunin's face. Landing on the ground Sasuke had no time to celebrate as he was forced to dodge Meizu's relentless attacks.

_I've got to concentrate,_ Sasuke thought as he tried to focus on the pair, to see their movements and react accordingly. _They're fast, but if I can just see their movements and predict where they're going to be next, I can beat them!_

Sasuke watched Meizu's attacks and tried to follow them. The man came in with a claw swipe that the raven-haired Genin managed to doge by spinning on the balls of his feet to the left. As soon as he dodged, Gouzu was right in from of him, set to impale the Uchiha survivor with his clawed gauntlet. Sasuke jumped up and over the claw, using one of his hands to give him an extra push skyward by planting it on the gauntlet.

Landing on his feet behind Gouzu, Sasuke saw Meizu already coming at him. As the younger brother came in with a claw swipe time seemed to slow down for the raven-haired Genin, everything became much clearer and he could pick out all of the little details on Meizu. From the way the small details of the missing Chunin-level ninja, to the small twitches and muscles movements as he came in.

Sasuke also noticed a small flaw in the man's attack. Sasuke waited until Meizu was attacking him with another claw swipe and this time, ducked under a punch. Getting inside Meizu's guard, Sasuke managed to nick him with a kunai. Though Meizu was fast enough to not get too hurt, getting only a small cut on his torso.

Sasuke panted as he eased off his attack, _It was only for a moment, but I managed to see his moves. I'm getting the hang of this!_

Meizu jumped back as Gouzu came up to him. "You alright brother?" the older one asked.

Meizu nodded, "Yeah, he just nicked my side."

"Still we can't let him get away with that!" Gouzu yelled.

The two shot towards Sasuke again, but this time it was just a little easier. Sasuke managed to block Meizu's next punch, dodge Gouzu's kick and then he jumped over the foot from Meizu. Using the foot as a spring board, Sasuke jumped up and smashed one foot each into the two chunin's faces by doing a small split kick.

Flipping back Sasuke landed on the ground and smirked, _I can see their movements now!_

"Damn! Is it just me, or is that kid getting better?" Meizu asked, getting confused. They had been pulverizing this kid just a few seconds ago, but now it felt like the kid had suddenly gotten this huge leap in ability.

"I think you're right," Gozu said as he stared at Sasuke, frowning, not that it could be seen beneath his breathing mask. "Though I don't know how with his eyes bleeding like that. Did you get him?"

_I'm bleeding?_ Sasuke questioned as he ignored the rest of their banter. _My eyes don't feel like they're bleeding unless…_ Sasuke looked down at the puddle at his feet and grinned. His eyes were now red with one tomoe in the left eye and two in the right.

He had the Sharingan.

* * *

Naruto and Haku skidded back from yet another failed attack. They had been going at this for a while now and even Naruto's legendary stamina was being pushed. Naruto had long since lost his cloak, and his shirt had several rips in it. Haku had likewise received numerous rips and cuts on her body, one of which had cut off the chest bindings she had been wearing. Something that had instantly caught Naruto's attention, causing his attention to move towards her chest.

Noticing his distracted state, Haku launched herself at Naruto. She aimed a kick at his head that the blond was barely able to dodge. However, he could not dodge the next kick that his him in the face, sending him tumbling back.

"It's not wise for a shinobi to be distracted on the battlefield Naruto-kun," Haku commented.

Naruto grunted as he wiped away the blood from his already healed lip, "Sorry, but it's not every day I get to see such a beautiful sight."

_Well, technically I see it all the time with Anko, but who's counting._

Haku looked down and noticed that her chest bindings had been ripped up, revealing her mid C cup chest and there was a rip in her battle kimono exposing the lower part of her left breast. She blushed a bit before looking back up at Naruto, "Pervert."

"Am not," Naruto defended himself, "I was merely saying it's distracting. Besides, I thought we already established your beauty when we first met…tenshi."

Haku blushed a bit but shook it off as she looked at the blond with a small smile, "Only you could say that in the middle of a battle Naruto-kun."

"I figured as much," Naruto grinned and gave a careless shrug, "it's just cuz I'm awesome like that."

They ran at each other again. Naruto came in with a low kick to the knee caps, but Haku jumped over it and attempted to kick Naruto in the head. Bending backwards slightly, Naruto let the attack pass over his head.

Turning around he lashed out with a fist while Haku was in the air. But she managed to swat the attack away, landing on the ground and coming at him with a kick of her own.

Naruto backpedaled, letting the kick pass him by a few inches. He stopped his reverse momentum, jumped forward and came in with a punch to Haku's face. The raven-haired girl swatted the attack to her left and tilted her head slightly to let the attack pass by, it was close enough that she could feel the rush of air as the blonde's fist brushed against a few strands of her hair. Closing the distance between her and Naruto, she managed to hit him in the ribs with two quick jabs. However the attack cost her and she was unable to retreat in time to get away from the blonde's counter attack; said counter being Naruto grabbing onto her head with both hands, and smashing it into his knee.

Haku stumbled back and shook her head in an attempt to clear it. When she did it was to see Naruto coming at her hard. He sent a kick, punch, elbow, knee combination at the raven-haired girl. She managed to bend backwards slightly to dodge the kick, letting it pass a few inches from above her face. She came back up and brought out her left hand, twisting her body at the same time as she pushed the attack to her left.

Despite being overextended Naruto used the slight forward momentum it granted to come in a little faster and launch an elbow at the girl's face. Haku had other plans however and ducked under the attack. As soon as she ducked the blond stuck out his knee and tried to hit her in the face. Realizing she could not block this attack and did not have the time to dodge, she put her arms in a cross guard, taking the attack.

Haku was pushed back as Naruto's knee collided with her forearms, with said attack being forceful enough to send her backwards into a tumble. However, she managed to plant her hands on the ground before she completed her first somersaulted roll and pushed herself back onto her feet. As she landed she saw Naruto coming towards her and began making several hand seals.

"Hijutsu: Koori Kiri (Secret Technique: Ice Mist)!" Haku inhaled a deep breath before exhaling. As she did Naruto saw noticed that the mist in front of her turned white and looked like the small water molecules were becoming crystalized.

It only took a second for him to analyze what she was doing. _She's freezing the mist by infusing it with her chakra! If I get caught in that I doubt even Kyuubi will be able to heal the frostbite I'll receive!_

Not wanting to become a popsicle, he kawarimi'd with a clone he had created when the Zabuza Mizu Bunshins had attacked them. The clone froze in his place, turning pure white as it became a crystalline structure.

Haku ended the technique and waited for the mist to clear, before walking over to the now frozen Naruto. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I did not want to do this to you," she apologized.

"That's alright."

Haku's eyes widened as she turned around and saw Naruto right behind her. She was unable to dodge the blow to her face, however despite her surprise, she was still able to counter and catching his foot with her own as she stumbled back, forcing the blond to catch himself when he got tripped up and make sure he could not counter attack, allowing her some time to work out a plan.

The point became mute as Naruto began a set of hand seals, "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!" Linking his fists together the blond thrust them out and a powerful blast of concentrated wind in the shape of his fist shimmered as it pushed through the mist.

Haku jumped out of the way, feeling the air get displaced as she dodged the attack. But Naruto knew she would and had only used it as a distraction while he closed the distance between them. He managed to get in front of her and plant a knee into her stomach before she could react. The fake Kiri hunter ninja gasped in pain as she coughed up a mixture of spit and blood as the attack folded her over Naruto's knee. However, Haku was not about to be outdone and latched onto his leg, using one of her own to trip him and send the blond sprawling to the ground.

Naruto's back hit the concrete with a small 'oomph!' from the whiskered blond as the wind was knocked out of him. As he tried to regain his breath he saw Haku throwing a punch at his neck with several senbon being held between her fingers. Rolling out of the way Naruto was able to dodge the attack and pushed himself onto his feet several feet away from Haku.

"This is getting us nowhere," Naruto muttered to himself. They were simply too evenly matched, and nothing they did seem to affect the other for long.

Haku seemed to be having the same thoughts. _He truly is a strong opponent…I really don't want to use this, but to help Zabuza-sama I have to._

"You really are strong Naruto-kun," Haku said as she began more single handed seals. "But I'm afraid that means I have to use my secret weapon on you. Makyo Hyosho (Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors)!"

Naruto watched as he became surrounded by a dome of ice mirrors. Haku stepped inside one of them and an image of her appeared in all of them.

Naruto looked around at all the Haku's. "Well shit," He said as they all brought out senbon.

"This is the end; forgive me…Naruto-kun." Haku said before all of the Haku's disappeared and Naruto found himself being hit by dozens of senbon at what felt like almost the same time. It was only because of his spars with Lee that Naruto was able to tell they were not at the same time, being maybe several tenths of a second from each other. Though with the pain he was feeling from getting stuck with several dozen senbon needles, he was unsure if that tidbit of information really mattered.

_What the hell?_ Naruto said as they all appeared in the mirrors again. _I could barely even see what happened! Are these copies of herself that are attacking me, or is this some kind of speed technique?_

Naruto pulled out the senbon that he could reach and threw them on the ground; _I need to figure out what kind of technique this is so I can beat it._

The Haku's disappeared again and Naruto found a dozen more senbon sticking out of him. _That is if I can survive this…_

Naruto dropped to his knees, wincing as he pulled out even more needles.

"Please surrender Naruto-kun…I don't want to have to kill you," Haku begged, her voice not bothering to hide her emotions.

"I don't want you to kill me either Haku-chan," Naruto winced as he stood up. "But I can't let Tazuna-Ojisan die! I won't give up! Kai (Release)!" several seals spread across Naruto's skin, invisible to the naked eye due to the genjutsu seal on them, and all the weight in his wrist and leg bands dropped. Naruto felt about a hundred fifty pounds or so lighter, which was an almost accurate estimation of how much his weights weighed.

"This should help," Naruto mumbled. While Haku had been fast, Naruto had been fighting fast opponents for several months now, one of whom was faster than Haku. "It's time to get this fight really started."

Haku was not sure what Naruto had did, but decided not to give him a chance to try something against her.

She attacked.

* * *

Sasuke grinned as he dodged another set of attacks. Jumped over Gouzu and smashing a foot into the back of his head. This was getting much easier with his Sharingan. Now he could see all the attacks sent his way and predict them, _Even though it's incomplete, it's more than enough to deal with them._

"You know I'm getting pretty bored here," Sasuke said with a smirk, feeling confident now that he had his Sharingan. "Maybe you aren't as good as I thought you were."

"This battles just getting started!" Gouzu shouted with false bravado. He and Meizu had been giving it their all for a while now and nothing seemed to work on the Genin anymore.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, moving into his Setsujutsuken (Interceptor Fist) of the Uchiha clan before giving them the 'come on' gesture.

As the two charged Sasuke began following their patterns, using his Sharingan to track them both. So long as they did not move too far away from each other he would be capable of keeping track of the two of them.

Gouzu was the first one to reach him, coming in with thrust of his clawed hand in the hopes of impaling the Uchiha heir. However Sasuke sidestepped the attack as if he had known he was going to do this before he even started, grabbed Gouzu's arm and kicked him in the face. Hard.

Both Sasuke and Meizu heard the other Akuma brother's neck snap. Sasuke blinked as he saw the now dead body fall to the floor.

"Brother…" Meizu muttered before turning a glare on Sasuke. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Sasuke broke out of his shock as Meizu closed in on him, already in his face and shoving his clawed hands towards Sasuke's throat.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he acted on instinct, redirecting the hand and stabbing a kunai into Meizu's neck, killing him. Unfortunately for Sasuke, Meizu's forward momentum was not halted and the Chunin rammed into Sasuke, sending the two of them flying through the air. Sasuke hit the ground hard, his head smacking against the pavement of the bridge and knocking him unconscious as Meizu's corpse landed on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

* * *

As Haku attacked Naruto strained his eyes to see her, hoping to catch just a glimpse so he would know where the attack was coming from. He soon found her; she was nothing more than a blur that was closing in on the left. As soon as he found her, the whiskered blond made liberal use of the Shunshin to get away from her senbon attack.

He reappeared several feet away, and saw the mirrors reflecting Haku before she disappeared again. Again Naruto used Shunshin to get away just in time, and continued this over and over until his eyes began to adjust to Haku's speed. Soon he could at least make out her form enough to see the limbs moving.

Realizing that long range attacks would no longer work on the blond, Haku came in and tried to attack in close. However, this was exactly what Naruto wanted. Timing his attack he waited until Haku was right next to him and launching an attack, blocking her senbon before tossing a kunai at her. Haku was forced to swerve to the side, forcing her to slow slightly and Naruto used the extra time that granted to get in front of her and hit her.

Despite the hit and her shock Haku was able to get back into one of her ice mirrors.

"I've figured out your jutsu Haku," Naruto commented as he looked at the mirror he saw her fly into. "You're not using clones, or any kind of illusion. You're bouncing from mirror to mirror, using the high speeds it affords you to move faster than most can follow. The copies in the other mirrors are simply the light reflected off the mirror you're in. so long as I can see when you and your reflections disappear there is no way you can hit me."

_It's only been five minutes since he saw it, yet he's already figured out my attack,_ Haku thought in slight awe and worry. However she did not let that show on her face, "That is very impressive Naruto-kun. No one has ever been able to figure out my jutsu, and even Zabuza has trouble with it."

"We don't have to fight any more you know?" Naruto said, his voice growing soft. "Please surrender, I don't want to fight you anymore."

"I can't," Haku told him in a regretful voice, telling him that she did not want to fight either. "For the sake of my precious person's dreams, I have to fight."

Haku shot out of her ice mirror, changing tactics as she went into the mirror above Naruto before shooting down at him. Naruto sidestepped the attack and tossed a kunai at Haku, cutting her across the shoulder.

Gasping in both surprise and a bit of pain, Haku retreated into one of the ice mirrors. Or at least she would have, had Naruto not appeared right in front of her with a Shunshin and smashed a chakra-enhanced fist into her face.

Unable to maintain the ice mirrors any longer, they shattered and fell apart. Haku went flying several feet back, rolling a bit before skidding to a stop on her stomach.

Naruto ran over to her, gently rolling Haku over before lifting her up and holding her to him. "You ok Haku-chan?" he asked in a worried tone.

Haku blinked a few times before looking over at Naruto, "You beat me…"

"Yeah I did, kicked your ass pretty good too," Naruto said with foxy grin. It dropped a second later, "now we don't have to fight anymore, you can't fight anymore."

"That's true; I'm nearly out of chakra from maintaining my ice mirrors," Haku replied, her entire body was sore and she could not move very well. "Naruto-kun, my purpose is now gone, Zabuza-sama has no need for a broken tool. I need you to do me a favor, and kill me."

Naruto's eyes widened until they looked like they would simply roll out of his head, "What!"

* * *

Kakashi grinned underneath his mask as Zabuza disappeared back into the mist.

"Well Kakashi, looks like Haku was right," Zabuza commented. "You rely too much on that eye of yours, and now that it's useless you're nothing."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Kakashi replied in a smug tone as he pulled out a scroll.

Wiping some of the blood from his now cut chest with his thumb, he unrolled the scroll and spread the blood across it. "Well Zabuza this has been fun, but let's be honest, we're both busy people and I'm sure you would like to end this as much as I do. So let's end this."

"Hmph!" Zabuza grunted, "Well that sounds interesting Kakashi. Show me what you can do!"

Kakashi smirked under his mask as he rolled his scroll back up; slamming it on the ground he called out his jutsu, "Ninpou: Doton: Tsuiga No Jutsu (Ninja Art: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique)!"

Seals spread out from the point of impact, the ground also began to tear up and move across the landscape, as if there was something moving under the ground.

"Whatever you're trying Kakashi, it's not going to work!" Zabuza said, knowing that whatever Kakashi was going to do was useless. "You can't figure out where I am. However, I now know where you are…what!"

"If your eyes don't work then just use your nose," Kakashi said as he heard the sound of ground cracking.

The mist cleared and showed Zabuza with several dogs latched onto them with their mouths. There was a giant bull dog latched onto his left shoulder, two dogs biting each of his legs, two dogs biting his thighs, one dog attached to his right wrist, another holding his zanbatou down by the hole at the end, and lastly, a small pug hanging off his headband.

"That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist," Kakashi commented, his tone smug and satisfied. "This summoning is specifically for tracking down an opponent. When you cut me, I let you cut me so that I could get my blood on your weapons. These are my cute little ninja dogs. Their sense of smell exceeds that of all other dogs. You are the one trapped in my jutsu." Kakashi put a finger to his temple as he closed his one normal eye. "The mist has cleared, and do you know what I see? I see your death."

"My future is death?" Zabuza asked, scoffing at the silver-haired Jonin and seemingly not the least bit worried. Though Kakashi could see from the man's change in demeanor that he felt otherwise, "I'm sick of your bullshit!"

"Don't be foolish, your death is certain," Kakashi said. "You went too far, your ambitions were too great. You abandoned your country and became a missing ninja; your story even reached Konoha. Your attempted coup de tat and your attempt to assassinate the Mizukage failed. You were forced to flee the country and become a missing ninja with what little followers you had. You realized that in order to try again, you would need money, and so you ended up working for scum like Gato."

Kakashi began going through several hand seals before putting one had near the ground, the other holding that hands arm in place.

"I won't end this with someone else's jutsu. No, you_'_re going to get a taste of my very own original jutsu. Raikiri (Lightning Cutter)!" a burst of lightning sparked into his hand, crackling with repressed energy so potent it was visible.

_Look at that jutsu!_ Zabuza felt a trickle of fear at seeing the lightning shooting from Kakashi's hand. _It's so powerful the chakra is visible, yet he holds it in his hands!_

"You're too dangerous Zabuza," Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the man as he spoke. "Tazuna-san, the person you are trying to kill is this country's courage. The bridge he seeks to build is this country's hope. Your ambitions will sacrifice too many people. That's not what a shinobi would do."

"I don't give a shit about other people!" Zabuza growled as he tried to fight against the dogs hold on him, only to find their grip was solid and he could not more than a few centimeters. "I have my own ideals and ambitions to fight for!"

"And that, Zabuza is why you will die," Kakashi said, his sharing an eye blazing.

* * *

"Y-You can't ask me something like that!" Naruto shouted, "Why would you even think that I could kill you! What makes you think I could ever Kill you! Just fighting you feels like I'm tearing apart pieces of my soul!"

"I am nothing more than a tool, Naruto-kun," Haku said, releasing herself from Naruto's grip and standing on wobbly legs. Naruto was too stunned to do anything more than just sit there and stared at her. "I am a tool that has now been broken. I can no longer help Zabuza-sama fulfill his dreams. Therefore you mu-"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted as he gave her a glare that would have melted others. "How dare you say something like that! If you're nothing more than a tool, then what did all those times you spent with me mean! Was that a lie! Are you telling me that you felt nothing when you were with me! That all those times we had spent together meant nothing to you!" Naruto's shoulders dropped and his voice lowered. "Were you simply using me to help Zabuza?" he asked.

Haku's eyes widened in shock, "NO!" She shouted as she took a step forward. "How can you think that! Everything I said was true! I loved being with you! Every minute we were together I felt safe, and content! I even spent time with you when Zabuza-sama voiced his disapproval! Don't even think that our time together meant nothing!"

"I thought you were nothing more than a tool," Naruto said as he gave Haku a heated look, watching her flinch. "Tools aren't supposed to feel, especially not for their enemy. And tools aren't supposed to aim for non-vital points that would only knock a person out." Haku's eyes widened as she realized he knew that was what she had been aiming for the whole time. "You're not a tool Haku-chan, you're a ninja, but ninja aren't just mindless tools who are used and then thrown away when someone feels they are no longer useful."

"B-but my purpose…" Haku tried.

"If Zabuza can't see the value in having someone as amazing and willing to go to such great lengths to protect him as you are, then he doesn't deserve you!" Naruto's eyes softened, "if he can't see what's right in front of him then you would be better off leaving."

"But…" Naruto shook his head, interuppting the girl as she tried to give some flimsy excuse.

"You don't have to be his tool anymore Haku-chan," He said, his voice soft, much like when the two would hold each other during their times together this past week. "You can come with me…I'll treat you like you should be treated; I want to be with you Haku…despite having only met you this past week, you are my most precious person." Haku's breath hitched in her throat as Naruto said something like that. No one had ever told her that before, not since her parents had died.

"I…" Haku was unsure what to do. She wanted to go with him, to be with someone who could understand her pain better than anyone else. But at the same time, _Zabuza-sama gave me a purpose, what do I do?_

"Haku…" Naruto said as he held out his hand, "please, don't do this to yourself. You hate killing, you hate all this running. I can give you a home, a place away from all of that. Just…please just come with me."

"Naruto…" Haku reached out to grab his hand. However as she did, she stopped, sensing that Zabuza was in trouble. She took a step back, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I would love to go with you, but it seems I have one more purpose."

Naruto's eyes widened as she went through a few hand seals.

"I am sorry," She gave him a brilliant smile. "Know that even if I can't go with you, I will always love you."

And with that she disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving Naruto to stand there too shocked to actually move.

"Haku…" Naruto mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the spot that Haku had just vacated.

"HAKU!"

* * *

Makyo Hyosho (Demonic Ice Mirrors) - Using her kekkei genkai, Haku can create a dome of twenty-one mirrors made out of ice to trap an opponent. Twelve remain at ground level, eight are placed above the first twelve and angled toward the ground, and the final mirror is above the rest and facing the ground. Haku can then enter one of the mirrors and instantly transport to another mirror. While moving about she bombards the opponent with attacks at very high speeds, such that the rest of the world appears to be moving in slow motion compared to him.

Also, all the mirrors show a reflection of Haku, so it is difficult for the opponent to discern which mirror she is in. If the mirror Haku is in is broken, she can leap out of one of the fragments and continue her attack or move to another mirror. The technique requires a large amount of chakra to maintain, so Haku's movement becomes progressively slower the longer she maintains the mirrors.

Hijutsu: Koori Kiri (Secret Technique: Ice Mist) – A technique where Haku infuses her chakra into a very fine ice like mist. This technique is used to freeze mass amounts of opponents, though it can also be used as a wide scale attack on a single opponent.

Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu - A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire, and expelled from the mouth in a massive orb of roaring flame. The scope of the attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The released flames will engulf their target, and leave a crater on the ground's surface. The fireball is normally blown through a ring made by the thumb and index finger of the user. However, Sasuke and Itachi are seen doing this technique without making a ring over their mouth.

According to Kakashi Hatake, the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique was originally created by the Uchiha clan, becoming one of their favorite moves with which they became very adept. The Uchiha clan also uses the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique as a '_coming of age_' technique. This technique apparently requires more than average chakra reserves and most Genin should not be able to do this technique.

Suiton: Teppoudama (Water Release: Gunshot) - The user kneads chakra, and converts it into water, and then spits it out in the form of condensed balls. The high-speed water ball attack possesses just as much power to kill as an actual gunshot. While this is a water release technique, it can still be employed someplace where no water is available, which is a great advantage. It's also possible to increase the power of destruction of the balls themselves by building up the chakra inside of them. The number of bullets is determined while kneading chakra. By taking advantage of gravity, the bullets can brutally increase in power.

Sensatsu Suishou (One Thousand Flying Water Needles) - Using this jutsu, Haku gathers some water from the air and surrounding environment into one thousand long needles. She then directs them to a specific target at high speed, leaping backwards before impact so she doesn't get caught in the crossfire. While the needles do surround a target from all sides, they don't appear above the target, creating an escape route. Haku is able to perform this jutsu with one-handed seals, allowing her to pin an opponent's arm and attack while they cannot use any techniques themselves.

Ninpo: Doton: Tsuiga No Jutsu (Ninja Art: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique) - This jutsu allows Kakashi to summon his own personal Ninken to perform special tasks. After he marks an opponent with his blood, Kakashi rolls out a scroll and smears his blood across it. Afterwards he places it between his hands and makes the seals before he slams the scroll into the ground. The Ninken are summoned there and travel through the ground following the scent of the blood. When the target is found, they erupt from the ground and hold down the opponent with their mouths. Kakashi uses this to immobilize an opponent for his Lightning Cutter.

Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) - The **Lightning Cutter** is an enhanced and concentrated form of the Chidori with the same effects and drawbacks. According to Might Guy, it gained its name after Kakashi split a bolt of lightning with it. Because the Chidori is already powerful on its own, the Lightning Cutter requires better chakra control, which is exemplified in its appearance. The Chidori appears as simply a mass of white electrical chakra in the user's hand, while the Lightning Cutter is more focused and blue. In Part I, Kakashi is limited to using it four times a day, but by Part II he can use it at least six times.

* * *

**Now I know this chapter is one of those terrible vliff hangers that will no doubt make everyone want to strangle me. However! Because I feel really bad for giving two cliffies in two chapters, I am willing to update this story later today. Now normally I update every two days, that way people can read and review my chapter before I move onto the next one. But I am willing to make an exception this time. That means you'll get two chapters for the price of one! Just let me know you want the next chapter and I'll put it up later today.**


	12. Chapter 12

**The Review Q&A**

**kail420: as far as I know it is. I have yet to see this jutsu done in any other story and I did come up with the name myself.**

**exwindz: when Sakura screamed it was really just screaming after Kakashi got cut with Kubikiri. Who are the two other authors your talking about?**

**rubbergrip: Do not think that, you are awesome at critiquing. I can't speak for everyone else, but just having someone tell me I'm doing a good job and what they like about my story is more then enough for me.**

**Another thank you to all of you revewers! I have just hit the 500 mark, and now I feel like climbing onto a building and singing... what I'll be singing I don't know, but I feel like singing. Thank you!**

**This is a thank you for Senjuto who beta's my story and is totally awesome.**

**Also this is just an authors note! I will still update this story friday so do not worry about me not updating for four days or something.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I am no longer going to do this disclaimer. Instead I have a guest star who will be telling you for me. You're up No Brows-Ojisan!**

"**Goddamn it not you too!" Zabuza growls at Pokemaster12, "You and that stupid Blond brat!"**

"**Zabu-chan, the Disclaimer!"**

"**Tch! Fine! Pokemaster12 does not own the rights to Naruto, if he did then this would be one fucked up world."**

"**Hey screw you, you eyebrow-less freak! If I owned Naruto it would be awesome! Stupid eye browless prick…"**

"**What was that?**

"**You heard me!"**

"**You want to go!"**

"**You're damn right I do! Let's take this outside bitch!"**

"**I'll kill you!"**

**Haku walks on the screen and scratches the back of her head, "Please ignore them and continue on to the story."**

"**I'll show you who's in charge here!"**

"**It's certainly not your ugly eye browless ass!"**

"**That's it! I'm going to carve you up!"**

"**Not with that butter knife you're not!"**

"**Butter knife! Oh that does it! No body insults Kubikiri Houchou!"**

**Several tic marks appear on Haku's head! "Shut up! Sensatsu Suishou!"**

"**AAIIIIYYEEE NOT THE BALLS!"**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 12: The Sea Died Red**

* * *

Kakashi stared wide eyed as blood splashed across his face and clothing, his arm shoved elbow deep in the person's flesh and moving out the back. He was so shocked that he could not even think of removing his arm from said person's chest, and instead watched as blood began to stain the cloth covering his arm.

Everything seemed to stop in that single instance as Kakashi, Sakura, Tazuna and Zabuza all stared at Haku in shock, having had used herself as a shield to protect Zabuza and taken the silver haired jonins assassination technique. None were more shocked then Zabuza himself, who could only stand there with his eyes wide and Haku's blood splattered all over his face. He had known of the girl's devotion to him, having been the one to take her away from the hellish life she had been living in Mizu No Kuni. But even he had not expected or even thought she would have taken her desire to protect him this far. He was so surprised that he could not even think of using everyone else's distracted state as an opportunity to kill Kakashi.

"HAKU!"

The near animalistic scream tore everyone's attention away from Haku and towards Naruto, who had stopped running as soon as he saw his sensei's arm through Haku's chest.

"No…" He mumbled before breaking out into a run.

"Naruto…" Kakashi tried to say, only to be ignored as Naruto grabbed Haku, pulling his sensei's arm out of her and sinking to the ground and as he attempted to shake Haku awake.

"No, no, no, no, NO! HAKU! WAKE UP!" Naruto shouted; his voice frantic and his eyes looking into her now dull ones. "C'mon Haku, you need to wake up! I need you to wake up! D-Don't…" Naruto's voice chocked. "Don't leave me…" Naruto stared into Haku's eyes looking for any sign of life. Only to find them dull, lifeless, like what you would expect of a doll.

"No…oh kami no…" tears came from Naruto's eyes, even though he didn't notice. "Not like this…I never wanted this to happen to you… why? Why did this have to happen?"

"Damn it… Haku," the blonds shoulders began to shake as sobs racked his body. Heedless of the blood that was pouring out of the wound in Haku's chest and began to stain his clothes, Naruto pulled the now still Haku closer to him, and began to rock back and forth as seeking, hoping to find that warmth that he had always felt from her before.

It wasn't there. All he now felt was the fading warmth that she had held when alive, and it was soon replaced with the cold feeling of one who had just died.

"Naruto…" Sakura mumbled, completely shocked at what she was witnessing and not at all sure what she should think at seeing the sight of the person who, even after his increase in intelligent and skills, had always seemed to be an idiot to her. Naruto, who had always been fairly cheerful, even with his recent changes, the boy had still carried that near indomitable optimism and enthusiasm.

Now he seemed to be almost broken, tears were streaming down his face as he held onto the raven haired kunoichi and was seemingly ignoring the world around him. His lips moved whispering apology after apology to the girl he was holding, even though she was no longer alive to hear them. The sight of Naruto breaking down so utterly was so foreign that the young pinkette did not know what to think.

Her thoughts were broken away from the sight as she remembered someone else who had, had his own battle here on this bridge.

"Sasuke-kun," she mumbled as she stood and began her search for the Uchiha heir. Spinning around she went to search for Sasuke, and found him unconscious and heavily bleeding under the body of one of the now dead Akuma brothers.

"SASUKE-KUN!" she ran up to him and tried to push the body off of her crush, the rest of the world forgotten to her.

The two Jonin-level ninja looked over at each other, each trying to determine if there was any real point in fighting anymore. A few minutes later, which were only broken by the sounds of Naruto's cries, the stare down ended, and both nodded as a silent agreement passed between them that the battle was now over, at least for the moment. The two ninja turned their attention back to the distraught blond.

_THONK! THONK! THONK!_

The pair's heads snapped over to the end of the bridge to see Gato grinning at them, along with a large horde of thugs behind him wearing the same grinning expression only tinged with bloodlust, no doubt from the thought of killing the group here and then moving on to pillage the village.

"Look at you Zabuza, all beaten up and getting your ass handed to you by a bunch of brats and a scarecrow," Gato said with a smirk, feeling pretty confident now that the battle was ended and he had a large group of mercenaries behind him for back up.

"Gato…" Zabuza growled, he was already angry at the death of Haku, he did not want to deal with this fat, greedy midget. "What do you want!"

"Such a temper Zabuza…" Gato grinned that showed how much he was savoring this moment, "I forgot to mention there's been a change in plans. You see, missing ninja like yourself are simply too expensive to pay for. I never planned on actually paying you…it's always been my plan to simply get rid of you after you did the job and were too weak to do anything. It's so easy to get rid of you missing ninja, you abandoned your village and now no one will come after me after I kill you. Hell! I usually get a bonus with your bounty when I hand you over!"

Zabuza growled at the man, "I see, so that was how you always wanted to do this."

"Of course," Gato smirked, "and now you're not going to be able to do a thing to my boys. Pft, Kiri No Kijin, more like Kiri No Koinu (Puppy of the hidden mist), I doubt you could take down even one of my boys here, though I would be appreciative if you did at least try to kill a few of them. After all, while they may not be as expensive as you, they still cost me some money."

"Looks like my quarrel with you is well and truly over Kakashi," Zabuza grunted as he grabbed the handle of his sword and prepared for another battle.

"It does seem that way," Kakashi agreed, readying a kunai. He did not know how many he could take out with how exhausted he was, but he was not about to go down without a fight.

Gato laughed as they prepared themselves. However, he blinked when he saw Naruto holding onto Haku. "Oh so the kid died eh? That's too bad; I was hoping to kill him myself."

There was a spike of killing intent that went unnoticed by everyone except Kakashi and Zabuza, both of whom turned their eyes towards Naruto who had looked up sometime during the conversation and was now glaring at the man.

"Hey kid!" Gato shouted as he walked up to them, "I don't know what kind of gay circus this is, but I'm- hold on a minute…!"

The fat midget got a closer look at Haku. Despite the amount of blood covering Haku and the blond holding her form protectively close, the fat frazzle haired business man could see something that he had not seen before due to the bindings Haku had been wearing. Now that they had come undone, he noticed she had quite a nice set on her.

"Oh hoh! So he is in fact a she!" Gatou grinned lecherously, "Well now, I'm really depressed she's dead. I could have made quite the killing after I made her my bitch! Though, she is quite the looker, so maybe I'll give her over to my boys so they can at least get some fun in before her body starts to rot! So why don't you be a good little boy and hand the bitch's body over to me?"

Naruto glared at the man through bloodshot eyes, his killing intent slowly rising. This man, this monster was talking about having a bunch filthy pigs degrade Haku-chan's body! This person was the entire reason Haku was dead in the first place, for hiring her and Zabuza for this job. Without Gato, Haku would have never come here, would have never faced him in battle and would have never gotten hit with his sensei's technique. In the blonde's mind, everything that had happened to this point was that man's fault.

'_**Kill them.'**_

Naruto blinked when he heard the voice from inside his mind, it had an odd inflection to it, the voice sounded like two people were speaking at once, though he could not tell who.

'_**That man is the reason she's dead…Kill him!'**_

Gato stopped a short distance away, not wanting to get to close to the two jonin shinobi, "Hey! Are you deaf or something you stupid fuck!"

'_**KILL HIM!'**_

Naruto snarled as he looked back up at Gato, whose eyes widened as he took a step back in fear at the eyes he was now staring at. The eyes were no longer blue, nor did they hold any of the warmth they usually did.

They were blood red, with a single black slit running down the middle.

They were eyes belonging to a demon.

"You…" Naruto whispered, his voice was harsh and ragged, carrying such rage and unbridled hate that everyone, even Zabuza could not repressed the shudder that ran down his spine. "…This is all your fault…! Because of you Haku's dead…! And now you want to desecrate her body! All of it…it's yo**ur fault**!** I'm gonna KILL YOU!"**

A powerful bloodlust and killing intent crashed onto the bridge, being so powerful that Gato had fallen on his ass and was crab walking to get behind his men. Meanwhile a powerful red energy began to swirl around the blond. The energy began swirling around him before shooting into the air to form a column of red energy, which lashed out around him in a violent manner as if it had a will of its own. The energy covered the area around and above him, and at the top the energy took a shape. It too the shape of a grinning fox head.

_Is the seal breaking! _Wondered a frantic Kakashi as he jumped away from the blond, the red energy burning his skin. _No!_ He realized, _the seal is perfectly stable, it almost seems like this was supposed to happen…but I'll need to be careful since I don't know what Naruto will do in this state._

_What is he!_ Wondered Zabuza as he was forced to jump away from the blond, after getting his skin burned from being near the energy. _Such bloodlust and unbridled killing intent far more potent than my own! This much intent shouldn't even be possible!_

The others on the bridge were not fairing nearly as well.

Sakura who had been facing away from Naruto and trying to futilely wake Sasuke, had been unable to do anything more then pass out on top of the Uchiha. Her body was spastically twitching and drool coming out of her mouth.

Tazuna was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily and unable to even move, since staying conscious from the feeling of power and bloodlust around was a challenge in and of itself.

The thugs who were with Gato were all shaking; some were already on their hands and knees like Tazuna. A few of the weaker willed ones had already passed out; And as for Gato.

The man had fallen onto his ass, his entire body shaking uncontrollably as he lost all motor functions and had already released his bowels. His breathing was strained, and he could see images of his death at the hands of the blond. Images of his head getting ripped off, of getting torn to shreds. Out of all the people there, the killing intent was affecting him the most, being the one it was directed at. Never before had he felt something so vile, and it was enough that he almost wished he were dead just so the feeling of his impending doom would stop.

Within the swirl of energy Naruto began to transform. His whiskers became jagged and thick, his hair stood up even spikier then before. Claws formed on both his hands and feet, and his canines turned into long fangs that jutted from his upper lips.

Naruto gently set Haku down on the ground, caressing her face before he closed her eyes. Standing up he stepped over her prone form as the energy coalesced around him. His head was down, shadows covering his eyes as his ragged breathing filled the air. Finally he looked up at the man who was responsible for Haku's death.

Gato and the mercenaries that he had brought with him took a step back in fear.

Naruto took a step forward.

And then disappeared.

He reappeared right in front of one of the bandits, plunging his hand into the man's throat without preamble, impaling two of his fingers all the way through and out the back while seemingly not caring about the blood that was beginning to stain his hand. Rotating on his heel he swung the corpse around, smashing it into three others, knocking them off balance before throwing it off and disappearing again.

Naruto appeared behind another bandit and plunged both hands straight into his back and out his chest, palms facing away from each other. The man's screams filled the air before Naruto roared and ripped the man in half, letting the blood splash across his face only to be burnt off by the malevolent energy that only one person there could identy as the Kyuubi's Yoki. A moment later the whiskered blond set his sights on the others that Gato had brought.

The sounds of screams soon filled the air as Naruto tore through Gato's men, not just killing them, but brutally slaughtering them. Many had limbs torn off, arms, legs, heads; some of the men were even ripped to nothing more than chunks of flesh that could not be recognized as having ever been human. Naruto spared no one in his gruesome quest to massacre every single individual who had come with Gato. As far as he was concerned they were all guilty of what happened to Haku, and none of them deserved any form of mercy or compassion.

When Naruto had killed all of the bandits, he turned his eyes to Gato. Said man was currently curled up into a ball, somehow still conscious despite the overwhelming bloodlust and killing intent coming from the blond, and began to stalk over to the sniveling little midget.

"P-P-please…s-s-spare me!" Gato begged as Naruto stopped in front of him, "I-I-I'll g-g-ive y-u-u-ou anything you want! Just let me go…"

The whiskered blond stopped short at Gatos words and looked at him with a sort of absent curiosity, like a lion might look at an antelope that was pinned under its paws. For a moment Gato was not even sure the blond would speak as all Naruto was doing was staring at him. Finally…

"**Anything?"** Asked Naruto, his voice deep and guttural, no longer sounding human but taking on the pitch and timber of something demonic in origin.

"Yes! Anything!" Gato said enthusiastically, feeling certain he could buy off this demon, "Just name it! Money, wealth, power, women! Anything at all!"

"**Very well," **Naruto tilted his head at the man, seemingly in thought of what he wanted, **"I want you to bring Haku-chan back."**

Gato's eyes widened and his face paled, "I-I can't do that!"

"**No? A pity," **Naruto said with a shrug before lifting the man by his throat. Gato gasped and latched onto the hand now holding his neck in a vice grip in an attempt to pull it off. He continued to beg and plead, telling Naruto of all the things he could give the blond.

"**You know what I want Gato?"** the demonized Naruto asked, not expecting a response, and ended up squeezing Gato's throat even tighter so he could not get a response. **"I want you…DEAD!"**

Naruto reared back a clawed fist, before launching it forward grabbing onto Gato's face The man screamed as the red chakra began to burn his face off, melting it like wax. With a roar of finality Naruto channeled the red chakra into his hand as he squeezed Gato's head, making the corrupt businessman's head explode in a shower of gore.

Naruto dropped the now headless body unceremoniously as the red energy began to leave him. His transformation reversed, his eyes changed back to normal, his claws reverted and his canines shortened while his whiskers went back to their original state.

With his mind now clear of the bloodlust that had taken over it he looked at the devastation he had caused, then down to his hands, his eyes wide. Despite all the blood having been burnt off by the chakra, he could still see it on his hands. He could still remember what he had done, he could see how he had slaughtered all of the thugs Gato had brought and the man himself, and could recall everything he had done in picture perfect clarity.

"What have I done…?" Naruto dropped down onto his knees and vomiting the entire contents of his stomach, as his stomach began to rebel. Even after he had finished the whiskered blond was still dry heaving, his mind and body both still feeling the overwhelming sense of nausea from what he had done.

"_There's that monster."_

"_You are not to go near that boy again. He's nothing but a monster in disguise."_

"_Demon!"_

"_You are the Kyuubi No Kitsune!"_

Naruto began to hyperventilate as the voices of the villagers washed over him, he tried shutting them out but that only seemed to make the voices louder. He tried ignoring them but the voices were not to be denied, and no matter how much he tried to tell himself otherwise he began to feel disgust for what he had done.

_Oh kami…they're right…I'm nothing but a monster, a demon. I-_

"Naruto…" The blond froze as a hand landed on his back. Looking up he saw Kakashi, his headband back over his Sharingan looking at him in concern.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?" He choked out, "Are the villagers right? Am I…am I really a demon?"

Kakashi's eye widened slightly before going back to its concerned look, "No Naruto, you are not a demon…do not think like that. What you are is a shinobi…"

"A shinobi?" Naruto asked unsurely, his eyes clouded and lost.

"Yes," Kakashi answered with a nod.

"But I-I killed all those people," tears began to form in his eyes, "they didn't stand a chance, I just tore through like they were paper. It was so easy, how can I be anything but a monster? How could anything other than a monster do those things?"

"A shinobi," Kakashi replied, "as a shinobi you will always be called upon to do things you may not like, things that, to a civilian would make you seem like a monster. This is the world we live in Naruto. It's what we signed up for when we became ninja, it's the same for me, and the same for Zabuza and his partner."

"Partner…" Naruto's eyes widened as he jumped up, "Haku!"

Kakashi watched as he ran back towards Haku's body and sighed, he was going to have to talk with Naruto soon.

_He's not going to be doing well after this. Dealing with the guilt of killing other people in such a violent manner, and using the Kyuubi's chakra to do it. No doubt his mind will be unstable for a while after this,_ he looked over where Naruto was now cradling Haku. _And then there's that relationship, I'll definitely have to talk to him about that. I can only hope I or maybe the Hokage or Anko can help him through this._

Naruto gently lifted Haku into his arms, standing up and ignoring Zabuza who was watching him curiously, the blond began to make his way off the bridge.

The crowd that Inari had gathered to help had only arrived a few seconds ago to see the aftermath of the battle, could only part themselves for Naruto, staring at the blond in shock as he walked right past them.

* * *

(Several Hours after the Battle…)

Naruto stared at the newly dug grave he had just made for Haku. It was in the small clearing the two of them had first met, and continued to meet for the rest of the week. The grave was not much, Naruto had used his fledging wind ability to create a wind blade and carve out a tombstone for her. The cuts were jagged and uneven, and the writing was sloppy and showed that he had cut the writing out of the stone without the use of any kinds of tools. He promised himself he would get a better tombstone for her when he came back here to visit.

His face was now set in an emotionless mask as he stared at the grave. Reaching a hand into his shirt Naruto pulled out a small chain that was attached to his neck. Taking the chain off from around his neck Naruto gazed at the center piece of the metal necklace. Attached to the chain was an odd green crystal that shined brilliantly as it was held in the middle of a snow flake.

Haku had given it to him on their last night together.

* * *

Flashback…

_Taking a deep breath Naruto began to tell her something that no one in his age group knew, "The day I was born, the Bijuu known as Kyuubi attacked my village, many of our ninja forces had been killed, even a lot of our civilian population died. The Kyuubi attacked without warning, just appearing in the middle of our village before going on a rampage. Just when all hope seemed lost, the Yondaime Hokage arrived and, through the use of a powerful self-sacrificing jutsu, killed the Kyuubi."_

_Haku looked up at him as he paused in curiosity, wondering where her companion was going with this. She knew of this story, it had been one of the few major incidents that had spread across the elemental nations, even reaching Kiri._

"_At least…that is what the history books and our teachers taught us, but that story couldn't have been farther from the truth," Naruto said in a quiet voice. "You see the Kyuubi, like all Bijuu, was simply a mass of malevolent chakra with a conscious, and was the strongest of the nine. As such the Kyuubi cannot be killed." He looked down at Haku to see her staring at him with wide eyes. "The only way to defeat a Bijuu is to seal it. And the only thing that would work against something as strong as the Kyuubi is a person." _

_Haku gasped as she continued listening, she already had an idea where this was going. However she continued to listen, knowing that it would be better if he told her himself. _

_Naruto plunged on, fearing that if he did not continue now, he would never be able to tell her, "And so the Yondaime took a new born baby, who had just had its umbilical cord cut, and used it to seal the demon. Just before he died, the Yondaime asked that the child be seen as the hero that protects Konoha each and every day by ensuring that the Kyuubi could never escape again." _

_He paused for a second and took a deep breath, "Suffice to say, the villagers did not honor is dying wish. From the moment the boy was born he was treated like he was less then dirt. At the orphanage he was in, the matron refused to let him play with the other children, fearing that the 'monster' would taint the others. He was only fed the scraps other children left after their meals once a day if he was lucky, once a week if he wasn't. And on his fifth birthday, they kicked him out."_

_Closing his eyes Naruto missed the tears that were already falling from Haku's eyes._

"_For nearly a year this child lived on the streets, going through the garbage cans in order to find sustenance. On many occasions he would get tossed away from them by the people who owned the shops that used them, causing him to starve. He would live where ever he could, often in cardboard boxes and even living in the sewers of Konoha for several months just to stay warm during some of the colder seasons. It was only by chance that he happened to come upon a little ramen shop, and even more amazing luck, that the Hokage happened to be there. The Hokage, after hearing of what happened to this child, gave him an apartment of his own and a monthly stipend for his necessities and the utilities of the apartment. However even then, it was not enough." _

"_The apartment owner could not raise the price high enough so he could not pay, but she did make it so that he was nearly broke all the time. Not that it would have mattered. The boy was unable to buy the bare necessities anyways. Shops would kick him out, or sell rotten goods to him. Clothing stores kicked him out or charged triple the price for nearly ruined clothes. And no matter where he went, people would either glare at him, or try to ignore his existence entirely. The boy also had no friends since parents had told their children to stay away from the boy, saying that he was dangerous and could not be trusted. Eventually, the parents' hatred was passed onto their children. Even when he went to the academy to become a ninja, it was no different. Teachers would yell at him when he tried to answer questions, or throw him out for trying to 'outdo clan heirs'. Nothing he seemed to do help improve his standing in class and, eventually the child turned to pranks, hoping it would get him the attention he wanted."_

_A stifled sob and the feeling of a body pressing into his caused Naruto to stop his story, looking down he saw Haku crying into his shirt. Deciding that she knew enough, he stopped there and got to his point, "I don't think I need to tell you who this child was."_

_Haku shook her head as she looked up at him. "I don't… *Sniff* understand, how anyone *Sniff* could do something like that to an innocent child with such a burden."_

"_It's because they don't understand," Naruto said quietly, "humans have always held a fear of the things they don't or can't understand, and when they fear something the basic instinct of all humans is to lash out at it simply to prove that they don't fear it. You should know this better than anyone since the same thing that happened in Kiri…"_

"_Still…" Haku said as she placed her head on his shoulder, "I don't know how you could handle something like that without breaking."_

"_And I don't know how you could deal with your parents' death, or the fact that you were forced to kill one of them without breaking," Naruto replied. "I can handle it because I understand why there doing It and want to change their opinions of me. Before I found out why, I had used my pranks and hid behind a goofy smile and upbeat attitude to deal with it. I guess I figured that if they were going to ignore me, or hate me, I would give them a reason to with my pranks." _

_The whiskered blond ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "It wasn't until a traitor tricked me into stealing the forbidden scroll of sealing that I found out why. But now I do understand, and I'll make them change, I'll become Hokage and show everyone that I'm not the demon they think I am…"_

_Haku smiled as she looked up at him. "You really are an amazing person Naruto-kun," She said. _

_Naruto blushed, "Well, I'm not really all that… special…"_

_Haku shook her head and smiled, "You are, you're just too modest to realize how amazing you are." Reaching into an inner pocket where she normally carried senbon, Haku pulled out a beautiful necklace with a green crystal being held in the center of a snowflake. "My mother gave this to me, it was a family heirloom she said," the raven-haired girl placed it in Naruto's hand and closed his fingers around it, "I want you to have this."_

_Naruto looked at Haku in shock. Looking down at the necklace he shook his head, "I can't take something that important from you."_

_Haku smiled, "You can't 'take' something if it was given to you freely. Please have it, I want you to have it."_

"_But…I feel kind of bad," Naruto said, though he did end up putting the necklace in his pouch, "I mean, I don't have anything of real value to give to you in return."_

"_I know one thing you can give me," Haku said with a small blush._

_Naruto tilted his head to the side quizzically as he looked at her, "Really? What's th-"_

_Naruto was cut off and his eyes widened in shock when he felt a pair of warm, soft lips press against his own. His entire body froze in place, and it felt like someone had lit him up with the Amaterasu flames. Every single nerve ending felt like they had been hit with a raiton jutsu, causing him to stand ramrod straight._

_When she noticed Naruto was not responding Haku pulled back and gave him a pout, "You know when someone kisses you, you're supposed to kiss back."_

"_I…well I…that is to say we…and you…kiss…and uh…" Naruto tried, the red on his face increasing several shades._

_Haku sighed at how embarrassed and shocked the whiskered blond looked, even she knew how to kiss. "Looks like this is something we're going to need to work on," feeling that there was nothing left to be said, she claimed his mouth with her own, and even after Naruto started to respond their lips had remained locked._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

Naruto clenched the necklace in his hand as he tried not to let any of the emotions he had been feeling overtake him. He had never imagined that after everything he had been through in Konoha, there would be something else that would hurt even worse than his loneliness. Honestly the thought that he could be feel a pain more keen then he had felt in his home village, especially after learning why he was so hated was almost laughable.

He could no longer see any amusement in that lie of thought.

"So this is where you've been eh brat?"

Naruto turned around as he heard the gruff voice to see Zabuza walking up to him. The whiskered blond turned around, not really caring what the bandaged faced man wanted, or that he could kill him if he so decided.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked in a dull voice.

Zabuza shrugged as he stopped next to the blond, "The others have been looking for you since you've left." He paused for a moment, "Well, Kakashi and the people of Nami are, I think the pink-haired girl and that Uchiha kid are still unconscious. At least, they were when I left."

Naruto said nothing as he turned around and looked back at the grave. For a while the two said nothing, choosing to simply stare at the small monument that the Konoha shinobi had created.

"You know when I found Haku, she had really been nothing more than a scrawny little thing," Zabuza said after several minutes of silence. "I had found her huddled up on a bridge with people walking past her, ignoring her existence like she wasn't even there. She had looked like she would keel over any moment, I'm sure that had I just left she would have died from starvation within a month's time. Despite that I had felt there would be some kind of use for her and so I took her with me, and trained her to be my weapon."

Naruto fists clenched even tighter and blood began to trickle from his palms as he heard about Haku training to be used as a weapon. He would not deny that a part of him blamed this man for Haku's death as well. After all if he had never found her, she would have never died, at least not here. Still he did not speak, not feeling the desire to talk and let the man continue unhindered.

"I trained her to be the best and, in many ways her abilities in combat had surpassed even mine. But the one thing she had never lost was her pure heart. Haku hated killing in every form, even to this day she had never killed someone, she would always knock them out using pressure points and her senbn instead. Yet for some reason she stuck by me through everything, even when I killed. I had always told her that her mercy was a weakness, but no matter what happened she wouldn't kill." Zabuza sighed as he closed his eyes, "Despite my disapproval of not killing an opponent, I couldn't bring myself to make her kill."

"Why are you telling me this?" whispered Naruto after several minutes of silence.

"Because kid, I have known Haku ever since she was little," Zabuza answered. "I had trained and raised her for a long time. I saw her grow into the person she was, and watched as she grew in strength," Zabuza turned to look at Naruto. "I have seen her at both her best and her worst. However in all the years I've known her, I have never seen her as happy as she had been this past week, and I know she was like that because of you." Naruto let out a small stifled sob, but otherwise didn't react. "This past week you made Haku happier then she had ever been, and for that I want to thank you."

Naruto shook his head as he looked away from Zabuza, "I don't deserve thanks. I betrayed Haku-chan's memory by going on a rampage and killing all those people…you said it yourself, she hated killing. Haku-chan would have never wanted me to do something like that."

Zabuza snorted, "Kid, I think Haku would understand. She had always been extremely understanding of others, and I've done far worse than what you did in my lifetime. She still accepted me."

"But…I killed all those people…I really am nothing more than a demon…" Naruto bit the bottom of his lip to keep more tears from spilling out.

Zabuza laughed at him, "Gaki, I go by the title Kiri No Kijin, I have been called a demon ever since I slaughtered an entire graduating class in Kirigakure and earned my place in its shinobi ranks. So I think I would know a demon when I see one, and you are too soft hearted to be a demon."

Naruto looked at the man before turning back to the grave, "… I suppose you would know…"

Zabuza made a 'hmming' sound but did not say anything. For several more moments they stood in silence, "Kid…"

"Yeah?" asked Naruto.

"I want you to do me a favor," Zabuza said.

Naruto frowned, "What kind of favor?"

"Well two actually," Zabuza paused, "I want you to always keep Haku close to your heart, make sure you never forget her. I see the same kindness and pure heart in you that I did in her, never lose that."

"You don't have to make that kind of request. Even if I wanted to I could never forget Haku-chan…not that I would want to." Naruto looked down at the necklace in his hand, "And the other request?"

"Find people who are important to you and protect them," Zabuza said simply. "Haku had always believed that true strength came from protecting the people important and precious to them. I've become more inclined to believe her after today. I want you to find that source of strength that Haku cherished, something that I couldn't do until it was too late."

Zabuza walked in front of the grave and planted his zanbatou in the ground. Pausing for a moment before he turned around and began walking away, as he did, he passed a parting comment over his shoulder. "My one regret was never telling Haku how much I loved her, that she was the daughter I never had. Do not make the same mistakes I did, or you'll live a life of regret."

Naruto watched Zabuza leave before turning back to the grave and the sword now planted in front of it.

_Haku… _

* * *

The door to Tazuna's house opened and everyone looked to see Naruto walk in. Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari were all sitting on the large couch, while Kakashi was sitting in a chair with his book surprisingly absent.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said as he stood up, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah…" Naruto said, his eyes looking down at the floor, "I'm fine sensei, sorry for worrying you."

Kakashi walked over to Naruto and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Listen Naruto, if you ever need to talk about anything…"

Naruto looked up at his sensei and smiled, "Thanks sensei, but I'm feeling fine, really."

"Naruto-nii-san!" Inari shouted as he came bounding up to Naruto, "Everyone's saying you're the one who defeated Gato on the bridge! Is it true?"

Naruto winced almost imperceptibly but put on a smile for Inari, the kid didn't need to know the gruesome details or how he hated what he had done. "Yeah it's true," he ruffle the kid's hair, "I told you I'd send him packing!"

"Sugoi!" Inari said as he looked up at Naruto, "That's so cool! I'm gonna train to get stronger just like my tou-san and you Naruto-nii-san!"

Naruto gave Inari a large smile, "If you want to be as strong as I am one day then there is something very important you need to remember."

"What is it Nii-san?" asked Inari.

"_When a person has something important to protect, that's when they become truly strong."_

_Haku,_ Naruto looked at Inari with a smile, "It's only when a person has something important to protect, that's when they become truly strong. Remember that."

Inari nodded enthusiastically, "I will Nii-san!"

Naruto ruffled Inari's hair one last time before looking up at Kakashi, "So sensei, where are Sakura and Sasuke-teme?"

"Sasuke has a bit of a concussion, so he's upstairs resting," Kakashi answered.

"Oh Sasuke-kun! Let me help you fluff your pillow so you'll be more comfortable!"

"Get away from me! Why won't you just leave me alone!"

"Wait! Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei said you shouldn't be moving right now!"

Naruto, Kakashi and everyone else in the room sweatdropped as several loud bangs and the pair's screams could be heard.

"Well, maybe he's not getting as much rest as I thought," Kakashi sweatdropped at hearing a particularly loud scream of 'Get the fuck away from me you crazy bitch' from Sasuke. "Speaking of, you should probably get some rest too. The bridge should be finished by next week, until then we still have a job to do."

Naruto nodded as he headed up stairs, "Then I'll see you tomorrow sensei."

* * *

(One Week Later…)

The passing week had been fairy hectic for the three genin. With Gato gone and the battle of the bridge having ended in victory only because of Naruto losing control of the Kyuubi, Kakashi had decided to start training them harder than before. He had started teaching Sasuke the water walking exercise since he had already gotten tree walking down. Sakura was still on tree climbing since her reserves were simply not large enough to use water walking. Both of them had been run slightly ragged by their Jonin-sensei, Sasuke even more so since he now had his Sharingan, something he had taken to turning on and off every chance he got.

For Naruto things had been even worse, though it was by his own doing rather than his sensei. He had taken his training to a whole new level. Pushing himself far beyond anything he had ever done. To him, his time in Nami had shown him that he was too weak to protect the people he cared about. He felt that he should have been able to do something, anything that could have saved Haku. That feeling of guilt and the pain of loss was channeled into his training.

Now instead of his usual two hundred clones, he had summoned up three hundred and began to make them work on further developing his fighting style. Naruto wanted to incorporate the use of high speed attacks and fuuinjutsu into his style; hopefully it would give him an edge over others since fuuinjutsu was an obscure art.

However it had been his physical training that Naruto had worked on the most. While he had not upped his training seals, he had nearly quadrupled his workout routine, and was often so exhausted and sore that one of his clones had to take him back to Tazuna's. Kakashi and Tazuna's family became somewhat worried for him when they would see a clone carrying his bloody and beaten form into the house, but he assured them that he was fine.

Despite assuring everything that he was fine, Naruto knew the truth. He knew that each time he reassured someone when they were worrying over him after finding out he had his clones beat the crap out of him on a daily bases, that he was anything but fine. But he knew that he could not stop, the moment he stopped training, the memories he had made with Haku over this past week would come back. And each time they did, it felt like someone had taken a molten hot kunai and shoved in his heart.

That was why he trained himself into the ground everyday, the true reason he could not stop training. Why he came to Tazuna's home every night nearly unconscious. Because the moment he stopped, the pain he felt set in and he did not want to acknowledge the gaping feeling of loss he could now feel.

So long as he kept busy, he could ignore it, so that's what he did.

Another thing Naruto had done was talk to Tazuna about making an orphanage for the orphans he had found and helped. Tazuna along with a few others had helped Naruto build the orphanage; of course all they did was get supplies. Naruto had used his ability to produce ungodly amounts of clones to build the orphanage himself. They had also managed to get a few people who were childless to help take care of the orphans when Naruto left.

At the end of the week the Bridge, with more help from Naruto's clones, had been completed. Now all of the people of Nami were there, not only to celebrate the completion of the bridge, but also to see off the heroes of wave.

Naruto in particular had been subjected to many looks and whispered mutterings much different the ones he received in Konoha. Unlike in Konoha where people would call him monster behind his back, or glare at him with hate-filled eyes. The people here were staring at him in awe. The whispers were about how strong he was, and how he had freed them from Gato.

The first time he had been seen inside the city after the battle of the bridge as it was being called, had been an interesting and frightful experience for the young ninja. He almost understood what Sasuke had to suffer through during the academy while having to deal with a horde of fan girls proclaiming their love for him. Thankfully for the blond it was not quite that bad. But ever since it had been made known that Naruto had been the one to kill Gato and his thugs, the people had been giving him looks of awe, and many of the girls would blush and giggle as he passed, tossing shy waves to him while a few of the bolder ones would try to get dates.

One incident in particular, stuck within Naruto's mind.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_Naruto was walking back to Tazuna's with said man and Kakashi after working on the bridge. As they did the blond noticed many people staring at him, giving him odd looks with star-filled eyes and some of the women had hearts in their eyes. The look reminded him of the way Sasuke's fan girls looked whenever he passed them by and it was really starting to creep him out. The way they were talking about him did not help either._

"_Is that who I think it is?"_

"_They say he's the one who defeated Gato and his thug's singlehandedly!"_

"_Wow really! But he's so young!"_

"_Who cares how young he is! He's so cute!"_

_Naruto tried his best to ignore the stares and whispers he was receiving, as he was not really sure how to handle them. In Konoha when people did this, the whispers were ones of hate, calling him names, talking about how he should have died and other hateful remarks. These were the exact opposite and because of that he had no clue how he should react._

"_Excuse me?"_

_The three stopped and turned around to see a group of girls around Naruto's age standing behind them._

"_Is it true that you're the one who beat Gato?" asked the girl in front, a girl with black hair and green eyes, wearing a light blue yukata._

"_Well…um…I had help," Naruto finished lamely, a light blush staining his cheeks at the way the girls were eyeing him like a piece of meat._

"_So it's true! Oh that's so amazing! You're like a hero!"_

_That seemed to break the floodgates as all of the girls began to crowd around him. Asking him what it was like to be a ninja, how powerful he was, if they could get a date, and one of them even asked if she could touch his whiskers. Throughout the entire exchange, Naruto just stood there frozen stiff with a look of shock and confusion on his face. While being with Anko, Tenten and the rest of Team Nine had helped him get a little better at socializing, he still had no clue what to do in a situation like this._

_It was fortunate that Tazuna and Kakashi were there to bail him out, grabbing him before running off or he likely would have died from embarrassment._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

"Thanks to you four we have finally completed the bridge, but do you really have to go so soon?" Tazuna said with a large smile as he placed a hand on a nearly tearing up Inari's head.

They along with the entire population of Nami were standing next to the now completed bridge. This included the many girls who had tried to mob Naruto when he had been seen in public. Said blond only took one glance at them to see the group holding up signs proclaiming their love for him before looking away with a shiver.

"Unfortunately," Kakashi replied with his book out as usual, "Hokage-sama will want a report on what happened here as soon as possible."

Naruto moved over to Inari, kneeling down he ruffled the kid's hair and gave him a large grin, "Don't worry we'll be back to visit sometime."

Inari sniffled as his eyes threatened to spill, "Promise?"

Grinning a little wider Naruto held his pinky out to the kid, "Promise of a lifetime."

Inari looked at the pinky before bringing up his own and shaking with it.

"It's ok to cry if you're happy you know," Naruto commented as he noticed the kid looked ready to burst.

As if on cue Inari smashed against Naruto, latching onto him and crying. In return Naruto just hugged the kid who had begun to call him Nii-san.

Standing back up again Naruto gave them one final grin, "We'll see you guys later, be sure to look after this place. And Inari…remember what I said."

"I will Nii-san." Inari promised.

"Then I guess this is goodbye," Kakashi said as he and the other ninja turned around.

"See ya later kid," Naruto said as he tossed a wave over his shoulder.

"Good bye Naruto-kun!" Shouted the horde of girls that had shown up to see the blond off, causing said blond to freeze up in fear before walking just a tad faster.

"That boy," Tazuna said as he looked at the retreating figure of Naruto. "That boy not only defeated Gato, but he changed Inari's heart, and Inari changed our people's hearts. Allowing us to build a bridge called "hope" for our dying country."

"Oh yeah, speaking of the bridge…" One of the people there said. "What should we call it?"

"NARUTO!" The entire group of the newly created Naruto fan club shouted.

Tazuna had to hold in a wince from all the voices shouting at once, but it was not as bad as it would have been several weeks ago. He was now almost glad he had gotten used to someone whose screeches were louder than all of these girls combined.

As his equilibrium and hearing came back he thought about the name for a second before laughing, "The Great Naruto bridge, it does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"That does sound like a fitting name father," Tsunami said with a giggle.

"Yep, I have a feeling that name is gonna bring this bridge good luck!" Tazuna stated as people began to cheer for the new bridge and the Genin who made it all possible, "Who knows, it may even bring other people good luck."

* * *

**So Here you all go, the next chapter. This one is pretty gruesome, and I have a feeling not a lot of people like me killing off Haku. But honestly, if you guys don't feel some kind of anger and sadness at this chapter than I'm calling you a douch bag. This chapter is supposed to evoke a negative emotional response, that way the happier moments to come are that much more... well happy. Remember this, those who do not understand and know what it means to feel great pain, can also never understand and feel true happiness, cuz they are likely to take everything they have for granted.**

**Anyways, I'm done with the philosiphical shit, review and let me know what you think, even if you hate the chapter, that way I know that my story at least got the emotional response I'm looking for.**


	13. Chapter 13

**The Review Q&A**

**TopTigerKing: For Pairings, my story is going to be a little odd when it comes to romance. I won't tell much more then that, but trust me when I say you will know what I'm talking about.**

**GaijinSamurai: That's good, it means I got the right response out of you. This chapter was supposed to be hated, only a heartless bastard could read this chapter and not shed a tear. Fuck, I was crying when I wrote this chapter.**

**Foresaken Vestige: If Sakura died there would have been no emotional impact because no one would care.**

**Daniel Lynx: actually I have thought of doing that crossover, but I don't think I would ever be able to top Shinobi of the High Sea's since that is admittedly the story I would probably end up basing my own off of.**

**craven34: Yes, yes it is.**

**Lord Myst: Do not worry, my Naruto will not be having that philosophy... ever. **

**bombermanZ22: Your point is well taken. Do not worry though, while Naruto will have to deal with a lot of crap that comes his way, it won't be near as bad as this and there are going to be a lot more light hearted moments as well.**

**Tristan76: Honestly the whole 'Naruto gains mates because Kyuubi's Yoki binds them to him' is one of the largest cliche's I've ever seen. Everyone does that when they want to find some excuse to pair Naruto with someone.**

**WolfbrotherTiten: While I have no plans concerning Zabuza as of yet, do not count him out of the story. He'll show up eventually.**

**I'm feeling pretty good right now, I have gotten over 100 reviews in this last chapter which is far more then most people get in two chapters, seriously I think these last three chapters have gotten more reviews then the rest of my story combined. I only hope that rest of my story warrants that amount of revewing and that I can get my number of reviews up their with my favorite authors on this site. I owe all of these reviews to you readers. So thank you for all for reading and reviewing my story.**

**Another thanks goes to Senjuto, for continuing to be my beta and fixing up my ass backwards grammer.**

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**Disclaimer: If this were a disclaimer I would tell you that I do not own Naruto… since I have decided that this will not be one of those, I am pleased to announce that I do own Naruto… at least in my dreams.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 13: A Healing Hand... or Snake**

* * *

It was late in the afternoon that team seven trudged through the gates of Konoha. The trip home had been rather quiet and awkward for the three genin. Naruto had been silent the entire way, not even making the usual snide and sarcastic remarks to anyone in the group as he was wont to do, and had seemingly withdrawn into himself almost as soon as they had left Nami. Sasuke had switched between continuously playing with his Sharingan and glaring at and or trying to goad Naruto into a fight. Having heard that the blond had single handedly decimated Gato and his forces that had shown up after the battle, the raven-haired avenger had been disappointed that he had not gotten to prove himself against the horde of thugs Gato had come with, and jealous that Naruto had been able to do that while he had been knocked out. And so now he wanted nothing more than to fight Naruto and prove that he could beat the blond, feeling secure in his chances of winning now that he had his sharingan. Sakura had also been surprisingly quiet, switching between looking longingly at Sasuke and worriedly at Naruto; she was still going through some minor shock at having seen the blond cry. It did not help that Kakashi had chosen to read his book instead of trying to engage in conversation and make sure his students were alright.

Though that was mainly due to the fact that Kakashi had no clue what to do or say, having never had to deal with this kind of situation. Naruto refused to talk to him, or anyone. Sakura only tried talking to Sasuke, and she did not really get involved in this mission enough that it had any effect on her psyche. And Sasuke did not seem to be bothered at the fact that he had killed two chunin, focusing his attention on either his new red eyes or Naruto. The silver haired jonin now had even more respect for his sensei than he had previously thought possible, the man had made this seem so easy but apparently it was anything but.

"Ah! Kakashi-san," Kotetsu, one of the gate guards who had become known as the eternal Chunin along with his partner Izumo, greeted as soon as they entered the gate. "I see you've returned. I trust the mission went well?"

Kakashi grimaced on the inside, well would not be how he put this mission, but he kept an indifferent face as he showed them his and his teams identification papers. "As well as can be expected for my team's first time out of Konoha," Kakashi replied in a nonchalant voice.

Izumi who sat next to Kotetsu nodded, "Yeah, I remember my first time out of the village. Not quite the experience I had expected as a Genin either."

"That's because you accidentally sat in poison ivy," Kotetsu snickered.

"Shut up man." Izumo shot his partner a small glare, "Did you have to bring that up?"

"Yes," Kotetsu answered with a grin, "you sat in poison ivy, and then you had to have a specialized ointment for your ass."

Kakashi ignored the two as they began to squabble since he had grown used to it by now. Turning around he looked at his team, "I'm going to report to the Hokage. Since this mission was a bit…more than we had anticipated, you three can head home and rest while I give my report."

Sasuke nodded and left as soon as he said that, hands in his pocket and his 'I care about nothing, I'm an Uchiha' attitude in place.

Sakura gave one last look to her sensei and the unusually quiet Naruto before leaving as well, following after Sasuke in the hopes of maybe getting a date.

"Sensei," Naruto said in an unnaturally soft voice, getting the attention of the Cyclopean Jonin. "Can I go with you… I need to talk to Ojisan."

_I see, he still doesn't quite trust me,_Kakashi thought with a sigh. He should have known that Naruto would want to talk with the Hokage about what happened in Nami, given how close the two were it was only natural.

Kakashi had tried to talk to Naruto about it, but the Genin had rebuffed his advances with what Kakashi now recognized as his old mask, that cheerful smile he always gave, _I guess it will take a bit more to get him to open up to me._

"Sure Naruto, let's go," Kakashi said, turning around and walking off. A few seconds later Naruto caught up and walked by his side.

* * *

Sarutobi giggled perversely as he sat on the couch next to the pictures of the four Hokages and read his book. Over at his desk were two KageBunshins diligently working on the paperwork that he had. He really did have to thank Naruto for finding out such an ingenious use for the jutsu. Truly the boy was a genius like his father was.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when a knock came at his door, "Hokage-sama, Kakashi and…_Naruto _of Team Seven are here to see you."

Sarutobi sighed as he heard both the hesitation and the disgust that his aide had when she said Naruto's name, he was going to have a talk with her.

_And if she can't change her opinions about him, I guess I'll just have to fire her_. Standing up as his clones dispelled Sarutobi sat down in his chair and addressed his aid, "Send them in!"

The two opened and Kakashi walked in with an unusually subdued Naruto. Sarutobi quirked an eyebrow as he saw the boy's solemn and…fearful expression? He shook his curiosity off and looked over at Kakashi, "Ah! Kakashi, Naruto-kun, it is good to see you two back from your mission. However I must ask, where are Sasuke and Sakura?"

"The mission was a little more than we anticipated Hokage-sama, so I sent them home to get some rest," Kakashi answered, giving the aging Sandaime a meaningful glance as he snapped his book shut, "Naruto here came because he wanted to talk to you."

Understanding the look Sarutobi held up a hand, the ANBU who were hiding in the corner of the room appeared and then walked out of the door. Sarutobi used some chakra to activate the silencing seal that Minato had created when he had been Hokage. There was a soft glow that filled the room for a second before going back to normal.

"I take it there was a lot more to this mission than simply an escort and protection detail," Sarutobi said, gesturing for Kakashi to give his report.

"Hai Hokage-sama. The mission was much more than we expected. It started on our way to Nami, when we ran into two Chunin-level missing ninja from Kiri…" Kakashi began explaining what had happened on the mission, making sure to be concise and to the point. When he got to the part where Naruto had used the Kyuubi's chakra, Sarutobi stiffened and Naruto flinched. "Afterwards we left Nami and headed straight here," Kakashi finished.

"I see…" Sarutobi said, puffing on the pipe he had gotten out some time during the report. _To think that such a thing could happen on a mission that was supposed to be a simple C-rank. This is what we get when we have a bad case of misinformation, both from our client and apparently our network outside of the village. Still to hear that a squad of genin were able to complete a mission that was easily A-ranked is astounding to say the least, even if the Jonin with them was a ninja of Kakashi's caliber. _

Sarutobi looked at Naruto who was emitting so many emotions it was hard to tell what the boy was thinking. "Thank you Kakashi-kun, you may go now," Sarutobi said, knowing that Naruto would want to speak with him alone.

"Hai Hokage-sama," Kakashi bowed a bit. He briefly put a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder before leaving.

When the door shut again, Sarutobi left the silencing seals on as he stood up and moved over to the couch, gesturing for Naruto to follow him. Sarutobi said nothing as the boy sat next to him, knowing the boy would speak when ready.

"You already know I used the fox's chakra," Naruto began, "I…"

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Sarutobi said in a kind voice after Naruto stopped speaking.

The boy nodded before beginning again, "It started when I met a girl in the woods… her name was Haku…"

As Naruto started his own story Sarutobi paid close attention to the boy's emotions. It was obvious this was a painful experience for him, even more so than learning about the fox. As the Sandaime listened he found himself surprised again. He had never heard of two enemy ninja falling in love while on opposing missions, and he had experienced and heard a lot of things in his life. It seemed that boy would always be able with to find some way to surprise Sarutobi. However as the boy reached the part where the girl had died, Sarutobi knew, at least partly, just how hurt the boy still was.

"…And then Gato showed," Naruto began, his fists clenching as he thought of the man. "I can't remember all that was said, I wasn't really paying attention. However when he started talking about Haku-chan, and how he was going to desecrate her body…I…" He choked a bit on the words but forced them out. "I got so angry, and then a voice came inside my head."

Sarutobi stiffened at that as Naruto looked at him, "Kill, it said. It told me to kill, to take revenge on those who had forced Haku-chan to fight and those who would...I remember being overcome by rage after that, of slaughtering all those Gato had brought with him, and Gato himself…I had literally squeezed his head hard enough that it exploded."

Sarutobi nearly gagged as he got a mental image of Naruto simply squeezing the man with such force that his head literally blew up. Now being a man who had lived through all three wars, he had seen acts that were far worse then what his surrogate grandson had described. He had seen countless acts of brutality, and had even lain witness to the power of a Jinchurikki while using their Bijuu as well as having fought two of them in his life. However the fact that the person who had killed a man in such a violent way was the young boy before him was enough that his normal desensitization to the violent life style they lead to be over ridden.

Naruto looked down at his now shaking hands. "But that's not even the worst of it Jiji…" The young blond took a shuddering breath, "What was is that I had loved every minute of it."

Sarutobi looked at Naruto sharply but his eyes softened when the he saw the tears in the blonde's eyes, "It was horrible, like another person had taken over, my mind knew what my body was doing and rebelled, but my body loved it. The feel of blood on my hands as I killed them, the feeling of squishing Gato's head…I…I feel like I've become a monster…"

As the blond began shaking even more, Sarutobi realized what had happened. _Naruto got so angry that the fox was able to make a connection to him and influence the boy. For something like that to happen he must have felt intense emotions. That the Kyuubi could actually talk to the boy is disturbing. I'm going to have to call Jiraiya here._

Looking down at the shaking Genin Sarutobi felt his heart breaking, _But not now, right now I need to help Naruto._

"Naruto-kun, look at me," Sarutobi said softly. Naruto looked up at him and the old Sandaime placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I want you to listen to me. You are not a monster or a demon. You are a hero. Do you know why the Yondaime chose you to bear this responsibility?" Naruto shook his head and the old Hokage gave him a smile, "He chose you because he knew you would be capable of controlling the fox's chakra, and using that power to protect everything you cherish."

It was a small stretch of the imagination. Minato had not had much of a choice in vessel. Sarutobi was still not all that sure what had happened that night when he found Naruto crying besides the corpse of his mother and dying father. But he knew that Naruto had really been the only choice. However it was also well known that Minato had been able to come up with plans several years into the future, and so Sarutobi knew that he had sealed the fox in his son for a reason aside from the obvious ones, when he could have just sealed it back into Kushina who had been the fox's previous Jinchuuriki.

"Really?" Naruto asked with a small sniff as he wiped his eyes with his cloak. "But…how can I possibly control such a monster. Kyuubi is supposed to be the strongest of the Bijuu…and that bloodlust…" Naruto shuttered as he remembered the feeling he had gotten when he had used the foxes chakra.

"Truthfully I do not know how Yondaime-sama planned on having you control the Kyuubi," Sarutobi frowned. "Perhaps he thought you would make some kind of deal with it, or perhaps he thought you would be able to subdue it. But I do know that he felt you would be able to use its chakra to protect the people you love."

Naruto was silent for a moment as he stared at Sarutobi. Every time the man talked about the Yondaime's faith in him it felt like there was some kind of hidden meaning, though he could not fathom what that would be. "Do you think I can do it?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice.

Sarutobi gave him a smile, "I know you can do it. If anyone can, it would be you Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled a genuine smile as he gave his grandfather figure a hug, "Thanks Ji-chan."

Sarutobi chuckled as he hugged the boy back, "You are most welcome Naruto-kun. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

"Do you think Haku-chan would be dissappointed in me?" asked Naruto after a few seconds.

Sarutobi sighed, "truthfully I don't know... I do not know anything about this Haku girl except what you have told me. However it sounds as if she loved you just as much as you love her, I do not think she would be mad or dissappointed in you. I believe that so long as you keep in your heart and continue to grow and protect the people who are precious to you, her soul will be able to rest in peace."

Naruto nodded as he stood up, he still felt a little scared, still felt the pain of losing Haku. But at least it felt a bit more bearable now. Standing up he plastered a smile on his face, deciding that his old look was needed for the moment.

"I'll see you later Ojisan,"Naruto called out as he left.

* * *

_It seems I'll need Jiraiya to come sooner than I thought,_ Sarutobi frowned. _If the seal is weakened enough that the fox can influence the boy…for now I will have faith in Naruto's will, I believe he is strong enough to resist the fox._

* * *

Sighing a bit as he walked up the stairs to his apartment Naruto reached out a hand and was just about to channel some chakra into the security seals when he heard a noise that made him freeze. Eyes widened he channeled chakra into the seal and as soon as the door unlocked burst in, only to see a sight that made him pale.

"WH-WH-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!"

Lying on the couch was Kian in nothing but a pair of boxers, and Akira wearing only a pink thong that the blond knew for a fact his clone had not been wearing when he left. Kian had one hand on Akira's left breast and his mouth had been latched onto her neck, at least, until Naruto had barged in and was now hanging open wide enough to fit one of the faces on the Hokage Monument in. Likewise Akira, who had been moaning previously was staring at him in shock and embarrassment.

"Uhh…" Kian tried to speak.

However Naruto stomped into the room angrily as he glared at his two specially created clones. "I asked you a question! What the hell are you two doing!" Naruto ground out, his face completely red, though whether from embarrassment or anger not even he knew.

"We um…well it just…sort of happened you know," Akira said, her face also red. "After we got the memories of you and Haku from your other Kage Bunshin we grew…curious."

_What the hell! I know clones are capable of independent thought and these two can even be considered people in their own right…but I never thought something like this could happen! _Naruto said with a mental scream.

Slowly he took a deep breath. "How long has this been going on?" Naruto asked before he held a hand up, "Wait! Never mind, I'll find out for myself."

Kian looked at him confusingly, "What do you me-"

A puff of smoke signaled Naruto giving the mental command to dispel of them both. Naruto's eyes fluttered as information came to him. The progress the two made at their jobs, along with how much money he had from them. Akira's shopping spree where she bought several pairs of female clothes, Kian's hobby of collecting unusual manga, and finally…his two clones eventually getting into some heavy petting.

That information was so overwhelming and embarrassing, not to mention disgusting, especially since he saw it from both sides, that he passed out and hit the floor with a thud.

* * *

(The Next Day…)

The next morning found Naruto waking up wondering what hit him. Looking around from his position he realized three things. One, he was on the floor of his apartment right next to the entrance, which was still open and hitting his left leg. Two, it was already morning, meaning he had slept on the floor of his apartment all night. And three, his special clones were going to need some serious reprogramming to make sure this didn't happen again.

Standing up he shuttered a bit as the information of his two clones filled his mind, and he was forced to resist an intense urge to vomit. Thankfully they had not had sex. If they had, he most likely would have died of shock, embarrassment and disgust. But that they had started actually getting into each other was…repulsive to say the least. And it was worse for him since he saw what was happening on both sides, making the experience all the more disturbing.

It went without question that he would be doing his best to fix them when he made the pair again so that they did not remember their intimate encounter.

Sighing he decided to get his day started.

* * *

After getting ready, Naruto found himself at training ground ten, where he hoped to find team ten training. His sensei had given his team the week off to recover from the ordeal they were put through. However Naruto felt an intense need to keep himself as busy as possible, feeling that so long as he was busy, the memories would not bother him. So here he was looking for some help in his elemental training.

Of course he did find them, though training did not even seem to be on the mind of their team. Shikamaru and Asuma were seated under a large tree, a board situated between them. The two would move pieces back and forth, occasionally Shikamaru would take a piece and Asuma would look at the board in frustration.

Chouji was eating a bag of potato chips, an act that the Akimichi Genin was always doing at just about every time of the day. He was sitting down next to Shikamaru watching the match going on between his best friend and his sensei.

And Ino…was complaining, loudly. What she was complaining about Naruto didn't know, she was talking so fast even he could barely make it out. Not that he cared to find out, since the girl was always complaining about something.

With the people, or in this case person he had been looking for found, Naruto set off in their direction.

"Come on why do you guys all have to be so lazy!" Ino yelled as she tried to get one of her teammates or her sensei to do something. Shouldn't they be training to be ninja? How could she impress Sasuke if all hey did was sit around here being lazy? "Aren't we supposed to be training after missions!"

"Ino, we are training," Asuma said as he took a puff of his cigarette. "Shogi requires a tactically sound mind and is a good way to come up with strategies that the team might employ."

"And yet, only you and Shikamaru ever play the game!" Ino said with an angry huff.

Asuma frowned and was about to make a retort when a voice called out his name.

"Asuma-sensei!"

Turning their heads the three genin and Jonin-sensei saw Naruto running towards them at a light trot. When he got near them he stopped and grinned, "Just the person I was looking for."

The three genin looked at him in confusion, well, Shikamaru and Chouji looked confused, while Ino just looked disgruntled.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" She asked, placing her fists on her hips and looking at him in a haughty fashion. "In case you haven't noticed, this isn't your training ground. You can't just waltz around wherever you want!"

Raising an eyebrow Naruto looked at Ino for a moment, before he shrugged and turned his attention to Asuma. "I was actually coming here to ask you for some advice, Asuma-sensei."

While Ino fumed at being ignored, Asuma and the others looked surprised, but the Jonin merely shrugged. "Shouldn't you be asking Kakashi for whatever help you need?" he asked. "He is your Jonin-sensei after all."

"I have," Naruto said with a small shrug, "however he doesn't have enough knowledge on what I want help with, and Ojisan suggested I talk with you about it?"

Asuma's eyebrows rose a good deal, Kakashi was exceptionally gifted and hailed as one of the strongest ninja under the Hokage. There were very few things he could not do that Asuma could, "So…what is it that you need then?"

In response Naruto gave a grin and held up what Asuma noticed as chakra affinity paper. The man raised an eyebrow in curiosity, only for them to widen in shock as the paper was torn to shreds. Looking at the grinning Naruto, Asuma took a deep puff of his cigarette to calm the surprise he felt.

"You have a wind affinity," He said slowly, "and a strong one at that, if the torn paper was any indication."

Naruto nodded, "Yes, I've been working on the leaf cutting exercise but have only been able to get it halfway. You're the only wind user in Konoha, so I was hoping you would have some advice."

Nodding slightly to himself Asuma stood up and reached into his pouch, pulling a trench knife. Holding it up so Naruto could see it, the Jonin channeled his wind chakra into the bade to create a green glow. "When I channel my wind chakra, I often think of it as two sharp edges rubbing against each other in order to create a sharp razor blade."

Taking the knife Asuma threw it at a tree. Naruto watched his mind going from amazement, to awe, to shock, as the weapon cut through tree, then the rock behind it, before coming out of the rock and imbedding itself on the ground.

Asuma looked at Naruto, "The trick is to make the two edges as close as possible to create a sharp blade of wind that can cut through the leaf."

Naruto nodded before running over to get the trench knife. Picking it up Naruto walked over at a more sedate pace as he examined the knife. The blade looked extremely sharp and well maintained. The back edge looked slightly serrated, and the handles had hand guards. It was very simple, yet Naruto's time spent with Tenten had taught him quite a bit about weapons.

"This is excellent quality," Naruto said as he handed the blade back, "I'm guessing the metal used his chakra conducive?"

"It is," Asuma said with a raised eyebrow, the only indication of his surprise at the boy's knowledge of weaponry.

The other three were not doing as well at hiding their surprise. Ino was looking between the two, her face somewhere between shock and curiosity. Chouji while still eating threw glances at Naruto. Meanwhile Shikamaru had his eyes narrowed at Naruto, as if trying to solve some sort of puzzle.

_My tou-san told me that elemental manipulation is a Jonin-level ability. So why is Naruto already working on it?_ Shikamaru wondered, his mind trying to come up with an answer, only to find none.

"Hey is that a shogi board?"

His attention was diverted from trying to figure out how the blond, who had been dead last of their class, could already be working on such an advanced ability.

"Yeah it is," Asuma said as Naruto examined the game that was currently in play, "You play?"

"Not very much," Naruto admitted with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I've only played with my clones, but trying to beat yourself is an exercise in pointlessness."

"You interested in a game?" asked Asuma, "I haven't been able beat Shikamaru yet, it's getting rather frustrating."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked over at Shikamaru.

Said Genin shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Naruto sat nodded and sat down as Shikamaru rearranged the pieces. Since Naruto was just starting out, Shikamaru gave him the first move. Naruto watched as Shikamaru went after him and moved his next piece almost immediately afterwards. His opponent looked a little startled but moved another piece. Again Naruto moved one of his pieces almost immediately afterwards.

Shogi was a game that was purely strategic. When playing you used traps, making plans and strategies to take your opponents pieces and eventually placing your opponent's king in checkmate. It required a knack for thinking several steps in advance, the farther ahead you could plan out your maneuvers; the more likely you were to win.

Thirteen moves into the game Shikamaru was sweating, having already used his 'thinking' pose seven times in just as many moves, he was beginning to feel desperate. He looked up at Naruto to see his fellow Genin staring at the board impassively. Looking back at the board Shikamaru calculated the best strategy he could before moving his piece. Naruto then moved his piece right after. Shikamaru looked at the board carefully and moved another piece. Less than half an hour later Shikamaru was down to one gold general, one knight, his bishop and six pawns. Meanwhile Naruto had only lost a gold general and two pawns.

It was only fifteen minutes later that Shikamaru leaned over the board in shock, trying to figure out how he lost.

"H-he lost," Chouji murmured, having stopped eating a while ago as the intensity of the match had begun to heat up. "But, Shikamaru's never lost."

Asuma was also gaping at the scene. Having spent so much time trying to beat Shikamaru himself, it was rather hard to see someone else beat him. And for it to be the dead last of his students' graduating class, and his first time facing him was even more shocking.

Ino, who did not know much about shogi or care enough to find out, was the only one who was confused about what happened. "I don't get it. So he beat Shikamaru, so what."

"Ino, shogi is a game that requires an incredible amount of strategic thinking, using traps and combat maneuvers to eventually get the king into checkmate." Asuma said, trying to explain the significance of what happened.

Huffing Ino crossed her arms. "I know that! I just don't see what the big deal is. It was probably just luck."

_I don't think so,_Shikamaru said to himself as he replayed the match in his mind. _I've never seen some of those maneuvers before. He managed to beat me and only lost three pieces himself. That kind of thing can never be considered luck._

"You're pretty good," He complemented the blond, "maybe we can play again some time."

Naruto grinned as he stood up, "Yeah, maybe. Anyways thanks for the help Asuma-sensei," He said as he turned to look at the son of Sarutobi.

"No problem, it will be interesting to see what another wind user can do," Asuma said.

Naruto nodded, "Well thanks anyway. I'll see you guys later."

Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, signifying that they had been talking to a clone the whole time.

_Kage Bunshin__ eh? _Asuma thought as he took a drag of his cigarette. _I had heard he could use it, but I didn't realize he knew its secret. Definitely an interesting kid._

"Hey what was that?" asked Ino, once again the only one who was ignorant, "How did he just disappear like that?"

Everyone except Choji, who was eating, just sighed as Ino began to ask questions in a loud voice.

* * *

Within the clearing of training ground 43, all of the Naruto clones who were currently working on cutting a leaf in half looked up and blinked as the information came to them. With the new knowledge available they got back to work on trying to cut a leaf.

The original Naruto had also stopped his workout routine for a second as he received the memories of his Kage Bunshin. Grunting from the exertion he began doing push-ups again. Counting down as he finished his set of three hundred.

He continued doing his routine until one of his Kage Bunshin dispelled, giving the knowledge that it had managed to cut a leaf in half. Nearly a second later the sound of mass ripping was heard as all the clones cut their leaves as well.

"YATTA!" The clones shouted, causing Naruto to actually wince a bit. They weren't normally this excited, but given that he had been trying to learn to do this particular exercise for several weeks it was quite an accomplishment.

Standing up Naruto began giving his clones orders, "Alright! You know the drill! Dispel in groups of ten!"

After getting a unanimous 'Yosh!' from his clones, Naruto walked over to one of the trees and sat down in a meditative pose. It was not necessary but Naruto found he could sort through the information much easier if he was meditating. For about half an hour he went through the information his clones had on cutting a leaf with wind chakra. It was actually kind of interesting since his clones had independent thought; they did things differently from each other giving him different perspectives from each clone.

Once all the knowledge he gained was sorted Naruto picked up one of the leaves that had fallen from the tree he was under. Channeling his chakra he imagined two edges grinding together and sharpening. He nodded in satisfaction as the leaf split in half.

Standing up Naruto went back to his physical training.

* * *

Smiling a bit to himself Naruto entered the small ramen stand that had been one of his safe havens from the world when he was younger. After finishing his morning training he decided that since he had not been to Ichiraku's for a while he should go ahead and splurge.

"Oi! Teuchi-ojisan! Ayame-chan! How about some ramen for your favorite customer!" he shouted as he sat down in the stool reserved for him.

"Hey Naruto-kun!" Ayame greeted with a large smile as she came out of the back. It turned into a frown however as she placed her hands on her hips, "You know, you haven't been in very recently…"

"Sorry Ayame-nee-chan," Naruto rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish laugh. "I was out on a…mission away the village. I just got back yesterday."

Ayame pouted for a second more before grinning, "Well I suppose that's alright since you were out of the village. So the usual?"

"You know me too well Ayame-nee-chan." Naruto said with a grin.

"Alright then, it will be comin' right up!" Ayame said, enjoying the odd new nickname he seemed to have added to her title. As she began making Naruto's ramen, said blond decided to make some more conversation.

"So where is Teuchi-ojisan?" asked Naruto, curious about where the old man was since he was usually the one to greet the blond.

"He's out of the village getting some supplies for this new ramen he's trying to concoct," Ayame said as she stirred the pot with ramen noodles in it. "So I've been working on my own for the past few days."

Naruto nodded as Ayame brought his first bowl of ramen, "Thanks nee-chan," he said, snapping his chopstick and say a quick 'Itadakimasu' before digging in. "Awww ramen, how I missed thee!"

Ayame giggled at Naruto's antics. She went back to making some more ramen, knowing Naruto would want at least six more bowls before feeling even remotely full.

Naruto slowed down his eating a bit as he savored their flavor. Ramen from Ichiraku's had always been his comfort food, ever since he had found the place. He was so caught up in his eating that he did not notice the presence behind him until it was too late.

"You know you should have told me you had returned."

A pair of arms slid around him and Naruto stiffened at the contact, an image flashed through his mind.

_He was sitting in the clearing, spreading out the things he had prepared this morning for his and Haku's picnic. As he reached into the basket a pair of arms slide around him. Despite knowing who it was he turned around and laid eyes on the beautiful girl he had come to know so well in the past three days._

Anko frowned when she noticed Naruto's reaction. The way he reacted was similar to how he always did, getting stiff as a board, except this time he did not blush and get all flustered like usual. Instead he was pale and looked like he was barely holding himself together.

"You alright gaki?" Anko asked, releasing Naruto and noticing how he seemed to sag afterwards.

"Y-yeah," Naruto said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he felt himself calm down he opened them again and gave Anko his typical grin, "So I'm guessing there's a reason you came all this way to find little ol' me?"

Anko frowned as she watched Naruto for a moment, he seemed tenser then before. Shaking her head she decided not to bother with it, it wasn't any of her business. "Well, Kakashi's been so busy bragging about you to the other Jonin in the lounge I figured I had to see you and figure out what the Cyclops seemed to be so proud of."

"He's bragging about me?" Naruto asked, blinking a bit. That Kakashi would brag about him was surprising.

"Well Team Seven," Anko corrected, "but mostly you. He says you've improved quite a bit and that you were an integral part on your first mission out of the village." Once again she frowned when Naruto winced, "Are you ok gaki?"

"Y-yeah, of course I am," Naruto lied, not ready to let Anko in on what happened, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Anko's frown deepened, "Because you're not acting like yourself. Did something happen on the mission?"

"I…I really don't want to talk about my recent mission Anko," Naruto said, looking away from Anko.

"Why?" Anko asked, sounding confused. "I want to know what happened! Kakashi won't tell us anything about the specifics but-"

"I said, I don't feel like talking about it," Naruto glared at her as he spoke. Anko was taken aback for a second as a look of rage flashed through his eyes, but there were many other emotions as well, though they were too fast for her to pick up.

"Sorry," Naruto said, sagging in his seat a bit as a concerned Ayame brought him another bowl of ramen, "Please just drop it."

Anko sighed, "Well I suppose I can." She looked over at him with a smirk, trying to get a lighter mood in the atmosphere, "But only because you're my favorite gaki."

Naruto gave her a smile, "Thanks Anko."

Finishing up his ramen Naruto paid for his meal, "I'll see you later Anko." He said, tossing a wave over his shoulder.

Anko once again frowned. There was something wrong with Naruto. Normally she would not bother with something like this, but she was concerned by the way he had acted. She was going to find out what was wrong with him.

* * *

(One Month Later…)

"_Naruto!"_

_Naruto turned around and grinned as he saw Haku walk into the clearing. "Hey Haku-chan! How are you…doing?" He blinked when he noticed that her chest was decidedly…larger than last time._

_Haku, noticing where he was looking blushed and, despite being fully clothed covered her chest. "You know, it's kind of embarrassing when you look at me like that."_

"_Huh?" Naruto looked at her face before his eyes widened as his face took on the hue of a tomato. "I'm so sorry! I was just…I was surprised because well…because of yesterday and all! And I! erm…"_

_Haku giggled as Naruto got completely flustered. "It's ok; I suppose it would be surprising. I usually wear chest bindings to hide them."_

"_Oh…" Naruto said in realization. "So…about we start again?" he asked sheepishly. "How are you doing?"_

_Haku brought a hand to her mouth as she giggled from Naruto's behavior. "I'm doing well, thank you. And what about you? Did you have a nice sleep?"_

* * *

"_I am sorry." She gave him a brilliant smile. "Know that even if I can't go with you, I will always love you."_

_And with that she disappeared in a burst of speed._

"_Haku…" Naruto mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the spot that Haku had left from. "HAKU!"_

* * *

"HAKU!"

Naruto shot up in his bed, his eyes wide and his breathing far heavier than it should have been for something like sleeping, or even training. He pressed a hand to his face and closed his eyes, his face, and most likely his entire body, was covered in sweat.

It was that dream again. The same one he had been having since the battle at the bridge. _How many times have I had this nightmare? Thirty-one? I've had this nightmare every night since Haku-chan's death._ Naruto shook his head and looked around, his eyes blurry and unfocused because of the tears that were in them.

Turning his head Naruto looked at the clock.

5:30 a.m.

_That's earlier than the last time I woke up from this nightmare. Was it yesterday? _The blond wondered.

"I doubt I'll be going back to sleep now," Naruto mumbled before sighing and getting up. He headed into the bathroom, taking off his boxers on the way.

Closing the door behind him Naruto walked towards the shower, turning on the water. As soon as the seal on the shower head sensed the pressure it began to glow with a soft green light as it began to use the ambient nature chakra around the village to heat the water.

Stepping in Naruto groaned as he stepped into the shower. Pressing his hands against the wall, Naruto hunched over, letting the water hit his back. He stayed that way for nearly an hour, trying to his sooth his frayed emotions. After a while he stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and went back into his room.

He looked out of his window as he changed into his shinobi clothing. The sun was just beginning to rise, painting a light golden red glow across the sky.

_I guess I'll just start doing my own training, _Naruto frowned as he tried to think of what he should do. _I suppose I could try to improve my elemental affinity. I'll have to come up with my own exercises though, cutting a leaf doesn't seem to be doing anything anymore._

He shrugged off his thoughts and decided to wait until he got to the training aground to figure out what to do.

* * *

"HYAAA!"

Naruto gave a loud shout as he brought his bo staff onto the head of one of the giant spiders in the forest of death, lacing his staff with wind chakra and using it as a bludgeoning factor to smash the spiders head.

It was late in the afternoon and Naruto had been in the Forest of Death for nearly three hours already. Fighting any of the animals and plants he could find. Most of the time he would take on the spiders however, since they were more numerous than the others and bred like rabbits though he had also scuffled with a few of the tigers.

He jumped back just as another spider came in and tried to impale him with its legs. Naruto thrust out his hand and used a free form wind blade to slice into the creature's eyes. It was something new he was working on, using free form wind attacks rather than ninjutsu. It was a theory he came up with, that if his control over wind was good enough, he would not need hand seals to use a jutsu and instead rely on pure manipulation of the element. Though since it didn't kill the spider, or even get close to killing it, he knew it would require a lot of work to complete.

Still the creature reared its head back and let out a pained screech. Using the distraction Naruto closed the distance and slammed his staff into the spider's now unprotected belly. He used wind chakra to enhance the amount of blunt force trauma done from the blow, cracking the creature's carapace and also sending it flying off the tree branch and into the forest below.

Seeing several more of the creatures coming towards him, Naruto put his staff away and began doing hand seals. There were a lot more hand seals than usual, about fifty all total since this was his most powerful wind jutsu and one he had just recently learned.

"Fuuton: Kamikaze No Jutsu (Divine Wind Jutsu)!" A huge gale force of cutting winds shot out from Naruto, slicing anything that got within its perimeter apart. Said perimeter was fairly small, being about thirty feet, since he did not have much control over the technique. And the winds could not cut all the way through the trees, however the spiders that had been about to get near him got diced up just fine.

Naruto panted a bit as he looked around the clearing, and noticed that the area was officially spider free. He nodded to himself as he replayed the effects of the jutsu in his mind, trying to see where he needed to improve.

"You know that's a pretty nasty jutsu."

Naruto whirled around to see Anko standing on a branch several meters above him, her arms crossed under her breasts and a rare serious expression on her face.

"Anko," Naruto greeted, "Something I can help you with?"

Anko jumped off the branch she was on and landed next to Naruto, "You can start by telling me why you're avoiding me."

Naruto stiffened a bit but otherwise maintained his composure, "I haven't been avoiding you. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that crap gaki," Anko scowled at him. "I tried finding you in your usual training field, and all of your clones told me you're not there. I try searching for you in the Forest of Death before, but you never showed yourself. Hell! I even went up to training ground nine to see the spandex wearing wonders and that little chick you seem to be fond of. You weren't there either," Anko leaned into him with a threatening gaze. "I haven't been able to find you for an entire month! And it was only luck I ran into now, so why don't you tell me why you're avoiding me, or I swear the next thing you'll feel is are my snakes biting your ass!"

"I…I can't…" Naruto shook his head, not wanting to break down again, he had done that more than enough times in Nami No Kuni and did not want to do it now.

Anko sighed in annoyance, "Damn it gaki, you know how frustrating you are sometimes!"

Naruto turned his back to her and was about to walk off when Anko spoke again, "You know I talked with the Sandaime." Naruto stiffened. "He told me about your last mission. Look, I don't blame you for being all hurt and what not, fuck I'd probably all hurt if all that shit happened to me too! But this is the world we live in, and you need to move the fuck on, or quit being a shinobi!"

Naruto turned to her, his lips set in a thin line, "You went behind my back to get this info on me?"

"Because I was worried about you gaki!" Anko defended herself, not believing that the kid was actually getting angry at her, "Because you haven't been talking to me or anyone else for an entire month! You've been avoiding everyone like the plague. Even that scarecrow Kakashi is getting worried and that's saying something."

Naruto winced a little bit at that, but his face reset its scowl soon after. "I don't have to answer to you! You're not my…" he stopped, finding that he could not say mother, he didn't even know who his own mother was, much less what having one would be like. He shook his head and started again, "You're not my boss, so I don't have to answer you!"

He turned around to leave, but several snakes wrapped around him and lifted him off the ground.

"Hey! What the fuck! Let me go you crazy bitch!" Naruto shouted as he tried to get himself loose. It didn't work as the snakes constricted, making him loose his breath and wince in pain as his ribs creaked and compressed in on themselves.

They brought Naruto back around so that he was facing a very angry Anko. "You better damn well believe you're answering to me!"

Anko's snakes brought Naruto so close that their noses were almost touching. To anyone else it probably would have almost seemed intimate. But the with the snakes crushing his ribs, Anko's eyes glaring at him in anger, and the sound of her teeth grinding, Naruto knew that was not the case.

"I may not have been friends with you for long, but we are friends, and if you don't tell me what's wrong so I can fix it, I swear Kami as my fucking witness I will beat the shit out of you!"

Naruto tried to laugh but it came out somewhere between a chuckle, a sob, and a pained groan. "I…I…" Naruto shook his head.

Sighing Anko put Naruto back on the ground and her snakes dispersed, "Gaki, I already told you I know what happened. You need to learn to move on. I get that you fell in love with this chick, I understand that. But seriously, you need to let it go and move on."

"I don't want to let it go!" Naruto growled as he looked up, his tears no longer able to contain themselves. "Haku-chan was the only person who ever showed me any love! She gave me more happiness than I thought I would ever get! Even after she learned about the damn fox in my gut!"

"So you're saying I don't care about you?" asked Anko in a mild voice.

"That's completely different and you know it!" Naruto countered.

"You're right it is different," Anko said with a shrug. "But that doesn't mean I don't care. I've accepted you, nine tailed fuzzy and all right?"

"But that's…I…" Naruto looked down at his feet as he shook his head, "I don't want to lose anyone precious to me ever again…"

"So you're going to push us away?" Anko asked in an incredulous tone. "Do you realize how stupid you sound right now! I thought you were smart!"

Naruto grit his teeth, "That's not…"

"And if you don't want to lose others who are important to you then that just means you need to get stronger," Anko continued.

"That's…"

"The question I think you really need to ask yourself is what you think Haku would want you to do." Anko said, her voice was far more quiet than normal, showing just how serious she was. "I think you're so afraid of someone replacing your memory of this Haku girl that you're trying to distance yourself from others so you don't get over her."

Naruto winced, mostly because Anko had hit the nail right on the head. While Anko was the first female to be nice to him, and Tenten was actually the first friend his age, neither of them had given him what Haku had, and he felt like he would be betraying her memory if he allowed himself to get close to either of them.

"Do you think Haku would want you to be like this? From what you told the Sandaime she would probably stick you with senbon or something," Anko said.

Naruto in spite of himself let out a small laugh, even though it was strained, "Yeah…I suppose she would."

"Now are you gonna be all Uchiha emo brooder on me?" asked Anko.

"I wasn't that bad," Naruto defended himself, only to stop at the deadpanned look Anko was giving him. "Ok so…maybe I was a little emo there…"

"Kid, I think I saw a brood of fan girls following you on your way here because they mistook you for the Uchiha," Anko said, grinning as he scowled.

His scowl gave way to a smile as he surprised Anko and gave her a hug, "Thanks Anko-nee-chan."

"Since when am I a nee-chan?" asked Anko in an embarrassed voice.

"Since now," Naruto mumbled as he gripped her tighter.

Despite her lack of moral scruples Anko blushed in embarrassment at the fact that someone was calling her nee-chan. Having been alone most of her life after Orochimaru abandoned her, she was not used to others being this close to her when it was not her messing with someone. Even more embarrassing was that Naruto had called her nee-chan, essentially stating she was close enough to be considered his family, an honor only her friend Yuuhi Kurenai ever gave her.

"Ehh, it's alright gaki," Anko patted him on the back and tried to play it cool. They stayed like that for a while until the snake mistress of Konoha began to relax, which was a few seconds before Naruto decided to ruin the moment.

"Who knew that Konoha's 'snake bitch' was such a softy," Naruto said with an unseen grin.

"Kid if you tell anyone about this I swear I'll feed you to my snakes," Anko threatened, actually feeling the blonde's mind turning.

"You're no fun," Naruto pouted as he pulled away. "I bet people would really change their opinions of you if they realized you had such a soft, ooey gooey center on the inside."

"Gaki, I'm warning you," Anko threatened.

"In fact maybe I should tell Kakashi just how 'soft' you really are."

Naruto grinned as he finally saw Anko blush. Meanwhile Anko cursed at herself for ever thinking that teaching the gaki about the birds and the bees was a good idea.

"Gaki…you better start running," Anko warned, her hair overshadowing her face. "Cuz I'm gonna feed you to my snakes!"

Feeling revitalized from his talk with Anko, Naruto just grinned as he took off, "You'll have to catch me first!"

"You fucking brat! Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!" There was a giant puff of smoke and Naruto suddenly found a very irate Anko on a _very _large snake chasing him. "Sick 'em Sasha! Eat the bastard alive!"

Knowing that Anko might actually have her summon eat him, he took off even faster than before, dropping his resistance seals and weights.

Without looking back he blasted through the forest, Anko hot on his heels.

* * *

(The Next Day…)

It was Saturday in the afternoon when Naruto entered the Higarashi weapons store. He noticed with some relief mixed in with disappointment that Tenten wasn't there. Disappointment because he missed her, and relief because he had no desire to get any kunai or senbon stuck in his ass. Instead her father Kaito was sitting at the register. Said man looked up as soon as the door chimed.

"Naruto!" he greeted, standing up and moving over the blond, "How have you been?"

"I've been good Kaito-san," Naruto replied with a small bow of his head.

"You know, I haven't seen you in my store for quite a while," the comment was made casually enough, but Naruto sensed an underlying meaning that made him shiver. "My daughter has been awfully worried about you for the past month."

Naruto winced, "I…I was having some personal issues that kept me from others."

Kaito looked at him for a moment before giving a nod of understanding, "I suggest you speak with her sometime soon."

"R-right," Naruto said, slightly intimidated by the man's stare.

As if summoned by their conversation Tenten walked right into the door, "Dad! I'm home from…." She trailed off as her eyes landed on Naruto.

"You!" She stomped over to him, Naruto paled and began to back up as Tenten began poking him in the chest.

"I haven't seen you for over a month! And you're just coming in here now, when I'm not working!" Naruto found himself backed up against the wall with nowhere to go as Tenten continued poking him, thankfully there were no weapons on this one or he was sure this would have been painful. "I had to find out that you had returned from some lady named Anko because she had been looking for you! Do you know how worried I was when I found out that you were essentially ignoring me!"

"T-Tenten-" Naruto tried but Tenten cut him off.

"Don't you try to talk your way out of this Uzumaki Naruto! You have a lot of making up to do for getting me so worried!" Tenten placed her hands on her hips and glared at him, "Well!"

"U-uh…" Naruto felt sweat trickle down his forehead as he stared at those angry brown eyes. He had no idea that Tenten could be even scarier than Anko at times! "W-well, what do you…uh, want me to do to make it up to you?"

Tenten frowned for a second before smiling. Naruto instantly paled as he recognized that smile from the one time he had let her use ranged weapons during a spar.

"Kami save me," Naruto mumbled, crying anime tears as Tenten began dragging him to a training ground.

* * *

Fuuton: Kamikaze No Jutsu (Wind Release: Divine Wind Jutsu)– A-rank Elemental jutsu. The user creates thousands of wind blades around themselves before sending them flying with a gust of wind around the user's entire body. The amount of blades and cutting power behind the jutsu depends on the amount of control the user has. Used for area-wide destruction when surrounded by a large amount of enemies.

Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu) - Rank varies depending on size of the summon. When a human signs a contract with a summoning animals it binds them to that clan of summons. By drawing one's own blood and going through a set of hand seals the user is capable of summoning creatures from giant frogs, to snakes, slugs, salamanders and more. The type of creature summoned depends on the contract signed (Snakes for the snake contract, toads for the toad contract etc.).

* * *

**Another chapter done. Man I'm whacked! So review and let me know if the chapter was good or if I need an extra hard kick in the ass, I'm going to sleep...**


	14. Chapter 14

**The Review Q&A**

**AnimeKingmike: I think I just gave off the wrong impression I was trying to impart. It's not that Sarutobi was feeling disgusted or feeling sick about the act itself. One who has seen as much as him would not bat an eye lash at such an act. It was that the person who commited the act was Naruto, someone he see's as a surrogate grandson. I should have gone into more detail on that front I guess.**

**I Don't have an account: You may be right, I get the feeling your some kind of soldier or something yourself so you may have experience in this kind of thing. But I think it would be different for Naruto. All his life he's been hated, and now he knows it's because he has a demon sealed inside of him so he wants to prove he's not a demon. Killing off 100+ people, whether they were thugs or not would not help in proving otherwise, at least in his mind. Remember Naruto is fairly innocent despite what he has been through and who he hangs out with (Also remember that canon Naruto never actually killed anyone, Kakazu was finished off by Kakashi and he was the only one I can think of who could be considered his first kill), and from what I understand the academy does not really prepare you to deal with the harsh realities of being a ninja and that it is expected for the jonin sensei to pick up the slack.**

**Tutenstein: Canon Naruto also did not lose the woman he loved, which is a big difference. Yes Jiraiya had meant more to Naruto than anyone else in the canon, but here Haku meant more than him. Also, try to remember while my Naruto is canon based, he is not canon Naruto.**

**Kiyomos: That's kind of an ass holish thing to say Lol. Actually the reason I can update so fast is because these chapters are basically complete, all I do is read them over, send them to my beta and then read them again. Plus I only write when I know what I want to write, so writing the actual chapter usually takes like half an hour to forty five minutes. In a day that has twenty four hours, forty five minutes is not that long.**

**Obakeinu-9.11: I actually plan for the staff to be a mostly defensive weapon to help block ranged projectiles, and taking out multiple but weaker enemy ninja and bandits.**

**Wyrtha: Then you won't have to worry about that.**

**BleachedAmerica: I won't be bringing her back in the physical sense, but she will make several appearances through out the story due to her importance to Naruto, and I will find a way to give our favorite blond some closure.**

**WolfbrotherTitan: I think your pairing plot is more along the lines of uber weird. I'll explain more on pairing when it becomes clear.**

**Meech Macko: that was a one time deal with the clones.**

**I would like to thank everyone for their reviews. I've only posted this story like two weeks ago and I already have over 700, and that's only because all of you are supporting the story and posting them.**

**Another thanks goes to my Beta Senjuto for continuing to help me.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: While I do not own Naruto the anime or the manga, I do have some fishcake in my pantry that I use when making ramen. So technically I do own Naruto. Eat that Kishimoto!**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 14: New Meetings, New Enemies**

* * *

(Two Months Later…)

"Tajuu Kage Bushin No Jutsu!" Naruto watched as a massive cloud of smoke erupted in the clearing. When it cleared Naruto nodded as he saw three hundred clones standing around and awaiting orders.

"Alright, I want one hundred of you to begin working on our wind affinity! Since we haven't been able to find a waterfall with a good ledge to stand on, I want you to start cutting a rock using wind chakra. When you manage to split a rock down the middle, try cutting a rock into four pieces and increase the number of cuts you can make from there."

It had been one of the new wind exercises he had come up with for himself. Naruto had read that the next step after cutting a leaf was to cut a waterfall. Since there were no waterfalls that he had found that could be properly utilized for his wind training, he had decided to refine his cutting ability through other means. The first thing he had done was make shapes in the leaves that he would cut. Simple ones had first, squares, circles and the like, and then more complex shapes like animals and people.

This was the next training method Naruto had invented that he felt would be another good step in his wind elemental training. He had actually gotten the general idea from a book he had read, it was a much older book that he had found when looking for theories on connecting to one's chakra through meditation exercises. The book he had found, which was a book from Suna on some of the older methods of wind manipulation theories had claimed that a master of the wind element should be able to cut straight through a boulder using wind chakra. Not only that, but the cut would be so smooth that the entire surface on either side would be completely flat.

He had at first tried to cut a boulder, but soon realized that with the level his wind manipulation such a complex and difficult task was next to impossible. So he went onto the next best thing, cutting a rock, which he felt that while not as good, would still be a major boon in his elemental training. After all, if he could cut a rock into several pieces than it should be much easier to cut flesh and bones.

"Boss!" The clones all saluted and took off.

Naruto turned to his other two groups, "I want one group of you to split up into groups of twenty-five! One of you will continue on the more advanced form of Muay Thai, another work on Goken, the third group will work on our boujutsu, and the last will try to combine the taijutsu styles we know into a useable form."

"YOSH!" The clones all gave him the nice guy pose before they went off and began working with a Gai and Lee like fanaticism.

Turning to the last group Naruto began to give his last set of orders, "You guys have the most important task of all. I want you to continue working on our chakra control!"

His chakra control had gotten better but was still, and probably always would be an issue that he would need to constantly work on. "We've gotten up to five leaves on one hand, so start adding leaves to the other. I want at least two added by the end of this session. And rather than stand on the water's surface, I want you to walk."

"Got it Boss!"" the clone said as they raced off.

Naruto looked down at his arm, where his training seal was located. Right now it was on level three, a feat the whiskered blond had managed to accomplish around three weeks ago. Due to the massive increase in resistance that each level came with it had taken a lot more time for him to be capable of using the third level of resistance than the first two. However like with all things, time, sweat and hard work had finally enabled him to use this level with no required chakra.

And since he no longer needed chakra that meant it was time to increase the level. Gritting his teeth Naruto began channeling chakra into the seal, feeling the resistance on his body increase. He watched as the kanji on his arm shifted from the number three to the number four.

With the seal increase finished Naruto began to trudge through his workout routine, relying heavily on chakra to keep him moving as he fought against the resistance placed on his body.

After his daily workout Naruto began to make his way towards team seven's standard meeting spot.

* * *

Walking onto the bridge where his team usually met Naruto saw that his two teammates were both already there doing what they usually did. Sakura was staring at Sasuke, no doubt wondering how to get a date with the raven haired Uchiha. And Sasuke was leaning against the rail of the bridge, staring off into space, or as Naruto called it practicing his brooding poses and trying to come up with ways to kill his older brother.

"Morning Sakura, Sasuke-teme," he greeted the pair, even if they did not really get along all that well, he still felt it was appropriate to be nice to them… at least on the occasions he did not feel like messing with them.

Sasuke looked at Naruto before giving his usual reply of, "Hn," and then turning away to look off the side of the bridge.

"Naruto-baka, don't call Sasuke-kun that!" Sakura shouted at the blond. Thankfully she no longer tried to punch him, having realized that he was no longer going to put up with it. Something she had actually started to get bitter about, which really only increased her anger at the blond.

Naruto sighed as he moved to the opposite side his teammates were on. He had thought that they would have bonded at least a little bit after their A-ranked mission. However as soon as they got back to Konoha it was the same as always. Sasuke having gotten his Sharingan sometime during the battle of the bridge had started ignoring him and everyone else and was quite possibly, even more arrogant than before. It also didn't help that the few times he had not ignored the blond was merely to either glare at him or try and goad him into a fight.

Sakura of course had not changed at all since she had not really played any significant role on the battle in Nami, or the mission in general and had more or less taken a back seat to the whole thing and was not even conscious during the blonds Kyuubified rampage. Naturally because of this she had not been as affected as the others were, whether it be mentally, emotionally or physically. So she still basically ignored Naruto unless he said something bad about her 'Sasuke-kun'. The only difference now was that she no longer tried to hit him.

Sitting down the blond pulled out two books, the first was the book he had been reading on Fuuinjutsu created by the Yondaime titled Intermediate Sealing Level Three. The second one was a book of his own creation, holding all of the notes he had written down from this book and previous ones he had read, as well as the few notes on seals he had gotten from some of the more advanced books when he could not find something he was looking for in the previous ones. For the next half an hour he began comparing and writing down more notes.

"Yo!"

Naruto looked up to see Kakashi appear in his standard Shunshin.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura yelled at she pointed at him.

"Sorry, I forgot to set my alarm today, so I woke up late," Kakashi replied with a lazy tone.

Sakura's face turned red as she listened to her sensei's lame excuse, "LIAR!"

Naruto put his book away and stood up with a small sigh as he stretched and listened to his back make a satisfying crack. He was so glad he had made more Kage Bunshins to train while he waited for his sensei, otherwise he would never be able to get all of his training done. "So what are we doing today sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi gave Naruto an eye-smile, "I'm glad you asked Naruto. We have an exciting mission today, so let's get going!"

* * *

Team Seven left the Hokage's tower after completing the 'mission' the Hokage had given them. It was really nothing more than walking the Inuzuka dogs while another team cleaned the kennels. Not much of a mission in the three genins' opinions but there was not much they could do about it; Kakashi had refused to go on another C-rank since their mission to Nami No Kuni had been what could be considered one huge cluster fuck. And so ever since the mission to protect Tazuna, these kinds of missions had been all they were doing.

At least Kakashi had helped him a little more on his training. It wasn't much since Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, usually the silver-haired Jonin would simply create a Kage Bunshin and have it spar with Naruto. Still it was more than he had gotten before the mission, and since he had yet to even land a hit on the clone it was good enough for the moment.

"Man I can't believe we're stuck doing these boring ass missions again," Naruto groaned, his disposition having gone back to being his normal chipper self after his talk with Anko. For the most part at least, there were of course times when the blond would get quiet and introspective, and sometimes a small flicker of the painful emotions he had felt after Haku's death flashed across his eyes. But he was determined to continue pushing forward as he was sure that Haku would stick his ass with senbon if they met in the afterlife and she found out he had been moping around after her death. That and he wanted to be a person that Haku would be proud of, a person who would give their all to protect the people precious to them.

_At least we didn't have to clean the kennel, _Naruto thought with a sigh, _I don't know if my nose could have handled that again._

"Now Naruto, we can't do a C-rank mission every time, there are protocols we have to follow you know," Kakashi chided as he flipped a page of his book.

"I know the protocols damn it! I've read all the kami forsaken books that talk about the requirements necessary to tackle hired ranked missions, as well as why Genin are normally assigned these pathetic D- ranks in the first place," Naruto glared at his sensei as the man giggled perversely, seemingly ignoring him. "We have twice the prerequisite number for a higher ranked mission. We've been doing these D-ranks for three months! I think you're just too damn lazy to go on a mission that would take us out of the village."

This statement definitely rang true, while Kakashi may be more helpful now then he was before the mission to protect Tazuna the man was still one of the laziest people he had ever met, barring Shikamaru.

"Shut up Naruto-baka!" Sakura yelled, angry that her blond teammate was interrupting her from her Sasuke watching with all his complaining.

"This coming from the girl who likes to screech when she talks," Naruto ignored the pathetic excuse for killing intent coming from Sakura. "I bet even the Teme over there wants a better mission," Naruto pointed to Sasuke.

"Hn."

"You see? He's just dying for some kind of action," Naruto said.

"Hn."

"Teme, you're a riveting conversationalist."

"Whatever," Sakura scoffed before turning to her crush with what she hoped was a cute yet coy expression. "I'm so glad today's mission is over, aren't you Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke just glanced at her at the corner of his eyes, before turning around and ignoring her, not even deigning to give the girl his standard one syllable grunt.

Sakura put her head down for a second before trying to brighten up, "Say Sasuke-kun, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

Sasuke grunted as he turned to face her, "Why would I want to date a weak little girl like you?" Sakura took a step back as her eyes widened in surprise and hurt. "If you've got time to be asking me out on a date, then you should use that time to become stronger," The raven-haired Genin turned away. "Even Naruto has gotten better than you. You're even more useless than he used to be."

"I…but I…" Sakura tried to say, a depressed look on her face and tears beginning to form in her eyes. However Sasuke had already started ignoring her and was walking away.

Naruto looked up from his book to see what had happened before sighing and going back to his book. While he did not really approve of Sasuke being so harsh, even if he no longer put up with Sakura trying to hit him for every little thing, he knew that she still did not know what it meant to be a ninja and needed some kind of kick in the ass in order to get herself in gear.

Walking behind the group, book in hand was Kakashi who was watching the group with an expression of concern, not that anyone could see it due to nearly three fourths of his face being covered.

_It seems their teamwork has gotten even worse than before._ _It's almost as if the mission to Nami never happened. Sakura yells at Naruto and tries to get a date with Sasuke, completely neglecting training outside of the team. Sasuke ignores everyone unless it's to glare at Naruto, or to pick a fight. I thought awakening his Sharingan would be a good thing but he only seems to have gotten more arrogant. And Naruto… _

Kakashi glanced at his blond student; _I can't even tell what he's thinking anymore. He's gotten even more sarcastic than before and seems to run off at the mouth every chance he gets. Not only that but he seems to have picked up a sadistic streek. Though, I'm sure I can thank Anko for that since the two seem to be hanging out even more now than they had before. _The elite Jonin sighed, not really sure how to fix this problem. Looking up he saw a hawk flying over Konoha.

"Ok, I think that's enough for today," Kakashi said, getting the attention of his three genin. "I have to go submit a mission report. Ja!" With that the duster haired Jonin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto watched as Kakashidisappeared within a shunshin. Turning around he saw that Sasuke had already left, and Sakura was walking away with a depressed look on her face.

_I guess I'll go do some training of my own_, Naruto decided. He was just about to start walking when he heard a noise.

Turning around he saw a square box behind him with a rock texture painted on it. It also had two eye holes in the front.

Already knowing who was under that box Naruto just sighed and began to walk away, hearing the box follow after him as he turned a corner. When the box followed it stopped, not seeing the whiskered marked blond anywhere.

"Konohamaru-kun where did the boss go?" asked a female voice from the box.

"I don't know, it's like he disappeared!" Konohamaru exclaimed.

They were just about to lift the box up when Naruto appeared behind them. Grinning he sat down on them, listening to their muffled grunts and shouts of surprise.

"Hey who's on top of us? Get off!"

"I think my glasses broke!"

"What's going on?"

Naruto chuckled, "You know, if you keep using these shitty ass disguises you'll never get the upper hand on me."

"Hah! I'm not surprised you saw through our disguise boss!" came Konohamaru's muffled response, "Now can you get off!"

"Hmmm, I suppose…" Naruto said as he stood up and moved to the front as the box exploded.

"*Cough* I think we used too much gunpowder. *Cough*" Came a nasally voice.

Naruto gave the kids a nonchalant look that would have made Kakashi proud, "So what do you guys want?"

The three kids looked up at him before they broke into their introduction.

"Hey I'm Moegi, and I'm the sassiest kunoichi in school!" the girl with orange pigtails and perpetual blush said as she made an odd pose, standing on one leg and raising a single hand in the air.

"And I like algebra, I'm Udon!" Said the boy with the bowl cut, glasses and permanent runny nose. He too took a pose beside Moegi, crouching down low and crossing his arms.

"And I'm the strongest ninja in the village, Konohamaru!" Konohamaru said as he made a pose in front of them, grinning as he pointed a thumb at himself.

"And together we're the Konohamaru Ninja Corps!" the three said in unison.

"Yeah, I know, you guys have done this like thirty times already…this month alone." Naruto said, crossing his arms as he looked at the trio, "So what do you want?"

"You promised you'd play ninja with us today boss!" Konohamaru stated as he crossed his arms.

Naruto looked up at the sky, tapping his chin in thought. "Did I? I don't remember saying anything like that."

"You did boss! C'mon, please play ninja with us!" The three started giving him the puppy dog eyes.

"You know, I've been giving that look to Ojisan before you three were even born, it won't work on me." Naruto grinned as he watched their crestfallen expressions. He actually rather liked the trio whom he had taken to calling the Chibi Brigade, they always seemed to brighten his day. "But I suppose I've got enough time to play ninja with you."

"Ugh, a ninja playing ninja," the group turned to see an utterly depressed looking Sakura walking towards them. "That's so stupid."

Naruto sighed at the girl's attitude, even though he had been ignoring her to the best of his abilities she was always like this, always making fun of or trying to belittle him for everything he did.

_I suppose Sasuke-teme just told her off again,_the blond concluded. She seemed to come over to make fun of him when ever Sasuke put her down, which happened every time she tried to get a date, meaning pretty much every day, seemingly seeking assurance from him like she used to.

"Hey boss who is this?" asked Konohamaru as he looked at the girl, scratching the back of his head. "I know! Hey boss, is she your…" He trailed off as he held up his pinky finger and wiggled it.

Sakura's look instantly turned irate, and if it wasn't for the fact that Naruto no longer let her hit him, she would have socked him so hard that the blond would have been implanted in a wall.

Naruto shook his head, "No Konohamaru, she isn't. In fact, we're not even friends. The closest thing I can call her is my teammate, and I use the term loosely since we don't really act like a team."

For some reason the whiskered blonds words seemed to depress Sakura even more. Sasuke-kun thought she was beneath him, and Naruto! And now Naruto was saying that she was basically just someone he worked with and not someone he liked, or even considered as a friend.

_I suppose what they say is true. You never know what you're missing until it's gone…_

She could no longer deny the fact that Naruto had been one of the main factors of her confidence back in the academy. Whenever something happened, whether it was Sasuke's continuous rejections, or something Ino or one of the other girls did or said, Naruto had always been there making her feel better about herself. Now he no longer cared about her, and so she no longer had that confidence boosting factor to help her deal with the problems she had and her own self confidence issues. This in turn brought her disposition down even more.

"Well that's good boss, cuz you can seriously do better than this chick!" Konohamaru said, "I mean just look at her! That pink hair is kind of weird, and can you see her forehead, it's huge!"

Naruto looked at Sakura nervously as he saw her now murderous expression, "Hey Konohamaru, how fast can you run?"

"Pretty fast boss, why?" asked Konohamaru as he scratched the back of his head.

Naruto pointed over to Sakura who was currently stomping over to them and cracking her knuckles, "That's why. I suggest you start running."

Konohamaru gulped as he saw the expression on Sakura's face as she cracked her knuckles.

* * *

"Thanks for the report," Iruka said to Kakashi as he sat in the missions room. He read over the report a bit before putting it away. He frowned for a moment as he looked up at the elite Jonin, "So how is Naruto? Is he doing well with his comrades?"

"Naruto is actually doing rather well." Kakashi replied. It was true enough; the boy had gotten better after the first month being back, both physically with his training and emotionally. Though he still wouldn't talk about his experience he had started opening up more, and even asked Kakashi for advice in some of his training.

"That's good. I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to see him since you guys got back from your C-ranked mission," Iruka said, "I'm a little worried."

"I wouldn't worry about Naruto too much," Kakashi replied with the same air of nonchalance he always held. "Naruto's a little quieter since we came back from our C-rank, but other than that he's doing fine. In fact, he's improved quite a bit. I think pretty soon he may even be strong enough to surpass the person he respects the most, you."

_Though I'm pretty sure he already has, but considering he asked me not to reveal anything about his skills to anyone, I'm not going to say anything._

"Is that so?" Iruka asked with a grin, pleased to hear that Naruto was doing well.

* * *

"BOSS WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO! IT'S RIGHT BEHIND US!" Konohamaru shouted as he, his three friends and Naruto ran. The young Sarutobi looked back to see Sakura still chasing after them, spurring him to run faster

"Well why don't we just consider this…training. Yeah! That's a good idea, this is a part of your training!" Naruto said, not in the least bit tired or worried about the rampaging pink-haired…girl behind him.

"TRAINING!" Konohamaru yelled as he looked behind him. He paled as he saw the pink-haired demon getting closer, "HOW CAN THIS BE CONSIDERED TRAINING!"

"Why, we're testing your speed and endurance of course," Naruto said with a laugh, "Now…run faster!"

Konohamaru did run faster, passing the others as he turned around a corner and continued running, right until he smashed into someone and fell down to the ground.

"Ow…" Konohamaru rubbed his face as he tied to rub away the stinging sensation. After a couple of seconds he looked up to see what he had run into, and saw that it was a guy wearing a black jumpsuit with a pair of cat ears on his head, and some kind of odd make-up on his face with an odd oblong shaped thing on his back, wrapped in bandages.

Next to him stood a girl with sandy blond hair done up in four pigtails; she was wearing a black and white battle kimono with some mesh leggings on her, on her left ankle, while the other was higher up on her thigh. She had her headband hanging loosely on her neck, and a red sash wrapped around her waist. There was also a large battle fan attached to her back.

The headbands they were wearing was the symbol for Sunagakure No Sato, the Village Hidden in the Sand, which was a ninja village allied to Konoha.

"That hurt you little punk," the teen wearing the cat ears said. Bending down he picked up Konohamaru by his scarf, forcing the kid to grab onto his hand, "I think I need to teach you a lesson about watching where you're going."

The girl walked up behind him and shook her head in annoyance, "Kankurou just drop him, you know we're going to get in trouble if 'he' shows up."

"Relax Temari. He won't show up for a while yet," Kankurou looked back at her, before turning his attention back to Konohamaru. "Besides, this kid needs to learn not to disrespect his betters."

"Put me down you stupid make-up wearing freak!" Konohamaru yelled, "If you don't my nii-san's gonna kick your ass!"

"It's war paint you little shit!" Kankuro said with a snarl, "I'll teach you to mess with your betters!" he was just about to hit Konohamaru when another voice spoke up.

"You know, if you're trying to look threatening you're doing a piss poor job of it." The two looked up to see Narutostanding there, and despite the light nearly conversational tone he spoke in, was glaring the Suna Genin in the cat suit. A few seconds later Moegi, Udon and Sakura came up behind him and watched the small confrontation. "Though that might have something to do with the make-up. Now I suggest you put the boy down."

Temari and Kankuroy looked over at Naruto, one of them scowled while the other blushed. _Oh, looks like a local cutie, _Temari eyed the blond up and down.

_These look like Leaf Genin, _Kankuro thought to himself with a small sneer, "maybe I should play with them for a while instead."

When Naruto did not receive the reply he was looking for from either of the Suna Genin he scowled, "Hey make-up boy! I said you might want to let him go! If your not going to listen to me, perhaps I could persuade you better by putting my foot off in your ass!"

That seemed to get a reaction as Kankuru scowled and Temari giggled.

"It's not make-up! It's war paint!" Kankuro yelled out.

Naruto grinned, "So says the transvestite walking around in a cat suit."

"That does it!" Kankuro said as he grit his teeth. He tossed Konohamaru away and reached behind his back to the large mummified looking object.

Naruto disappeared in a burst of speed as he rushed behind the young Sarutobi and caught Konohamaru, setting the boy down before he turned a glare on Kankurou.

* * *

Sarutobi looked at all the ninja who had assembled into his spy room where all the meetings of great importance were held. Many of them were Jonin for the Genin teams, however there were also a few Chunin who would be serving as proctors, as well as the few Jonin who would proctor for the event he had called them for.

"I'm sure you are all wondering why I have called you here," the aging Sandaime said. "You've all assembled for one reason. It should be obvious by some of the members here."

"So it's that time already eh?" Kakashi asked rhetorically.

"It's already been reported to the other countries. I saw some of them in the village," Genma, a Tokabetsu Jonin wearing standard Jonin clothes, a bandana style headband, and a senbon in his mouth commented.

Kurenai decided to ask the obvious question, "So when is it?"

"In a week," Sarutobi announced, causing several members to mumble about it starting sooner than they expected. "I'll announce it properly seven days from now. On the first day of the seventh moon, the Chunin selection exams will commence."

Sarutobi frowned for a moment before pressing on, "Before we get to the announcement on who will be participating among our teams, I have some information I wish to tell you. It seems that both Suna, and Kumo have sent a Jinchuuriki here to participate in the exams."

This caused a lot of the ninja there to burst in outrage. Many saying it was not fair for nations to send such monsters into the exams.

A burst of killing intent from Sarutobi shut them up, "While I can understand how you feel about having such powerful _ninja _in the exams, I would suggest you refrain from speaking about them in that way."

He stressed the word ninja when he spoke, making his opinion on Jinchuuriki known and telling them he would not tolerate people giving into their irrational hatred. "In any event, it is not illegal for a Jinchuuriki to participate in the exams, so long as they are a registered Genin. So there is nothing any of us can do about it. I merely informed you so that you are aware of what your Genin will be up against in the exams."

"How accurate is this information Hokage-sama?" asked Kakashi.

"I received the information several days ago via Jiraiya's spy network," Sarutobi said. He had only just managed to get a hold of the man because of it, something that irked the Sandaime even though there was nothing he could do about the man's elusiveness at the moment.

Sarutobi took a long puff on his pipe before continuing, "Now, I would like to hear from those who are watching over the new Genin first."

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma stepped forward. Kakashi was on the right, with Kurenai in the middle and Asuma on the left.

"Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma well?" Sarutobi asked. "Are there any Genin you would like to enter into this year's Chunin selection exam? I don't believe I have to tell you, but after a Genin completes a total of at least thirty two missions, he or she is eligible for the Chunin exams. Of course normally a Genin needs more than four times that number of missions before being considered for selection but it is your choice. Now, starting with Kakashi."

Kakashi kept up his normal lazy composure as he began speaking, "The Kakashi-led Team Seven, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto under the name of Hatake Kakashi, I nominate them to take the Chunin selection exams."

This caused a load of mutters to spread out among the other ninja.

Being in the middle Kurenai went next, "The Kurenai-led Team Eight, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino under the name Yuuhi Kurenai, I nominate my team for the Chunin selection exams."

Asuma sighed as he took a puff of his cigarette before speaking, "The Asuma-led Team Ten, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji under the name Sarutobi Asuma, I nominate my team for the Chunin selection exams."

The mutterings got even louder at hearing all three Jonin leaders for the new Genin had nominated their teams, something that had not happened in decades. However one person had something to say about this.

"Hold on just a second!" Iruka stepped forward.

Sarutobi looked at the scarred Chunin, "What is it Iruka?"

"Hokage-sama, please let me have a word. I may be speaking out of place but these nine Genin were all my students at the academy. Of course they are all very talented, but it's still far too early for them to take the exam. They need more experience; I just can't understand their reasoning. Especially with two Jinchuuriki coming to the exams."

"I became a Chunin when I was six years younger than Naruto," Kakashi said, knowing who Iruka was really worried about.

"Naruto is nothing like you!" Iruka shouted, making his true worry obvious. "Are you trying to crush these kids! The Chunin exam cou-"

"Are you saying you don't have faith in Naruto's talents?" asked Kakashi, interrupting the Chunin from his tangent.

Iruka's eyes widened, "That's…"

"While Naruto may not be quite like me, he is an extremely talented shinobi that has even impressed me at times," Kakashi continued. Several eyes widened and a smattering of mumbles accompanied this announcement. It was obvious no one believe this statement, whether because of Naruto's status as the dead last, or the Kyuubi, Kakashi did not know nor care.

"Actually it makes one wonder. He had always been considered the dead last, but ever since he had graduated his skills have skyrocketed thanks to getting one on one help. I have to question the competence of the academy staff for having neglected Naruto like they had, if he had received more help in the beginning, he may have already been a Chunin by now, possibly even a Jonin."

Iruka winced at hearing that Naruto had progressed far faster now that he was out of the academy. He felt guilty about not helping the blond until the day before he graduated, and if what Kakashi just said was true then the blond could already have been one of their most powerful ninja by now.

Kakashi continued after giving people a few minutes to digest this new information, "While I understand that you're worried, you have to understand that they are no longer under your control."

"That's enough Kakashi," Kurenai said in an annoyed tone.

"No it's not," Kakashi stated, and while his tone still sounded as lazy as always there was a harder edge to it, "they are no longer your students Iruka, they are my soldiers."

"Enough!" Sarutobi said, stemming any further argument from the pair. "Iruka, I understand where you're coming from but Kakashi is right. It is not your decision to decide whether or not they can compete."

Iruka looked down in frustration, but he knew that the Sandaime was right, "I apologize for stepping out of line Hokage-sama."

"Good. Now onto the next nominations…"

* * *

"You're going to use Karasu here!" asked a surprised Temari.

"These brats need to be taught a lesson Temari," Kankurou replied as he began to unravel the bandages.

Before he could get too far a rock hit him in the hand, making him drop the large object. Looking up Sasuke glaring down at him, tossing another rock up and down in his hand.

"Great another one of these brats shows up," Kankurou growled.

_Oh wow, it looks like Konoha has quite a monopoly on cuties! _Temari thought as she looked between Naruto and Sasuke with a light blush.

"Get lost creep," Sasuke crushed the rock in his hand.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "You're such a show-off teme."

Kankurou growled as he held his now injured hand. He looked like he was about to continue making an ass of himself, when a new voice spoke up behind Sasuke.

"Kankuro, stop it."

Everyone stiffened in surprise and turned their heads to see a boy with red hair and the kanji for love on his forehead. He was wearing a black short sleeve shirt with a fishnet undershirt underneath that, along with matching black pants and sandals. Across his waist was a white sash and a brown leather belt, and another sash going across his chest that held a large gourd to his back. However the thing that caught Naruto's attention the most were the large bags under his eyes, making him look something akin to a raccoon.

"G-Gaara," Kankurou stammered as he began to shake in fear. The blond-haired girl did not seem to be doing much better.

_I didn't even notice him behind me! _Sasuke's eyes widened a bit as he stared at the red head. _That kind of skill is at the level of a Jonin like Kakashi._

_Odd, this kid is leaking killer intent like some kind of homicidal maniac, yet I couldn't sense him until he spoke. _Naruto narrowed his eyes at the familiar feel of the Suna ninja's killing intent, _There's something familiar about this one. I sense a presence I have not felt since… _He shook his head, _Damn it, I need to stop watching Star Wars._

"Kankurou, you're an embarrassment to our village, have you forgotten why we came here?" Gaara's arms remained crossed as he stared the other Genin down.

Kankurou paled considerably as he tried to stammer out an excuse, "W-Well you see Gaara, they started it and I-"

"Shut up," Interrupted the red-head, "or I'll kill you."

"R-Right, I was totally out of line," Kankurou stuttered.

Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand, reappearing in between the blond girl and Kankurou. He looked over at Naruto and increased his killing intent in an effort to frighten the blond haired genin, though he ended up raising an eyebrow when Naruto shrugged it off. "My apologies for him being such a nuisance," he apologized eventually.

Naruto gave a grin, "Meh, it's all good. Though I would suggest you keep him on a leash, seeing as how he almost beat up the Hokage's grandson. Wars have started for less after all."

Kankurou paled at the new knowledge, knowing he was going to get in trouble for doing something like this with their sensei.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Gaara looked over at his two companions, "Kankurou, Temari, we're leaving."

As the three ninja left, Sakura decided to make her presence known, "Hold on a second!" The three Suna ninja turned around to look at the pink-haired girl. "While it's true that Suna and Konoha are allies, it's illegal for you to be in our nation without permission. So I have to ask, what are you doing in our village?"

"Ugh you're so clueless," Naruto groaned, making everyone turn to him. "It's obvious they're here for the Chunin Exams, or have you not noticed all of the foreign ninja who have been coming into Konoha recently?"

Sakura's face turned red with anger at having Naruto tell her up like that. The pinkette had been constantly upstaged by the blond so far every time she had tried to say something smart. It was like he was trying to make her look bad in front of Sasuke-kun! She would have yelled at him but Temari spoke up.

"The blond cutie is correct," She pulled out her Passport. "We are here for the Chunin Exams. You really should pay more attention, or people will think you live under a rock."

"We've wasted enough time talking, let's go," Gaara said, getting annoyed by all the conversation.

"Hold on! What's your name?" Sasuke asked the retreating figure.

"W-Who, me?" asked Temari with a light blush.

"Not you, the one with the gourd on his back." Sasuke corrected.

"My Sasuke have you finally found someone who matches your wet dreams?" Naruto asked with a grin, "I always did wonder if you were into guys."

"Don't call Sasuke-kun gay Naruto-baka!" Sakura shouted in anger, though on the inside she felt mortified at the thought that her Sasuke-kun might actually be into men. _Oh no! What if he really is gay! _

_OF COURSE HE ISN'T GAY! THAT'S JUST NARUTO -BAKA TRYING TO GET US TO LIKE HIM INSTEAD! SHANNARO! _the ever delusional Inner Sakura shouted.

"Dobe!" Sasuke hissed through clenched teeth and a red face to match his anger and embarrassment. This had been something that had been happening more and more recently. Naruto seemed to have made a game out of taunting either him or Sakura, taking some kind of innate pleasure out of torturing them with words. It was something that pissed the raven-haired Genin off to no end.

Naruto smirked, "What? You can't blame me for thinking that. All those girls in the academy threw themselves at you, and you completely ignored them." He gave a shrug, "What am I supposed to think?" Grinning the blond turned his attention to Temari. "I apologize for my teammate being such an ass. He just doesn't know how to properly treat such a beautiful woman."

Temari blushed, not actually used to someone calling her beautiful, or having the guts to do it in front of Gaara, "I-It's alright."

Naruto tilted his head to side as he saw Temari's face turn red. For a moment he wondered if he had said something wrong. Since his only real experience with woman were Tenten, Anko and Haku, one of which liked to think of herself as one of the guys, another who took pleasure in making him squirm and torturing/training him and the last one being a girl whom he had only just started to explore his feelings for before she died had left him somewhat lacking in the female knowledge department.

Of course he did know a little bit about females, and was not completely unknowledgeable about 'flirting' since Anko had a tendency to tease him in a manner that could be considered flirting, well if trying to feed someone to their snakes, cuddling to them while rubbing their cheeks against his whisker marks, or pressing someone's face into their bosom was flirting. However it was thanks to the experience he gained from the interactions he had with those three that he was able to determine that since she had not hit him and since she was smiling despite the redness on her cheeks, that he had not said anything wrong and may have actually done good by complimenting the girl on her looks.

A small flash of pain crossed his eyes as he thought of Haku, and of the many times he had gotten that rosy color on her cheeks. Thankfully he was able to bury the small flash before anyone was able to see it, "Now that we've determined my teammate's sexual preference, how about I get your name?"

"It's Temari, Sabaku No Temari," She answered with a small tinge of pink still running across her cheeks, "and you?"

Naruto grinned, "Uzumaki Naruto."

Gaara looked over at the blond shinobi in curiosity before turning to Sasuke, "It's Sabaku No Gaara. And yours?"

Sasuke smirked as he tried to get back on track, "Uchiha Sasuke."

"I see. I hope to see you in the exams," Gaara replied before leaving, with his two teammates following him.

"Awww, it's so nice to see you finally found someone for yourself Sasugay or should I say Sas-Uke?" Naruto commented, smirking as his two teammates turned and glared at him.

"What the hell dobe!" Sasuke growled at him, his eyes morphing into his Sharingan in an attempt to scare or at least deter the blond from his constant remarks on his sexuality.

"Don't be mad Teme, I don't care if you're secretly in the closet or anything," Naruto grinned as he began walking away. "Though, Sakura may be disappointed. Anyways, I think I'm go ing to get some Ichiraku's, I'm starving."

Whistling a jaunty tune Naruto left his two angry teammates.

A little ways away three figures had just finished watching the confrontation.

"So what do you think?" a figure asked as he leaned against a tree.

One of his companions looked at him, "They're nothing serious, although we'll need to keep an eye on that black-haired one, and the one with the gourd on his back."

* * *

Sakura gave an annoyed grunt as she looked at the bridge she and her teammates were supposed to meet at today. Both Naruto and her sensei were late…again. Really she couldn't understand it, how could the person who had asked them to come at a certain time always be late. She glanced over at Sasuke to see him leaning against the rail, looking so cool and calm with his serious expression.

_This is just great Sasuke-kun is right in front of me and I can't even enjoy it, _she had tried everything she could ever think of to get the raven haired boys attention but nothing seemed to work. Looking cute, seductive, wearing make-up, or different clothing she had tried all manner of things. All of it had ended in failure, every attempt she had ever made to make Sasuke notice her had ended in failure, she was running at her wits end.

"Morning you two."

Sakura turned her attention to the other end of the bridge as her blond teammate finally arrived. "Why the hell are you always so late!" A tic mark appeared on the pinkette's head.

Naruto shrugged with an air of indifference as he walked over to the end of the bridge, "Unlike you and the Emo-king, I've realized that Kakashi is going to be three hours late every day. Rather than wasting my time sitting here, I train in the mornings."

Sakura's right eye twitched and she opened her mouth to yell when a puff of smoke signaled the arrival of their sensei.

"Yo!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura shouted as she pointed at the silver-haired Jonin.

"Sorry, I had to help an old lady cross the street, only to find out that she was a missing ninja and I was forced to fight her." Kakashi held out three papers before Sakura could yell again, "Anyway, these are for you three."

Naruto took one of the papers and raised an eyebrow, "You nominated us for the Chunin Exams?"

"Yep!" Kakashi nodded his head, "I figured you guys are ready for the challenge. Those of you who wish to take it should sign those papers and turn them in at room 301 at the academy tomorrow by 4:00 pm." Less than a second later Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

As Naruto looked at the approval sheet for the Chunin Exams he could not keep the grin from forming on his face, "This is gonna be awesome!"

Sasuke smirked, "For once I agree with you dobe."

"Heh," Naruto returned the smirk, "looks like this will be a good chance to show everyone just how good I've gotten. I've been looking to kick some ass."

"Hn."

Sakura looked between the two before looking at her own sheet in worry. She wasn't as sure as her two teammates about entering these exams.

* * *

"Ten~ten!" Naruto shouted in a sing song voice as he opened the door to the Higarashi weapons shop.

Tenten looked up from the magazine she had been reading and grinned, ""Hey Naruto! You look excited."

Naruto gave her his foxy grin, patent pending, as he walked up to her, "I think I've got a reason to be today."

"Oh? Care to fill me in?" Tenten raised an eyebrow at her friend. She was glad to see that he was close to acting like his old self. It had taken a lot of work to get him to be as open back up and return to his cheerful attitude around her after he had gone on his C-rank mission. She had literally spent four days using him as target practice in order for him to make up for ignoring her like he had. Even then, Naruto still refused to tell her what happened on the mission, often redirecting the conversation to something else whenever it came up.

"Maybe later," Naruto replied as he leaned on the counter, "so is it ready?"

"Of course," Tenten grinned as she stood up; knowing what he was talking about, "Follow me."

The two walked into the back of the store where the forge was located. Moving the ladder Tenten climbed up it and grabbed a box. Grinning like a maniac she showed it to Naruto, "I have a feeling you'll like this."

Naruto opened the box and peered inside. Sitting on soft padding was a dark black gauntlet. It was basically a glove attached to a forearm bracer. The top of the glove had a protector that looked similar to the standard metal guards on most fingerless gloves with the Leaf insignia. However there were three vertical slits on the front and it was about two inches thicker than a standard guard. Under the wrist was another, smaller padding that had several small holes on either side of a large slit that went horizontally.

"Put it on and give it a go," Tenten suggested.

Nodding Naruto took the gauntlet and put it on, strapping it together and tightening the bands so it fit snugly on his hand and wrist. He channeled some chakra into the top of the bracer and grinned as three wicked looking claws flickered into existence out of the top over the fingers in between his thumb and pinky, extending four inches past his hand.

"Now this is what I'm talking about," he looked over at Tenten, "I assume the bottom is a kunai and senbon launcher?"

Tenten nodded, "Yep! Though the kunai you have to use are special. I didn't want the gauntlet to get too bulky and what not, so I created a kunai that's a lot thinner than the standard kind."

"I bet you just made them so I have to come here to visit every time I need to replenish my stock," Naruto said. He gave the bun haired weapon user a grin, "miss me that much?"

Tenten scoffed and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder, "Don't be so full of yourself, no one could miss your ugly mug." She giggled as Naruto gave her a pout, "Besides, this is the only place you'd want to shop anyways." her light tone stopped as she gave him a dangerous glare, "Right?"

"Uh…sure Tenten. Of course," Naruto replied, sweating a bit from the now oppressive look he was getting.

"Good!" Tenten brightened up and smiled at him and the aura of dread vanished. "Now, the launcher also uses that containment seal you made for it, since it was the only one that worked. You just channel chakra into the bottom and take aim! Though, you're going to have to go to a training field to test it."

Naruto sweatdropped at the completely random shift of emotions that all women seemed prone to do. Still he was too excited to worry about his friend's odd mood swings.

He had a new weapon to test and an exam to prepare for.

* * *

**So here is the next chapter, I thought about making another arch before this, like another C rank mission of my own make but since I have a lot of original stuff that will be coming, both during the chunin exams and after that giving Naruto a C rank mission out of the village would be pointless. Also I'm sure you've noticed that Naruto is something of a serious smart ass. I figured with what happened on the wave mission their were several ways he could go. The Uchiha way, or way of the brooder, the Nagato way, or way of pain. Or the way I have him going now, the kind where you don't notice the changes he goes through so much except in rare moments since he hides most of his pain in an attempt to move on and with Anko as something of a role model for him I felt this way was more natural.**

**Anywho's let me know what you think. Questions, comments and reviews are all welcome and I would appreciate knowing what everyone thinks of this chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

**The Review Q&A**

**Robman1130: Well, you're not gonna see him like super depressed, but others will eventually spot a few cracks in his façade.**

**Kail420: The fic is not complete, I just have around 30-something chapters finished. Also, no one has really made any suggestions except a few people and most of those are grammatical errors or contradictions to Naruto's personality, a few of which I did change.**

**A Fan1024: Well I'm glad I'm at least a little better then everyone else! :)**

**This is just a thank you to all those who have reviewed my story, I appreciate the amount I am getting and have almost caught up with my other story Namikaze's Return with the number I have. **

**Another thank you go's to Senjuto for Betaing for me.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: When the world is nearing the end, I will own Naruto. When the apocalypse has come and gone, I will own Naruto. When there is nothing left but ash and dust, I will own Naruto… however since none of that has happened yet, I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 15: Start Your Engines, the Chunin Exams Begin**

* * *

The next morning found Naruto being woken up by that damned infernal clock of his, its blaring beep annoying him to no end. Before it could beep too much Naruto picked it up and hurled it across the room, shattering it as it hit the wall. A few seconds later the blond shinobi sat up in and yawned, stretching himself out before swinging his legs over the edge and getting out of bed. Putting his hand in the ever familiar ram seal he made a Kage Bunshin to cook him breakfast while he headed towards the shower and began to get ready.

After he finished drying himself off Naruto made his way over to his new dresser, one he had bought with the money he made from his A-rank mission since the amount of cash he had come out with on that had given him enough money to do a little splurging. Even though he had been forced to henge into a random civilian in order to get it since they had kicked him out the moment he had entered the shop as himself.

Opening up the necessary drawers he grabbed his clothes. A pair of black ANBU-styled pants, a fishnet shirt that went under a black sleeveless Chinese style shirt with a dark orange trim. He also wrapped his bandages around his calves and foot before putting on a new pair of black ANBU-issue shinobi sandals that Tenten had managed to get for him.

Walking over to his closet Naruto opened the door to reveal several sets of black full body cloaks. Naruto had originally let Tenten choose them for him because he felt they added a mysterious aura; however, they also had the practical use of hiding his hand seals and masking movements until when he was in a taijutsu battle, an advantage that had helped him in his fights quite a bit. He grabbed one of them and pushed the rest aside to reveal a cubby that had been created from a modified containment seal.

He reached in and pulled out the box, setting it and his cloak on the bed. Opening it Naruto grabbed the containment scrolls he had created that were inside. Each one contained a set number of necessary supplies; kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, flash bangs, smoke bombs, custom made exploding notes and various forms of weaponry. Having hung out with Tenten as much as he had, Naruto had obviously learned the value of being a walking armory.

Naruto grabbed several scrolls. Each one contained well over the necessary amount for a standard A-rank mission, another habit he had picked up from his weapon-using friend. He also grabbed some that held food, camping and camouflage equipment. Next he unrolled one of the scrolls that held his weapons. Unsealing them Naruto looked at what he wanted to bring. There was a bo staff, naginata, katana, nodachi, kodachi, his new gauntlet and kusarigama. Tenten had proclaimed he was decently sufficient in the use of all of them, meaning he could hold his own for more than half an hour against her. But he really only excelled with the bo staff and a katana.

Deciding it was better to be safe than sorry Naruto grabbed the bo staff and sealed in into the containment seal on his left hand, and the katana on his right. He picked up the gauntlet and put it on his right hand after that and then placed his special containment scroll for the kunai and senbon into the containment seal for the launcher.

After that he placed his cloak on, hiding his body from view.

Feeling ready he went into the kitchen to eat and then he would head over to the academy.

* * *

Coming up on the academy, Naruto found his two teammates already there, sitting outside of the entrance and obviously waiting for him.

"How come you're here so late!" Sakura asked in a loud voice.

"Sakura it's 3:30, we've got half an hour before the Chunin exams start. Why would I want to wait for kami knows how many hours in a room with loads of other people, when I can just relax at home?" Naruto asked in a bored voice.

Sakura turned red with anger at what she perceived as Naruto insulting her.

"Anyway, the teme over there looks like he's getting antsy, so let's go," Naruto did not give the pinkette a chance to reply as he walked inside and began walking up the stairs.

After a minute or two his teammates began to follow him, making their way towards the door he had left through.

Said teammate was already walking up the stairs, making his way towards the room where the first stage was supposed to begin. When Naruto reached the next floor it was to find at least a dozen Genin standing around the designated door with two other Genin blocking said door and beating anyone who tried to get past them.

_Now that's odd, I could have sworn I had only gone up one flights of stairs,_ Naruto frowned as he watched the two Genin bully everyone else and replayed the last few seconds in his mind to confirm that he was indeed on the second floor. _So then how come that door says 30...1..._ his eyes widened as he realized what was going on. _Of course! Idiot! That door obviously has a genjutsu on it or something. _

Genjutsu was one of his worst subjects, he could break out of several C and even a few B-ranked ones thanks to Naruto asking Kakashi to place him under several genjutsu and make him break out of them. However detecting genjutsu was something he still had trouble with, Naruto had to actively pulse his chakra and search his own system to find foreign chakra that would indicate he was in a genjutsu.

This form was useless when in battle since it took far too long and it also did not work on area wide genjutsu since they were not genjutsu that invaded the body but was dispersed around the area the genjutsu was cast; which would explain why he was unable to detect this one and had to rely on his memory and knowledge of the area to realize what was going on.

Now that he knew what was going on, Naruto looked over at the two 'Genin' who were guarding the door more closely, _If this is a genjutsu then those two must be Chunin who are supposed to keep the unworthy from passing. Now that I look at them they do remind me of Kotetsu and Izumo so they must be under __henge__,_ He snorted, _what__ a lame ass __henge__; they didn't even change their appearance just their age. Idiots…_

With that sorted out in his mind the whiskered blond began to walk on, ignoring the conversation that was going on at the door.

"C'mon, let us through!" One of the Genin in the hallway yelled.

"Psh…you think we're going to let you through just because you tell us too? People die in these exams and those who don't sometimes quit being a shinobi all together simply because of the mental and emotional trauma they go through," The Henge'd Kotetsu said, "Really, we're doing you guys a favor."

"Please let us through."

Naruto stopped just as he was about to reach the exit to the next set of stairs when he heard the familiar voice, turning around he focused his attention on a familiar brown-haired girl. _Tenten? I should have known her team would be in these exams, they have a year's worth of experience over me and their sensei is a training nut after all._

"Didn't you hear me," Kotetsu said as he reared his fist back. "I said get lost!" He threw his fist at Tenten. However before it could hit Naruto intercepted it.

"Now that's not very nice," Naruto said with a slight grin, a grin that made Kotetsu and Izumo actually shiver as it reminded them of Anko when she was looking for blood. Or that one time Izumo had knocked her over while eating dango, it was a particularly traumatizing memory that they did not want to recall.

Internally grinning at the way they shivered, and mentally thanking Anko the spiky haired blond continued, "Didn't your mother teach you not to hit a lady?"

"Hmph! We were just doing her a favor," Izumo replied, trying to regain his bravado. "I suggest you heed our advice, this exam isn't for something just anyone can take and hope to survive."

Naruto smirked as he let go of Kotetsu's hand, "Don't worry, I was just looking for my friend who you were about to hit by the way."

The blond Konoha shinobi turned around to look at Tenten and winked, "Yo! I was looking all over the place for you Tenten!"

He turned her around and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, leading her to where he saw Neji. When they had gone a certain distance away, Naruto leaned in and whispered into her ear, "You do realize that this is the second floor right?"

Tenten looked at him strangely, "The second floor? But that door said…" Her eyes widened a bit as she remembered going up only two flights of stairs. She turned a glare on Neji, "Why didn't you tell me we were only on the second floor!"

Neji shrugged, "I did not deem it necessary."

Tenten scowled a bit while Naruto rolled his eyes, "You know, you sure treat your teammates like shit. Has anyone ever told you that you're a douchebag?"

Neji's eyes narrowed at Naruto, and veins began to pulse around his eyes as he activated his Byakugan in an effort to enhance his glare. The two of them had never gotten along; Naruto was a lot more like Lee, believing that hard work can overcome anything, including genius. While Neji believed everything was controlled by fate and had gone out of his way to inform the blond on the error of his ways on many occasions. Needless to say whenever the blond would come and train with team nine the two would always butt heads.

"Oi! Drop the genjutsu and let us pass!"

The pair both turned around to see Sasuke standing there with a smirk on his features as he looked at the two disguised Chunin at the door, "Sakura noticed it the moment we got here. Isn't that right Sakura?"

Despite being surprised by the raven-haired Genin's words, Sakura became ecstatic that her Sasuke-kun was involving her in something. She nodded her head and immediately backed him up, "Yeah, that's right! We're only on the second floor. It's so obvious even a child could see through it."

Naruto groaned as the pair made asses of themselves, even he could tell this was supposed to weed out the losers who would not even stand a chance in the exams. Seriously, how was he the dead last when there were people like that?

_Sasuke at least should have known…_

Naruto sighed and tried to control the irritation he was feeling. While he did not like Sasuke in anyway and enjoyed making fun of him every chance he got, he would at least acknowledge that his teammate was intelligent. However, sometimes the Uchiha heir was just a pain in the ass especially when he tried to show off like he was now.

"So you noticed it did you?" Kotetsu smirked as the genjutsu on the door was dispelled, revealing it to be the second floor, "Impressive. But just because you saw through it, doesn't mean you good enough to enter!" Kotetsu launched a kick at Sasuke who retaliated with a kick from the opposing leg.

However both kicks were caught by the green blur that was Lee, who managed to catch both their legs with just one hand.

"Now is not the time to be fighting," The green clad Genin said in a calm voice, releasing their legs.

_That guy caught both our legs like it was nothing,_ Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked at the green clad Genin; _he must have some serious chakra in his hands._

"Way to go and make an ass of yourself teme," Naruto said as he made his way over to them. "I can't believe you actually let all these people pass. Now we're going to have to content with a bunch of losers who couldn't even see through a simple genjutsu."

Sasuke scowled at the insult. However, being an Uchiha he did not deign to give Naruto a response other than his standard grunt, "Hn."

"Lee, what happened to disguising our strength. I thought that was your idea," Neji said with a frown. "Wasn't that the plan we agreed on?"

"Yes but…" Lee turned his attention to Sakura and blushed.

_Oh boy here it comes,_ thought Naruto as he resisted the urge to snicker.

"You are Sakura-san yes?" asked Lee as he appeared in front of her.

"Umm…yeah," Sakura replied, taking a step back from the creepy spandex wearing Genin.

"I am Rock Lee. Let's go out sometime, I will protect you with my life," Lee gave the pinkette the nice guy pose complete with gleaming teeth and wink.

"Umm…no," Sakura said in a deadpan voice.

Anime tears began to stream down Lee's face, "But why not?"

"Because you're weird," Sakura stated, causing Lee's shoulders to slump.

Naruto snickered a bit before patting Lee on the back, "There, there Lee. There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

_Plenty of better looking ones too,_ He winced slightly as the thought crossed his mind and an image of Haku appeared. He promised that he would not let her death consume him, that he would move on but always keep her in his memories.

Sometimes it was hard to keep that mindset, but he was working on it.

Neji just sneered as he watched his teammates and the blond kid who occasionally trained with them. He turned his attention to Sasuke, "You, what's your name?"

"Hn," Sasuke smirked, "Isn't it considered proper manners to give your name before asking for someone else's?"

Neji scowled while Naruto stuck a fist in his mouth so he would not laugh. Leaning over he whispered to Tenten, "Looks like Konoha's number one emo-teme has finally met Konoha's number one snob in what's sure to be the battle of the century."

As Tenten giggled he looked back up to the two who were glaring at each other. Naruto leaned back and cupped his hands around his mouth to make a microphone, "Hey Neji! I'm sorry to inform you, but you're too late! Sasuke-chan has already found the love of his life in one of the Suna Shinobi here!"

"Shut up dobe!" Sasuke yelled. Meanwhile, Neji had activated his Byakugan and glared at the blond, who had gone back to ignoring them.

"That wasn't very nice Naruto-kun," Tenten said, though she could not help but let the small giggle escape, finding what he had said and the insult on the pair's sexuality to be hilarious.

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he looked at her in curiosity, "Since when did you call me '-kun'?"

Tenten blushed as she realized what she said. She did not get a chance to say anything however as Sakura grabbed him by the back of his cloak.

"C'mon baka! Let's go or we're gonna be late!"

"Hey!" Naruto ripped the pinkette's hand off of his clothes, "Hands off the merchandise pinky!"

Tenten watched Team Seven leave, shaking her head in amusement.

"Tenten!" Neji called, making her turn her attention to him, "Let's go before the exam starts."

"Oh right. I'm coming," Tenten began walking in Neji's direction before she stopped when she noticed her green clad teammate was standing still, looking in the direction Naruto's team had left in, "Lee, you coming or what?"

Lee who had not been following them turned and looked at her, "You and Neji may go on ahead, there is something I need to check out. Do not worry, I will catch up."

Teten looked at him for a moment before she shrugged and began following Neji.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura walked towards the set of stairs that were in front of them. However as the moved they saw Rock Lee standing on the next floor with a serious expression on his face.

"You, the one with the black eyes and bad attitude, I wish to challenge you," Lee jumped off the stairs and landed in front of them. "My name is Rock Lee."

The green clad Genin got into the beginning stance for what Naruto knew was the Goken, feet together with one fist tucked into his side and his other hand out in a 'bring it on' gesture. "You said it was common courtesy to give your name before asking for someone else's. Am I right?"

Sasuke smirked as he looked at the kid and gave him an answer, "Uchiha Sasuke."

"So it is true. You are this year's Rookie of the Year that everyone has been talking about. It would be an honor to fight you," Lee exclaimed.

Naruto groaned, "Listen Lee, I know you've wanted to beat the snot out of emo temes like him and Neji for a while now, but since he's my teammate I need him alive and in one piece alright?"

"Do not worry Naruto-kun, I will not hurt him too badly," Lee gave Naruto the nice guy pose.

Sasuke scoffed at the mere thought that the dobe thought he would be defeated, "Hn. You know my name and yet you challenge me? You must be dumber than I thought."

_Oh great, there goes mister ego,_ Naruto sighed at how large Sasuke's head had been getting since he unlocked his Sharingan.

"I'll see you two up there, I have no desire to watch Sasuke get his ass kicked," Naruto left, not paying attention to Sakura screaming at him about how her Sasuke-kun wasn't going to lose.

As Naruto reached room 301 it was to find Kakashi standing outside the doorway, reading his smut.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi looked up from his book and eye-smiled, "Oh I'm just here to wish you luck." He blinked for a moment as he noticed something, or rather someone's were missing, "Naruto, where are Sasuke and Sakura?"

Naruto shrugged, "Sasuke's getting his ass beat by your 'eternal rival's' clone." He chuckled as he watched Kakashi shudder, "And Sakura is probably cheering him on, or trying to help him up after his ass got beat."

As if on cue Sasuke and Sakura came up with the ladder looking worried and the former looking bruised.

"So…I can see how you really proved your superiority as an Uchiha," Naruto smirked.

"Shut it dobe," Sasuke hissed, rubbing the bruise on his cheek.

Naruto sighed, "I told you he would win. That kid has been a Genin for a year longer than we have, he has far more experience than either of us and his method of training is utterly ridiculous. You need to learn to choose your battles teme."

Sasuke did not say anything, but the small wince told Naruto that the raven-haired Genin at least recognized what the blond was saying. Something could be considered a miracle in and of itself, since the last Uchiha in Konoha had not listened to any of his advice since they had gotten back to Konoha.

"Ahem," Kakashi coughed into his hand, getting the attention of his team before things got out of hand. "Well, I'm glad to see you three came. Had one of you not made it, I would have had to disqualify all of you."

Naruto tilted his head in confusion, "Why? I thought the Chunin Exams were optional?"

"They are, but they also have to be taken as a team," Kakashi shrugged.

"So then why didn't you tell us that?" asked Naruto, a little annoyed that his sensei would leave out something so important.

"I didn't tell you and Sasuke that because I knew either one or both of you would have tried to pressure Sakura into taking it."

Naruto sighed and conceded the point, "Yeah I suppose that's true."

"But none of that matters now. You're all here, and all for the right reasons," Kakashi gave them an eye-smile. "I know I don't say this too much, but I'm proud of you three."

The three genin grinned. Well Naruto grinned; Sakura had a small smile, while Sasuke was smirking. The three genin stepped past their sensei and opened the doors where the Chunin Exams would start.

The very moment team seven had entered the room; every single Genin began glaring at them. Many of the genin teams, who were older than them by several years began leaking killing intent at the trio. Sakura paled and began to shake, having not had much experience with killing intent other than Zabuza and the Kyuubi's at the battle on the bridge, and even then she had passed out before it could get too bad. Sasuke looked a tad nervous, but soon regained his Uchiha bravado.

Naruto, who had been subject to far worse, both from Zabuza and Anko shrugged it off and began glaring back, giving a few teams a dose of his own killing intent that he had Anko help develop. He grinned when several genin began to look away.

Just as the trio were about to find a place to sit a loud squeal erupted behind them.

"Sasuke-kun! I missed you so much!" Ino jumped on top of Sasuke, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, "Did you miss me too?"

Several tic marks appeared on Sakura's forehead, "Get the hell off him Ino-pig!"

Ino looked over at Sakura and pulled her eye lid down while sticking her tongue out, "Why would I do that forehead girl. After all, Sasuke-kun and I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Man you guys are here too, so troublesome."

Naruto turned and smirked at seeing Shikamaru and Chouji walking up to them, "What's up you two? Been having fun?"

"Meh, trying to do something 'fun' is far too troublesome," Shikamaru said with a yawn.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the answer he had come to expect from the lazy Genin. He had occasionally taken to hanging out with the two on Sunday when he was not training, and had come to know the two decently in that time together.

"Yahoo, we found you guys!"

Turning again everyone saw Kiba, Shino with Hinata staring at Naruto as she hid behind Shino. Kiba walked up to the group with a large, cocky grin, "I hope you guys are ready to lose to my team! Cuz we're gonna rock!"

Naruto smirked, "I was wondering what that smell was, I should have known it was you Kiba."

Kiba stopped and growled at Naruto, "What was that dobe! You want me to kick your ass!"

"Just try," Naruto's grin widened a small trace of bloodlust in his grin, "I'll take you to the pound."

Kiba began to growl at the blond and looked like he might actually attack him. But before he could, a new voice entered the picture.

"You know, you guys should really keep it down."

The three new genin teams looked over to see one of the older kids walking up to them. He was wearing a purple shirt and pants of the same color. He had round glasses on and white hair with a Konoha headband strapped to his head.

He pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose, "You guys are the rookies who just came out of the academy right? I wouldn't be so loud if I were you."

"And just who the hell are you!" asked Kiba with a growl, still upset that the dead last had made fun of him.

The purple clad Genin just smiled as if not bothered by the rude remark, "My name's Kabuto and before you get angry at me, you should look behind you."

Everyone did and was instantly subject to the glares and the wave of killing intent sent to them, particularly the genin from Amegakure (Village Hidden in the Rain). Most of the rookie genin shivered at the killing intent they were now feeling.

"That team from Ame, I hear they have rather short tempers," Kabuto muttered to them.

While some of the other rookies were trying to regain their lost courage, Naruto just smirked as he jumped on top of one of the tables. "Alright listen up you chicken shit pansies! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, if any of you want a piece of me get in a nice and orderly single file line and I'll kick each and everyone one of your asses real quick!"

That statement was met with various reactions from the ninja in the room.

"Yosh! Naruto-kun seems to be in full form today!" Lee said at seeing his friend and sparring partner so enthusiastic.

Tenten chuckled, "Is it just me, or has he gotten even worse with that mouth of his?"

"It's the fate of losers like him to be loud," Neji sneered.

Both Tenten and Lee looked at Neji with a frown. Their teammate had been getting progressively worse with his fate rants, ever since Naruto had shown up and started training with them in fact. Both of them were nearing their wit's end on what to do about Neji's attitude. However, they kept their peace for the moment.

"It's that damn kid again," Kankurou glared at the blond as he hopped off the table, "that punk's gonna get himself killed."

Temari looked over at Naruto with a smirk, "I don't know, I think he makes things kind of interesting. Maybe I should see if he wants to go on a date after this."

While Kankurou began to sputter, Gaara just stared at Naruto with an impassive gaze.

Two of the ninja from Kumo looked over at the odd blond kid who was yelling before turning their attention back to their conversation.

The other Kumo ninja, a blond-haired kunoichi also stared curiously at the blond for a few seconds before dismissing him.

"Wow Naruto, enthusiastic much?" asked Chouji, feeling a bit better now that the killing intent was gone.

"You know, sometimes you're more troublesome than Ino," Shikamaru muttered.

"What was that Shikamaru?" Ino glared at him and pretended to roll up her nonexistent sleeves.

After the rookies got over Naruto's proclamation of lying on a heavy ass kicking, they turned back to Kabuto.

"Your name is Kabuto-san right?" asked Sakura.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up, something Naruto was beginning to think was a habit for the other Genin, "Yea, that's right."

"So is this your second time taking these exams?" The pinkette asked.

"No this is my…seventh," Kabuto replied, an embarrassed blush on his face.

"Seventh?" Naruto asked incredulously, "Either you suck so much balls it's amazing you're still alive, or these exams are harder than I thought."

"It's the latter I assure you," Kabuto chuckled. "However you know what they say, seventh time's the charm. And it's not like I didn't get anything out of it," The purple clad shinobi reached into his pouch and pulled out a deck of cards. "Since you guys are new and all, why don't I give you a hand."

He kneeled down on the ground and began channeling chakra into the top card. There was a small burst of smoke as he flipped it over. The rookie genin leaned in to see that it showed a map of the elemental nations, on each nation was a bar with a number.

"These are my info cards. Look here, as you can see Konoha has the most teams participating. Of course that's a given since we're on home turf. But just about every shinobi village has brought genin here to participate. We've even got a team from Kumo this year, a rarity considering we're not on good terms with them."

Naruto lifted his head up and searched for the team from Kumo, figuring they must be powerful in order to be in the exams while in a somewhat hostile village. As he did his eyes made contact with the blond Kumo kunoichi who had watched him earlier. He took a brief moment to notice her features. She was slightly older than he was by maybe a few years, with long blond hair several shades lighter than his and bound in bandages that went down to mid-back. She had a black sleeveless shirt with a purple armor piece that covered her stomach up to the middle of her sizable chest. She also wore matching pants and sandals with a violet sash around her waist. Spending time with Anko as much as he had, the small pervert in him that she had created could not help but notice the woman's beauty.

However he also sensed some kind of strange connection to her. Not that she was familiar in anyway, but that she felt…similar would be the best way he could put it. Like Gaara but different. Both of them soon noticed they were staring at each other and blushed a bit as they looked away.

"Do your cards hold individual information?" asked Sasuke, bringing Naruto's attention back to the rookie group.

Kabuto smirked, "Of course, all I need is a name, or even initials and I can find them for you."

"Give me everything you have on Rock Lee of Konoha, Sabaku No Gaara of Suna…and Uzumaki Naruto."

Everyone looked at Sasuke, wondering why he wanted information on the dead last and his teammate, or any of the other people here.

"Man Sasuke, all this time we've been a team and you don't even know my skill set." Naruto gave a mock pout, "You really don't know how much that hurts, I almost feel like crying."

Sasuke scowled at the dobe's act, but did his best to ignore him.

"Man, you know their names and where they come from, that's no fun," Kabuto said as he held up three cards. One of them went up in smoke to reveal Rock Lee's card, "Let's see, Rock Lee has 246 D-rank missions and 22 C-rank missions, his teammates are Higarashi Tenten and Hyuuga Neji, last year's Rookie of the Year. Says here that in the academy he had no skills to speak of, but in the last year his taijutsu made a phenomenal jump. Last year he could have entered the Chunin Exams, but his sensei held the team back a year to gain more experience."

"Next we have Sabaku No Gaara. It says here he's done 8 C-rank missions, 27 B-rank missions and get this, 1 A-rank mission. His teammates are Sabaku No Temari, and Sabaku No Kankurou, his older siblings. Apparently they're the children of the Kazekage. Also this is just a rumor but apparently he's come out of every single mission without even getting a scratch."

Naruto eyed the red-haired Genin curiously, _So he's pretty strong then, I bet it will be a blast to fight him._

"And finally we have Uzumaki Naruto. Let's see, his stats show 65 D-rank missions, 1 C-turned-A rank mission and…huh, that's odd. It says he also has one B-rank mission that was not given to his other two teammates. Said teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. He's average at both ninjutsu and taijutsu but has no skills to speak of in genjutsu."

"Dobe, how do you have a B-rank mission when I don't?" asked Sasuke, his scowl back in place.

Naruto gave his raven-haired teammate an indifferent shrug, "Sorry, but its classified information, if you don't know, I can't tell you." The Sandaime had told him that he could not tell anyone of Mizuki's betrayal as it was a matter of village security.

_Of course I think the whole thing was off the record wasn't it? _Naruto looked at Kabuto with a frown. _So how did he know about it?_ The blond shook his head; he was starting to get paranoid. _Damn Anko and her frickin paranoia, next thing you know I'm gonna start watching for shadows creeping up on me when I'm sitting on the john._

"So as you can see there's a big turn out this year. All of these teams are the cream of the crop, the best of their villages." Kabuto paused for a moment before adding, "Well, I'm not sure about Oto, since they just started up last year they're pretty small time and only managed to send one team."

"You hear that?" asked a teen with bandages covering his entire head except for the right eye. "He called us small time."

"Why don't give him a piece of our mind Dosu?" suggested their female raven-haired teammate.

"I say we do more than just give them a piece of our minds," Suggested the shinobi with spiky black hair.

"Yeah…let's show them what Oto shinobi are capable of," Dosu said right before all three disappeared.

Only a few of the genin within the room could see them; those being the team of Kumo ninja, the Sabaku trio, Team Nine, Kabuto and Naruto.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he watched the trio close in on Kabuto. He was not sure what they were doing, but there was no way he was going to let them hurt a Konoha shinobi.

A second later a spiky haired Oto shinobi threw two kunai at Kabuto, who jumped back to avoid them. As he stopped Kabuto looked up to find Dosu right in front of him, with the other two on his left and right. The Oto Genin was just about to swing the odd looking metal gauntlet at the purple clad Genin, when Naruto appeared right in front of him.

"Konoha Senpuu (Leaf Hurricane)!" Naruto shouted as he spun around in the air and smashed his foot into Dosu's face, hard. The Oto Genin was sent flying backwards, smashing into the wall on the opposite side hard enough to leave cracks.

His two teammates might have helped, but before they could even make a move two solid copies of the blond appeared behind them, placing a kunai against their neck.

The rookie genin, including Team Seven stared at the blond in shock; most of them had not even seen Naruto move, much less figured out when he had the time to make clones. What's more the clones were solid!

"I don't know who the fuck you people think you are, but if you're going to attack a Konoha shinobi in Konoha territory you must have been hit with every single branch when you fell out of the retard tree," Naruto spoke with a rare scowl. Very few things could actually piss him off, and one of them was when people tried to hurt comrades for no real reason other than to prove their own superiority.

_Interesting. That kid is much stronger than one might give him credit for at first glance,_ the blond Kumo kunoichi thought, _I wonder if he acts the way he does to purposely make people underestimate him._

"You've been staring at that kid quite a bit Yugito-san," The male Genin on their team said. "Finally found someone for yourself?"

A light blush spread across Yugito's cheeks, however she quickly dispelled it and glared at her teammate, "I don't know what you're talking about Daisuke!"

Daisuke just smirked, "Whatever, just remember why you were put on this team in the first place."

Yugito just turned her head, not deigning to look at her teammate who had always been an ass to everyone no matter who they were.

Dosu groaned a bit as he stood up and shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs out of it. That blond boy hit hard.

"Oi! You still conscious?" Naruto said with a smirk, "I hope I didn't hit you too hard, after all, someone as stupid as you are needs all the brain cells they can get."

"You talk big boy, but that was nothing more than a lucky shot!" Dosu growled, angered at being embarrassed and hit by someone who he had not anticipated as being that strong.

"Well then, why don't you just try again," Naruto taunted, leaking a bit of his killing intent. "The next time you try that shit, I'll make sure you get acquainted with that wall so well you won't be able to leave it!"

"Alright that's enough! Quiet down you little bastards!" A gruff voice spoke up.

There was a puff of smoke erupted at the front of the room. When it cleared it revealed a tall scarred man in a black trench coat and blue proctor's uniform, along with a dozen Chunin in similar outfits minus the trench coat.

"I'm Morino Ibiki, the proctor for this exam. So long as I'm here there will be no fighting! Do I make myself clear!" The man asked, glaring at the Oto genin before turning his attention to the blond. However the moment he did Ibiki felt pale.

"Is that you scar face-san?" asked Naruto with a smirk. "Who knew you'd be proctoring these exams. I thought you would be smashing heads in or something over at I&T with Anko-nee-chan."

"Uzumaki, I had not realized you were going to be in these exams," Ibiki shifted a bit, not liking the very Anko-like grin on the Genin's face.

"Oh you know me," Naruto walked up to the much larger man, the grin never leaving his face. "I always gotta be a part of the action. It's a good thing you're here though, since you still owe me 200 yen from last week's poker game. Unless of course you want me to tell these wonderful genin about the time you *cough* dropped your *cough cough* drawers *cough cough* while interrogating someone*Cough*."

The blond held out his hand, smirking as Ibiki began grumbling a bit before pulling out his wallet. "How you managed to convince Anko to let you into our poker game I'll never know. Though you'll forgive me if I hope it doesn't happen again," Ibiki placed the money in the blonde's hand.

Naruto grinned as he unsealed his wallet and put the money in it before sealing it back up, "Well I suppose I can't blame you. It must be embarrassing getting cleaned out by a twelve year old Genin. But hey! That's life right? Well it's a pleasure doing business with you scar face-san."

Grin still in place Naruto walked through the surprised crowd and made his way back towards the other rookies.

"Naruto, how do you know Ibiki-san?" asked Ino.

Naruto looked at her and shrugged, "I have a friend who works in the I&T division. I managed to convince her to let me play poker with her, Ibiki and a few others. I managed to clean them out completely. A few were left walking home in nothing more than their underclothes." The blond shinobi tilted his head, "How do you know Scar face-san?"

"That's easy, my dad was the former head of the I&T division, Ibiki-san worked under him as an apprentice for a time so I would often see him over at the house," Ino replied.

Naruto clicked his tongue, "Huh, small world."

"Now that that's out of the way," Ibiki started, hoping to regain some of his lost composure. "We will now start the first stage of the Chunin Exams. Now then I want all of you to come up here and grab a tab so you can find your assigned seats. Once that is done the written test will begin."

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN A WRITTEN TEST!" Naruto shouted. Studying or no, written tests have always been the bane of his existence and he doubted that would ever change.

Ibiki smirked, feeling the need for some payback, "That's right Uzumaki, a written test. Now I suggest you shut the hell up and sit down before I kick you out!"

Naruto began to cry anime tears as he sat at his assigned seat, which was coincidently right next to two other blonds. Temari was on his left, while Yugito had gotten the seat to his right.

Temari looked at Naruto and smirked, "I take it you don't like written exams?"

"Not liking something is like saying it's mildly disdainful," Naruto answered with a derisive snort. "It's something that is a minor nuisance to do, but not outside the realm of actually doing. I despise written exams. They have been the bane of my existence ever since the academy. If I could I would gladly find every single exam ever written and let the Shinigami eat all them, though he would probably get indigestion."

Temari blinked for a moment before letting out a small laugh, "Well it seems you're in for quite the dilemma."

"You're telling me," Naruto groaned, "stupid scar-faced teme, I bet he did this on purpose. But I'll get him back for this travesty." Naruto stood up and pointed a finger at Ibiki, "You hear that teme, next time we play poker I'm gonna clean you out so badly you'll have to walk home in the buff!"

Ibiki tossed Naruto a glare as the blond sat himself back down with Naruto returned the glare.

_What an odd ninja,_ thought Yugito as she looked at Naruto. _Though, he is kind of cute with those whiskers._ She stopped her train of thought right there as a small blush spread across her face before shaking the thought away. _What's wrong with me? Thinking about competition like that..._

Naruto sighed as his glaring contest ended when Ibiki began to explain the rules for the exam.

"Alright! I will now explain the rules of this test and pay attention because I'm only going over this once!" Ibiki waited for a moment to see if anyone was dumb enough to speak. When no one did he turned to the board, "The first rule for this test is that each of you will start off with ten points, the same amount to the number of questions on this test. For each answer you get wrong one point will be deducted from your overall score. The second rule is that this will be a team test, meaning that if one of you fails, all of you fail."

"Wait a minute!" Sakura shouted raising her hand, "I don't underst-"

"I said no questions!" Ibiki barked, cowing the girl to bring her hand back down, "the third rule of this test is that anyone who gets caught cheating, either by one of the chunin or myself will automatically have two points deducted from their test."

"I've got my eyes on you," one of the chunin said, freaking out a few of the more susceptible genin.

_Well, I don't think Naruto will do well. Even if he sounds smarter occasionally he's still a baka, _Sakura thought. _But I know Sasuke-kun will do alright, and I'm confident I can do this, so we should be ok._

"As for the final rule, anyone who loses their initial points during the test or those who don't answer any of them correctly will fail, along with their teammates!"

"What!" Sakura shouted.

"We're doomed," mumbled Sasuke.

"Somehow I feel like someone's trying to kill me with their eyes," Naruto said to himself as he felt the killing intent from his teammates. Not one to be outdone he simply flipped them the bird without turning his head.

"The last question will be asked at the end of the hour," Ibiki paused as he looked at all the genin, "Begin!"

"Good luck," Naruto said to Temari, who felt a smile come onto her face. He looked over at Yugito and gave her a grin, "Good luck to you as well."

Yugito blinked for a moment surprised that someone from another village, especially one her village did not get along with was wishing her luck.

"Thank you," She mumbled before looking away.

Naruto sighed as he flipped over his test. He looked at the first question and frowned. It was way too hard for him to even begin answering, despite the studying he did. He went down each and every question and found that all of them were too hard for him to even begin to understand.

_In fact, I don't think anyone can answer these except for a walking dictionary like Sakura._

Behind him Sakura sneezed before writing down the answer to another one of the questions.

The blond shinobi discreetly looked around to see what the other genin had figured out. He saw Neji was using his Byakugan to get the answers as was Hinata, Tenten was using mirrors that were controlled by ninja wire to get the answer and other genin were using various ways to find the answers as well.

_It seems that everyone else has also realized that the questions are too hard for them. That has to mean Scar-face never intended us to know the answers, he made it hard enough so that we have to cheat without getting caught. Figures he would do something like this, Anko always said he specialized in mental torture._

Having figured out what was going on Naruto now had to find a way to get the answers without anyone finding out.

_First, I need to find someone with the answers._ Looking around the blond noticed that the person in front of him was scribbling away and seemed confident that he had all the answers. _Bingo._

Naruto smirked as he waited for the Genin in front of him to finish his test before enacting his plan.

Using his control over wind Naruto created a large gust that forced the windows open, scattering the papers all over the place. Naruto kept his eyes on the paper he wanted and used the confusion to Kawarimi it with his own paper. He replaced the other Genin's name with his own, before grinning and leaning back in his seat with his feet propped up on the desk.

Both Temari and Yugito looked over at their fellow blond who just minutes ago, had been freaking out and raised an eyebrow, wondering what had changed.

Ibiki frowned as he watched people shout and try to grab their papers; he had felt a quick burst of chakra but had not been able to determine where it came from. He looked around the room before his eyes caught Naruto, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk.

_Could he have been the one to make that wind? _He narrowed his eyes for a moment before looking away.

After a while he looked over at the clock, _Times up._ "Alright pencils down, it's now time for the tenth question."

Just as the man was about to reveal the tenth question the door opened and in walked Kankurou.

_Huh? I don't remember him leaving._ Naruto scratched his cheek in though before shrugging.

"Ah! I hope your 'trip' to the restroom was 'enlightening'," Ibiki said with a smirk.

_Crap! He knows about Karasu!_ Kankurou thought in shock. He tried to play it off as he walked to his seat, absently tossing a piece of paper on Temari's table.

"Now that we're all here I can begin the tenth question," Ibiki started. "However, before that there are some rules pertaining to this question that you need to know about. First rule, you have to decide whether or not you wish to take a question."

"Choose? What happens if we don't take it?" asked Temari.

Ibiki smirked, "If you don't take it then your points will be reduced to zero, and you will fail along with your teammates."

"Well then of course we're going to take it!" A random Genin shouted.

"Shut up! I haven't finished explaining the rules yet," Ibiki snapped. "If you do choose to take the tenth question, but get it wrong, you will not only fail, but you will be barred from taking the Chunin exams ever again! You will remain Genin for the rest of your lives!"

"What! That's bull! There have been plenty of people who have taken this test more than once!" Kiba growled as he stood up.

"Well it seems you just got unlucky this year. I wasn't proctoring those exams, but now that I am, we're playing by my rules! Here I am Kami, and you will all listen to what I say!" Ibiki chuckled a bit at the shocked and scared looks, "However that's why I'm giving you a way out. If you don't feel you can complete the tenth question then you can bow out now and try again next year."

"Now for the final question! I will ask those who don't wish to take it to raise their hand. When your number is called you will be forced to leave along with your teammates."

Nobody spoke for several long seconds. However several people began to raise their hands, bowing out and taking their teammates with them. Naruto frowned as he watched people quit, angry that people could be such cowards. As he continued looking at everyone he saw Sakura about to raise her hand.

_Damn it Sakura! Not now, of all the times for you to get cold feet!_

Naruto tried to think of a way to get her to stop. Flying by the figurative seat of his pants he did the only thing he could think of. He raised his hand, shocking the other rookie members. They, along with everyone else were in for another surprise when Naruto slammed his hand back on the desk with enough force to leave small spider web cracks.

"That shit's not gonna fly here scar face-san!" Naruto glared at the man, "You can't use such pathetic scare tactics on me, perhaps the head of the I&T division is losing his touch."

_Leave it to the dobe to say something like that,_ Sasuke shook his head before smirking, _at the very least, he keeps things interesting._

_I know I keep saying this, but this kid is so odd,_ Yugito looked at the defiant blond and smirked. _Odd, but as I already said, definitely cute and I like his attitude._

_I knew this cutie would keep things interesting,_ Temari smirked; _I wonder if I can get to know him better after the exams._

Ibiki glared at the blond before looking at the other occupants, noticing that everyone who was about to quit were sitting back down. "I'll only ask this once, are you sure you wish to continue? Realize that if you fail, you will remain a Genin for the rest of your careers."

"If I wasn't willing to risk something as mundane as my career on this question, how could I be asked to risk my life on a mission." Naruto said with a smirk, "If someone's actually enough of a pussy that shit like this scares them, then they don't deserve to be Chunin anyway."

_That little bastard dispelled the illusion of fear I was trying to create,_ Ibiki frowned as he saw everyone sit back down. _Though I do have to hand it to him, he's quite an interesting one, Uzumaki Naruto, _he looked around and counted the number of people still there, _There's seventy-eight people left. Stretching this out anymore would be pointless._

He glanced over at the Chunin proctors to see them giving him a nod, "To those of you still remaining I only have one thing to say…congratulations on passing the first stage of the Chunin Exams!"

"What!" A random Genin shouted.

"What about the tenth question!" asked Ino.

Ibiki opened his mouth to speak however a sound cut him off. He along with everybody else turned to look at Naruto who was laughing maniacally. The two blond girls leaned away from him, wondering if he had somehow lost his mind.

"You care to share what's so funny, Uzumaki?" asked a disgruntled Ibiki.

"It's just that Ino is supposed to know you since her dad was the head of I&T before you," Naruto laughed, a wide grin on his face. "I would have thought she realized your specialty is in psychological torture. She should have known that the entire test was a sham."

"A sham?" asked Yugito, tilting her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I mean the question on whether or not to continue taking the test was the whole point of the entire exams." Naruto answered with a wide grin, "Isn't that right proctor-_san_?"

Ibiki grunted in acknowledgment, "Give the gaki a cookie. Yes, that's right the last question was the point of the exam."

"Then what about the other nine questions?" asked Temari, confused and angry at being led on like that.

"That's easy to figure out," Naruto said as his more analytical mind began taking over. The blond looked over at Ibiki and raised an eyebrow.

Ibiki sighed as he gave a wave, gesturing for Naruto to continue.

"Right, so the first nine questions were quite obviously an intelligence gathering session," Naruto began as he recalled some of the information that was in the books Anko had suggested when he asked her. "Gathering accurate intelligence in a timely manner has always been one of the key components towards learning more about your enemy, especially in wartime. It's one of the fundamental skills for a Chunin to know, and so Scar face-san over there wanted to make sure we could gather accurate information while under pressure. Hence the Chunin watching us," Naruto looked over at Ibiki and grinned. "How am I doing so far?"

"Accurate," Ibiki grunted before continuing where the blond left off, "I'm sure most of you figured out that the questions on the test were far too hard to answer. So you had to cheat in order to get the answers. Though even knowing you had to cheat would have been useless if you didn't have the answers to begin with. Therefore we placed two Chunin in the room with you who did have the answers."

It was here that the two Chunin raised their hand; one of them was the person that Naruto stole the test from.

_Ok, I did not see that coming, I must have incredible luck,_ Naruto thought with a sweatdrop.

"As the gaki said accurate intelligence is important," Ibiki took off his bandana to reveal a head full of scars.

"Holy shit!" Naruto shouted in surprise, "When I called you scar-face I didn't realize it was so literal! Man. It looks like Ten-chan decided to use your head as target practice."

A little ways behind Naruto, Tenten blushed, secretly vowing vengeance against her blond friend.

"You better learn to keep that mouth of yours shut gaki," Ibiki threatened while a few of the class snickered. This kid was ruining his reputation!

"This is the result the result of when misinformation is more valuable than a life. On missions and on the battle field people will risk their lives to get that information."

"But that doesn't explain the point of the tenth question," Temari said.

"The tenth question is where this test really comes into play," Ibiki said as he regained his lost pride. "The choice to take your chances and answer the question or give up; it's meant to be a hard choice between those two options, though most people are more than willing to bow out and take it next year. Those are the people who don't deserve to be Chunin. Only those who decided to stay and are willing to risk their careers and quite possibly their lives are the ones who deserve the title Chunin."

"What are you trying to get at?" asked Kiba, who was starting to get annoyed with the man's pointless speaking.

"What he's saying dog breath, is that in order to be a Chunin you have to be someone who is willing to risk your life for the sake of your comrades and mission." Naruto said, smirking as Kiba growled at him, "You know if the dead last of your academy class is telling you that, it probably means you should do some more studying."

"Just because you can know something as pointless as that doesn't make you any less of a loser dobe!" Kiba growled.

"Didn't I tell you there would be no fighting!" Ibiki shouted, finally having enough and blasting everyone with killing intent. The genin were instantly cowed, even Naruto began to feel uncomfortable at the amount he was putting out.

"I swear…" Ibiki mumbled before getting back on track, "anyways congratulations on passing, and good luck in the next exam."

The genin who passed only had a moment to celebrate before the window next to Ibiki shattered and a black ball of…something flew in. Not even a second later there ball unfurled and showed a large banner that became hung in the middle of the room by two kunai on each side and stuck into the walls. The banner read 'The Single and Incredibly Sexy, Second Proctor of the Chunin Exams, Mitarashi Anko' on it for all to see. That was when said trench coat clad kunoichi stepped into view.

"Alright guys this is no time to be celebrating!" Shouted Anko as she put her fist on her hips and grinned, dutifully ignoring the nose bleeds and looks of lust she caught from the men, and the glares from the women. "My name's Mitarashi Anko and I'm the second proctor for the next exam, now everybody follow me!"

She pumped her fist into the air, giving the male genin a good look at her nearly unclothed assets.

"Anko you're early…again," Ibiki muttered.

"Hehehe," Anko laughed as she rubbed the back of her head in an embarrassed manner. She looked out across the genin and frowned.

"What the hell is this Ibiki? There are twenty-six teams left!" She smirked at her partner, "You must be losing your touch."

"Actually you can thank that gaki of yours for all the extra…baggage," Ibiki said.

"Gaki?" Anko asked in confusion before her eyes caught the sight of a grinning Naruto. "Hey look, it's my favorite gaki! I didn't know you were in these exams!"

Naruto gave her a fox-like grin, "I was hoping to surprise you. Besides, you didn't think I would miss this party did you?"

"Heh, I guess not," Anko smirked. "Well this makes things more interesting. Alright you little bastards, I want all of you to follow me. Failure to do so and I'll feed you to my snakes!"

Anko grinned as she jumped out of the window.

"Well we'd better follow her," Naruto stood up and looked at the two girls who he had been sitting by. "If you don't do as she says she really will feed you to her snakes." He shuddered a bit before moving towards the window and jumping out, leaving the two girls confused.

After everyone had gotten their wits back they walked several minutes following Naruto and Anko, who were having an animated conversation about Dango.

_How the hell does Naruto know this…slut?_ Sakura wondered as she stared at the scantily clad woman in disgust.

_This woman has the same way of speech that Naruto does,_ Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the pair. _Could she be the person he occasionally refers to?_

Many of the other genin had similar thoughts ranging from curiosity to jealousy, with the boys wondering how Naruto knew such a hot kunoichi, while a select few of the girls wondered what that woman did to get the blonde's attention. Eventually they reached a fenced off forest that held some of the largest trees any of the genin had ever seen.

Naruto walked back to the other genin, standing besides Tenten as Anko spun around and grinned at them. "Welcome one and all to the second stage of the Chunin Exams, training area forty-four. Or as I like to call the Forest of Death."

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**So here we are, the end of the first stage. Nothing to say about this chapter. Review and let me know what you think. **


	16. Chapter 16

**First I would like to thank all the reviewers who have been well, reviewing my story. I'm almost at the 900 review mark and this story has only been out for three weeks. **

**The second thank you goes to Senjuto for being my beta reader, I appreciate the work he has done for me.**

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**Disclaimer: If I ever owned Naruto you would all be the first to know. Since I don't, none of you have to worry right now.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 16: A Snake in the Forest**

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Naruto walked back to the other genin as Anko spun around and grinned at them. "Welcome one and all to the second stage of the Chunin Exams, training area forty-four. Or as I like to call the Forest of Death."

"Ah! My home away from home." Naruto said with a smile, making many of the genin who head him turn and look at him with an incredulous expression.

Anko snickered a bit, "You gakis are looking are looking at one of my favorite training grounds, The Forest of Death, you'll find out why it's called that soon enough."

"Ha! You can't scare us lady!" Kiba scoffed, trying to hide how nervous he felt staring into the forest in front of him. He had heard stories of this place from his mother, and if she was afraid of it then that meant the place was to be avoided at all costs.

Anko grinned as she threw a kunai at the dog using ninja, slicing his cheek open. Before Kiba could even yelp a hand gripped onto his skull to hold him in place while Anko appeared behind him and licked the Genin's blood from his cut.

"You know, its tough guys like you that spill that delicious blood I love so much all over the forest's ground," Anko grinned as she continued licking the petrified Genin's cheek.

"Naruto-kun no offense, but your friend really scares me," Tenten whispered into the blonds ear.

Naruto just chuckled, "Yeah she tends to scare people the first time they meet, but she's not bad once you get to know her. However, you really need to ask yourself this, is she creepier than the Lee and Gai-sensei's sunset genjutsu of youth?"

An involuntary shudder ran down Tenten's spine, "…I don't think anyone can match that level of creepy." She had, had more than enough of that genjutsu to last for several dozen lifetimes over.

Anko grinned in amusement as she watched Kiba look shocked, embarrassed, turned on and scared shitless all at the same time; kami how she loved messing with these genin. She stopped her blood sucking when she felt a presence behind her and drew another kunai, turning to see a strange woman with a straw hat and an overly long tongue with her kunai being held in said tongue.

"Here's your kunai proctor-san," the woman spoke in an eerie yet perfectly understandable voice, despite having her tongue sticking out.

"Why thank you," Anko smiled as she took the kunai and put it away in her pouch. "But next time I would recommend not sneaking up on me like that, unless of course you have a death wish."

"I apologize, I just get excited at the sight of blood, and your kunai cut my precious hair so I couldn't help myself," the Kusagakure (Hidden Grass Village) kunoichi licked her lips.

"Well it looks like we've got a bloodthirsty bunch this year," Anko said, turning her attention to Naruto who was still speaking with Tenten. "Oi! Gaki, get over here and help me pass out these papers!" Anko reached into her trench coat and pulled out a stack of papers from…somewhere, where exactly somewhere was, was a question up for debate considering she had no pockets on her persons or her…clothes.

"Whatever," Naruto said as he made several Kage Bunshin to help Anko pass out the papers. "You just don't want to do it cuz you're so damn lazy!"

"Oh! Perhaps we need to play some more tag, that way I could show you how lazy I am." Anko gave Naruto a sweet smile.

Naruto paled, "Um…no thanks, I take back what I said."

"Good!" Anko gave one of the clones the stack of papers. Said clone gave several sheets to the other clones and then they began to pass out the papers.

"Before we begin the second exam I need you all to sign these forms. There'll be deaths in these exams and if you don't sign them I'll be the one they hold responsible, suffice to say I don't want to have to deal with the paperwork when your village bitches and complains to me about your death. But before we get started on the blood bath that I hope will come, I'm going to explain the second exam to you. After that your team will check into the booth behind me."

"You will be attempting to live through what will be considered the ultimate survival test. Each team will go through one of the forty-four gates and head towards the center of the forest where you will find a tower. However, before you get to the tower you have an objective you must complete. You are to use whatever means you deem necessary to obtain one of two scrolls, a heaven or an earth scroll. Half of you will get one, while the other half will get the other."

"So we not only have to go through this forest, but we also have to get our hands on the opposing scroll and take them to the tower with both intact?" Sasuke asked.

"Yep! That's pretty much what it comes down to," Anko said with grin. "However there is also a time limit. You only have five days to retrieve a scroll and get to the tower."

"Five days!" Ino shrieked.

"But what about food!" whined Chouji.

"There's plenty to eat in the forest, either that or you can kill an enemy and eat them," Anko's grin turned bloodthirsty, causing many genin to shudder. "Now there are two ways you can fail this test. One is if you don't show up at the tower within five days with both scrolls or don't show up at all. And two is if one of your teammates dies in the middle of the exam. Also, I shouldn't need to say this but you cannot look inside the scroll until you reach the tower."

"You know, the way you tell me not to do something really just makes me want to do it, you know, so I can spite you," Naruto spoke up, grinning at the purple-haired proctor.

Anko smirked, "Well if you do open either of the scrolls you'll be in for a nasty surprise. So for your benefit and my entertainment I hope you don't, I want to see you fight. So now that the explanations are done, sign the form and turn them in at the booth, then pick a gate and prepare to begin the exam."

As soon as she finished the chunin pulled a black curtain over the booth so that no one could look in. Everyone walked away after that, going somewhere to sign the forms before walking over to the booth to get their scrolls.

Sasuke looked down at the scroll he had received. It was a heaven scroll, meaning they would need to get an earth scroll to pass. He looked over at Naruto who was grinning from ear to ear, reminiscent of the crazy proctor who had just finished speaking, while Sakura was looking into the forest with a nervous expression.

_There's bound to be deaths in this exam. I hate to say it, but I'm confident Naruto can handle anything that comes our way; however I'm unsure if Sakura will be able to deal with it._ Sasuke looked into the forest that his team was going to be stuck in for five days. _Whatever the case, we're going to need to be careful in this forest if we want to survive._

"You excited teme?" asked Naruto, smirking as the raven-haired Genin looked at him.

After a moment Sasuke smirked as well, showing a rare display of comradeship with his blond teammate. "Of course. This will be a great opportunity to test myself against ninja from other villages."

"This will definitely be one hell of a party, I can tell you that," Naruto grinned.

Suddenly Anko's voice came on over the speakers, "The second test of the Chunin Exams begins…now!"

The gates opened and the teams shot forward, heedless of the dangers that awaited them. Naruto and Team Seven stopped as the sounds of screaming began to echo through the forest. They had known there would be deaths, but actually hearing the screams of people who may be dying at this very moment really made the dangers of this forest sink in.

"Dobe, from what I heard from your conversation with that proctor you've been here before?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto nodded, "That's right; I actually train in here several times a week. You could say I know this place like the back of my hand."

Sasuke grunted, "So then what would you suggest we do?"

Both Naruto and Sakura looked at their teammate in shock; neither of them had expected Sasuke to ask someone else for their opinion.

Naruto was the first to recover, "Well we came through gate thirty-three, if we head two miles east we'll run into a river that will take us all the way to the tower. My suggestion would be to take that stream all the way to the tower and then set traps at said tower, since we already know that everyone will be heading their eventually. Of course in this sector there are several man-eating plants so we'll have to watch out for them. Our best bet for avoiding them will be to stick to the middle ground along the tree branches until we reach the stream."

Sasuke nodded, "I think that's the best plan we can come up with given the circumstances."

"You know, you seem pretty chill with essentially giving me the chains of command teme." Naruto raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Admitting my superiority?"

"Hardly," Sasuke scoffed, "but you know this forest better than I do, so it would be stupid of me not to at least get your input when coming up with a plan."

"That's so heartwarming to know you trust me teme, I'm touched."

"Just don't get used to it."

The two smirked at each other before moving again, making a confused Sakura follow them. After several more minutes of running Naruto stopped.

"Why'd you stop dobe?" asked Sasuke.

"Gotta take a leak," Naruto replied.

"Gross Naruto, don't say such things in front of a lady," Sakura crinkled her nose in disgust.

"A lady? Where?" asked Naruto grinning like a madman as he moved behind a large bush, leaving a fuming Sakura.

Finished listening to the call of nature Naruto zipped his pants back up and was about to go back to his team, when he heard a noise. Turning around he was just in time to see an Ame ninja rush up to him.

Naruto had no time to act as the Ame ninja stabbed him with a kunai. However the Ame ninja was surprised when Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. The real Naruto jumped right on top of the Ame ninja's head, smashing him into the ground where he met blissful unconsciousness.

Grabbing the Genin by his light tan jumpsuit Naruto hauled the Genin into the clearing where his two teammates were waiting.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked as he eyed the unconscious Genin.

Naruto scowled, "Bastard tried to jump me while I was answering the call of nature. Seriously! Who does that? Isn't this a violation of one of the man laws or something!"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes at how over dramatic his teammate was being, "Does he have a scroll?"

Frowning Naruto dropped the Ame Genin and search him, grinning triumphantly when he found a scroll, but frowning when he saw that it was the heaven scroll.

"Great, another heaven scroll," Naruto sighed. "Looks like our luck is good, but not good enough to get what we want."

"Quit complaining," Sasuke said, "at least it means one less scroll for someone else." He looked down at the unconscious Genin. "We should tie him up and then we need to come up with a codeword in case we get separated and someone tries to do this again."

Naruto created a Kage Bunshin to tie up the Ame ninja. The blond looked at the heaven scroll in his hand before sealing it away in a containment seal on his wrist. After that the three gathered around each other.

"Alright, we'll need a codeword in case an enemy captures us and tries to disguise themselves to get close. If we do this and the person gets it wrong we'll assume it's an enemy." Sasuke stopped and looked around to make sure no one was listening in. "When someone asked for the ninja song nin machine, this is the answer you give them, 'A large amount of enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared.'"

Naruto blinked, "Why the hell would you want us to say such a long ass phrase. I thought this was a password not a poem."

"What's the matter baka, too long to remember?" asked a smug Sakrua.

Naruto glared at her, "Of course it is! Only someone with a large ass brain like you could remember that," He dutifully ignored the pinkette's growl, "Look I've got a better idea." The blond pressed a hand to his left torso and unsealed a brush and a bottle of ink.

"What are those for dobe?" asked Sasuke, more curious than angry at having someone suggest something else; at least for now. He may not always get along with his blond teammate, but he knew that Naruto could come through when it counted. And with such a serious test in front of them, Sasuke couldn't afford to let any feelings of superiority or jealousy get in the way.

"I always carry some fuuinjutsu equipment on me in case I need to make a seal," Naruto explained as he uncorked the bottle. "I want both of you to cut your finger and put some blood into the ink."

"W-What? Why would we do that?" asked Sakura, not comfortable with the idea of cutting her own finger.

Naruto rolled his eyes, "This will let the ink bind with you, making the fuuinjutsu, especially the one I'm about to make that much more powerful."

To both Naruto's and Sakura's surprise, Sasuke cut his finger and dripped some of his blood into the ink. After a few seconds Sakura followed suit, albeit much more reluctantly.

"So what is this seal?" asked Sasuke as he watched Naruto place his own blood in the ink and begin to mix it.

"It's called Sotei Jinsei Fuuin (Binding Life Seal), basically what it does is create a set of seals that will react to their brother seals whenever they are within sixteen feet of each other by glowing a light blue and giving a light vibration." Naruto dipped his brush in the bottle and stirred it a bit more. "There are more powerful variations of this seal that actually give a subtle hint of what the other person wearing the seal is feeling, but those are only for two people to use at a time since anymore would overload the human brain. I created this so that it can be used by more than two people, and it will only work for those whose blood is in the ink. Sasuke where do you want yours?"

Sasuke sat next to Naruto and showed the underside of his wrist. He watched in mild interest as Naruto used precise and quick strokes of his brush to create what looked like a bunch of scribbles to him. Sakura received hers on the opposite wrist as Sasuke and Naruto had to have a clone do his on the left side of his neck, one of the only places that was not covered in cloth and did not have a seal already there aside from his face.

Once he had made all of the seals Naruto created two more clones who went through the same hand seals before putting a hand against one of the seals on the three genin. "Sotei Jinsei Fuuiin!" The seals began to glow a light blue before the three felt a slight vibration.

"There we go, all done," Naruto said, feeling proud of finally finding a use for one of the seals he had created for actual ninja uses.

"Good now we should get moving," Sasuke said as he stood up.

The group was about to move before Naruto felt a small pulse of chakra. He turned around just in time to feel the beginnings of a wind jutsu. His eyes widened and just when he was about to alert his teammates to the danger a powerful gust of wind hit them, sending the three flying off in separate directions.

* * *

Sasuke groaned a bit as he stood up and surveyed his new surroundings. He turned around as he heard a twig snap and saw Sakura stepping out from behind the bush. He would have gotten into a combat stance but his seal began to glow a light blue and give off a soft vibration.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said in relief as she came up to him.

"Sakura," Sasuke gave a nod of acknowledgement. He may not quite like her but she was his teammate and the in situations like this they would need to stick together. "Have you seen Naruto?"

Sakura shook her head, for once not scowling at the mention of her blond teammate. "No, I haven't seen him yet."

As if summoned by magic Naruto appeared in the bushes a little ways away. "Hey guys! Are you two ok!"

The blond began to move however as soon as he got a few feet from them Sasuke tossed some several shuriken, forcing the blond to block and dodge the attacks. "What the hell teme!"

Sasuke glared at the blond. "This has to be the most pathetic attempt at henging into someone I've ever seen. First off, Naruto would most likely make some smart ass remark about Sakura trying to get me alone so she could rape me." Sakura gave a heavy blush and nosebleed at the mental image that evoked, while Sasuke shuddered but continued anyways. "Second, the seal Naruto placed on us hasn't changed since you got here, it should have increased in intensity by now. I suggest you reveal yourself before I'm forced to simply kick your ass without an explanation as to who you are."

"Ku ku ku, very good Sasuke-kun. It looks like there is more to this team than I thought besides you." There was a puff of smoke, and when it cleared, it revealed the Kusa kunoichi who gave the pair a blood thirsty smirk. "Looks like this is going to be more entertaining than even I had hoped for."

* * *

Naruto sighed as he continued jumping through the trees, trying to locate his teammates through the small scent of them he could find. "Ugh, just my luck to be knocked the furthest away."

As he continued grumbling Naruto was forced to jump to the side as a giant snake crashed into the tree he was on.

_I don't remember seeing any giant snakes in the forest._ Naruto frowned as the snake hissed and glared at him. "Whatever, I don't have time for you so you're going to have to go!"

There was a puff of smoke before it cleared to reveal a rather ornate katana that was several inches longer and two inches thicker than a standard sword. As the snake came at Naruto the blond shot off the tree like a rocket, letting the giant reptile crash into the tree, shaking it. Hitting another tree Naruto pushed chakra into his feet before blasting off.

He came at the snake hard, channeling wind chakra through his blade as he sliced at it, cutting the head off. The creature thrashed around for several seconds before it went still, then to Naruto's surprised disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"That was a summon?" Naruto said to himself in shock. "But that's not possible, the only ones who can summon snakes are Anko and…" The blond stiffened as he realized who that snake summon belonged to. "I have to find Sasuke and Sakura fast, and pray that they haven't run into the person who summoned this!"

Naruto caught a whiff of the pairs scent before heading off faster than before.

* * *

The strange Kusa kunoichi pulled out a scroll from her pouch and held it up for them to see, "You guys want this right? An earth scroll since you have the heaven scroll." As soon as she finished the kunoichi brought the scroll to her mouth, right before she shoved it down her gullet.

Both Konoha genin turned a light green and looked like they wanted to puke.

_That's disgusting!_ Sasuke thought as he shuddered.

"Now we can fight for these scrolls, with our lives on the line," the woman finished as she released an intense killing intent.

Both Sasuke and Sakura gasped as they fell to their knees, shaking and struggling to breath as images as their deaths at the Kusa ninja's hand came to their minds. They saw themselves getting gutted by a long sword, getting brutally ripped apart and all manner of gruesome deaths. The images of death lasted several seconds before they disappeared. Yet the feeling remained the same, gripping their hearts and preventing them from moving.

_T-this is no genjutsu,_ Sasuke struggled just to breathe. _Her killing intent is so intense it showed images of my death! I've never felt something like this before, not even from that time with Zabuza!_

"S-Sakura," Sasuke turned and saw that Sakura was even worse off than he was, shivering uncontrollably as tears ran down her cheeks

"Well it seems neither of you can move, a pity. I expected this to be a challenge." the woman said with a frown. "I guess I'll just get rid of you right now." She pulled out two kunai and gave them a lazy toss towards the two prone genin.

_C'mon move, I've got to move._ Sasuke struggled to move the hand he had that held his kunai. _C'mon move! MOVE!_

At the very last moment Sasuke managed to stab himself in the leg. Acting quickly he grabbed Sakura and leapt away.

"I see, so the prey managed to use pain to get rid of his fear," the strange kunoichi licked her lips. "It seems the prey might be more interesting than first glance may seem."

Sasuke stopped behind a tree when he felt they had gotten a safe distance away. He knelt down on the branch, pulling the kunai out of his leg with a wince. His Sharingan eyes began spinning frantically as he looked around for any sign of the frightening woman.

"Sasuke-kun, your leg looks pretty bad!" Sakura said as she looked at the wound. "Let me help you wit-" The pinkette was silenced when Sasuke covered her mouth with his hand as he searched for the woman.

_He's completely terrified right now. I've never seen him this scared before,_ Sakura thought in surprise.

It was then that she noticed the large snake above them, getting ready to devour the pair and tried to warn Sasuke, but couldn't because of the hand on her mouth. Finally she managed to back away as she pushed the hand back, "Sasuke-kun there's a snake above you!"

The raven haired boy turned and grabbed Sakura before jumping off the branch just as the snake smashed it. He set down Sakura and jumped away as the snake seemed to follow him. _Damn it! I was so frightened I wasn't aware of my surroundings!_

Sasuke grabbed several kunai and shuriken and began flinging them at the snake, aiming at the head in order to kill it. He gave a soft sigh of relief as the snake hissed and began to fall down. Then to his horror the scales on the snake began to crack, and then revealed the woman who had been chasing him came out, grinning at him widely.

"You two shouldn't relax even for a moment," the woman gave a bloodthirsty grin, "in the presence of a predator."

The woman began to slither across the tree branch, only to be stopped by a powerful wind blade cutting the branch in front of her.

"You know, if you two wanted to have a party like this you should have invited me," A voice spoke up from above them. The two genin looked up to see their teammate standing there; despite the joking tone he had a serious expression on his face.

"Well, well that was quite the wind jutsu," the woman said with a grin. "I don't think I've seen a wind blade that powerful before in a while, and coming from a Genin too. Surprises seem to abound on this team."

Naruto glared as he jumped down to his teammates, "Get the fuck out of that disguise, it's not fooling anyone…Orochimaru."

His two teammates stiffened and paled at the familiar name. Everyone had heard of Orochimaru, a genius shinobi who had been trained by the Sandaime Hokage along with Jiraiya and Tsunade. A man who was considered the foremost ninjutsu expert and along with his two other teammates had been dubbed the title of Sannin due to their famous battle against Salamander No Hanzo. He was also one of Konoha's worst traitors, an S-ranked missing ninja who was wanted for inhumane experimentation on citizens of Konoha and most likely, many other villages and countries.

Meanwhile the kunoichi just chuckled, "That's quite insightful, I would never have expected it from the dead last of his class." The kunoichi brought a hand to her face, peeling away the skin to reveal a pale face with yellow slitted eyes. "Tell me how you knew it was me?"

Naruto glared back despite the feeling of dread that was in his gut. He had really hoped he was wrong about who this was, it had been an assumption based on the fact that only he and Anko could summon snakes. "Only two people in this world can summon snakes; you and Anko-nee-chan."

"Ah! Yes, that's right, you know my old student." Orochimaru chuckled in twisted glee, a part of the Sannin was amused that this boy seemed close enough to consider Anko as an older sister figure, maybe he could use that for some form of psychological warfare.

"Ku ku ku, tell me how is dear Anko-chan? She was always my favorite you know. Is she still sore about me leaving her? You know I've heard many stories about her promiscuousness within Konoha, I guess I shouldn't be surprised you two seem to be getting along well."

"Don't you dare talk about Anko," Naruto clenched his fists so hard he began to bleed. The urge to kill this man was so strong the whiskered blond had almost launched himself at the Snake Sannin right then, it was only through sheer force of will and knowledge that he would not last five minutes against this man that allowed him to contain himself. "Because of you she's become an outcast, and only a few people are even willing to try and get to know her!"

"Ku ku ku, it seems I touched a sore spot," Orochimaru chuckled, "you and Anko-chan seem quite close. However I have not come here for idle chatter about my previous favorite tool, there are other matters I must attend to."

_What's he after? _Naruto kept his eyes trained on the Snake Sannin as he listened to the man's words. The whiskered blond did his best to remain calm and think clearly despite being near someone who could kill him as easily as one breathes. _There's only one reason someone like him would reveal himself to a couple of genin in a village that he betrayed,_ _but that wouldn't make sense! An S-rank missing ninja comes to the Chunin Exams for the entire purpose of fighting one of us in the Forest of Death? I don't understand what he hopes to gain from something like this._

"Why are you here?" asked Naruto, he was not quite sure that he would actually get an answer. After all, why would someone with such a reputation bother to tell a genin his plans? Because of this line of thought it came as quite a surprise when he did receive one.

"Why I am after Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru chortled, "He has something I want."

"What does he…" Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what this was about. "You want his Sharingan!"

That was the only possible explanation Naruto could come up with. Anko had told him about her relationship to Orochimaru, how she was his apprentice. She had also informed the blond of her sensei's desire to learn all the jutsu in the world. At the time Naruto had simply snorted, wondering why someone would pick such an impossible dream. However if Orochimaru ever got his hands on the Sharingan that dream could possibly become a reality. Sasuke's head snapped up and he looked between Naruto and Orochimaru, looking slightly pale and angry.

"It seems information on you was wrong. You are much more intelligent than my informant gave you credit for," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. He would love to investigate this matter further, however, "but I have no time to play games with you unfortunately. So just let me tend to my business with Sasuke-kun and I'll let you live."

Naruto looked back at his teammates, Sasuke was still standing behind him looking nothing like the Sasuke he knew from his team. Sakura was watching the proceedings in fear, shaking from head to toe at being so close to an S-ranked criminal of Orochimaru's caliber.

_I must be stupid to even think of taking on a Sannin on my own,_ Naruto thought as his hands made a hand seal, releasing the weights and resistance seals he had been wearing. He instantly felt lighter and more agile, he knew it would not be enough to defeat a Sannin but it would at least help. He turned back around and glared at the Sannin.

"I may not get along with these two very well, but they're still my teammates! The only way you're getting the teme is over my cooling corpse!" Naruto declared, shocking his teammates and amusing Orochimaru.

"How admirable," Orochimaru chuckled at the blonde's determination, amused by his desire to protect his comrades. "Ku ku ku, very well then, let us see how you do Naruto-kun."

"Sasuke, I want you and Sakura to get out of here," Naruto said as he turned to look at his shocked teammate. "I doubt I'll last more than five minutes against snake face over there, you'll have to get away and find a safe place to hide in that amount of time. I suggest you leave now."

Naruto brought his attention back to Orochimaru. He began pumping chakra through his body, strengthening limbs and speeding up his reaction time. Without preamble the blond launched himself at Orochimaru, closing the distance in several seconds as he reared his fist back to punch the Snake Sannin.

Only for a knee to smash itself into his gut. However at the last second Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke and was replaced by a log. "Oh, Kawarimi," Orochimaru mused with a grin.

"Fuuton: Kamikaze No Tatsumaki (Wind Release: Tornado of the Divine Winds)!" Naruto shouted out as he appeared on Orochimaru's left, thrusting out both palms towards the Snake Sannin. Two large tornadoes ripped from Naruto's palms and through the air. Orochimaru jumped out of the way as the branch he was on got torn to shreds.

"I don't think I've ever seen that jutsu before," Orochimaru mused as he looked from Naruto to the destroyed tree branch.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent!" Naruto yelled from behind Orochimaru, his fist already in motion to attack.

The Snake summoning shinobi spun around and weaved through the fist, kick combo that the spiky haired blond sent his way, bending like a snake as he did so. Orochimaru lashed out with a punch that managed to connect to Naruto's chest, sending the genin staggering back.

Before Naruto could recover Orochimaru was in front of him, launching punches and kicks at Naruto who did his best to dodge and black them. However for every one attack the blond got away from, at least three more hit their mark. It was obvious to the two who were watching that Orochimaru was merely playing with Naruto, picking apart the Genin's defenses like they were nothing. He would get inside Naruto's guard and place several hits that, while stung, did not really damage Naruto. Then he would retreat and test the blonde's reaction times.

Naruto strained his eyes as Orochimaru continued moving; trying to see his attacks and counter them. The man was fast, He was even faster then what the blond had seen from Gai, and Naruto knew he was still holding back immensely, making the battle enough of a challenge to prove interesting. He knew from his conversations with Anko that Orochimaru was like a snake dealing with its prey, he loved to play with them, to toy with them and humiliate them, to lure them in and strike them. Exactly what he was doing to Naruto right now

Naruto side stepped a punch, only to find it was a feint and get kicked in the stomach. He would try to block a kick, only for Orochimaru to switch at the very last second and kick Naruto with the opposite leg. He would try to come in with an attack of his own, throwing punches, kicks, launching elbows, knees and head-butts. Orochimaru would weave between them like a snake and then hit him with his own attacks.

Naruto sent a heel kick out that was aimed for Orochimaru's leg, watching as the man slithered around the attack and came in with his own. Barely managing to shift his body to the side, the blond Jinchuuriki let the attack slide past him. He grabbed onto the limb and attempted to reel Orochimaru in so he could strike at the man's face. However despite not looking it and despite not being as physically strong as his teammate Tsunade, the Snake Sannin's strength still exceeded Naruto's.

Rather than letting the blond pull him in, Orochimaru yanked his arm and made the blond shinobi stumble. With his opponent now off balance the S-ranked criminal used a knife strike to hit Naruto in the throat, forcing his esophagus closed for a moment and choking him. Orochimaru then lashed out with a kick to the blonde's ribs, sending Naruto tumbling back.

However Naruto managed change his fall into a roll, kipping back on his feet.

Realizing he was merely being toyed with Naruto decided to attack from a distance, launching a wind blade from his hand. Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in mild surprise at the display of pure elemental manipulation, but still managed to dodge the attack.

Naruto launched several more wind blades, hoping to distract him and buy him enough time to come up with some kind of plan to get him out of this alive.

However it seemed Orochimaru did not feel like giving him any, "Sen'eijashu!" the Snake Sannin thrust out his hands and six snakes shot from the man's sleeves.

Thankfully for Naruto he had been fighting against Anko for several months and had come up with an effective strategy for dealing with this jutsu. Channeling wind chakra into the palm of his hand Naruto thrust it forward, unleashing a powerful wave of wind that the snakes smashed into and stopped cold, it was almost as if they had hit a wall. The snakes dispersed and the blond also thanked himself for his foresight in learning how to manipulate the elements in its raw form rather than just using standard jutsu, that he could do this with just the training he had proved that this was a good path to follow up on.

Going through several hand seals for something he was not yet capable of doing with just manipulation, Naruto called out one of his more powerful wind jutsu, "Fuuton: Renkuudan!"

Naruto hit himself on the stomach, causing a baseball sized bullet of air shot out of Naruto's mouth. It sailed right towards Orochimaru who merely bent his body in an angle that no human should be capable of, before resuming his original standing form.

However that small dodge had given Naruto time close the distance between them again. He launched a fist that had wind chakra surrounding it at Orochimaru, who merely redirected the fist elsewhere as it released a blast of wind. Getting closer into the blonde's guard, the Sannin shot a punch into Naruto's ribs; only for Naruto to disappear in a puff of smoke and be replaced with a log.

The real Naruto appeared behind Orochimaru, his fist linked together by his thumbs as he thrust them out. "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!"

Two large fist shaped blasts of wind smashed into Orochimaru, leaving two fist shaped indents on his chest and stomach. Before Naruto could celebrate his victory Orochimaru broke down into snakes that slithered away.

"Ku ku ku. That was quite the jutsu Naruto-kun," a voice said behind him.

Naruto stiffened in surprise; he turned just in time to receive two fists to the chest. Naruto felt his a few of his ribs compress under the pressure of the hit before breaking. Time seemed to stand still for those few seconds as Naruto's ribs buckled and caved under the strength of the attack. It restarted itself and Naruto found himself smashing into a tree trunk hard enough to leave an imprint of himself before he slid down it.

"Well that was certainly an amusing battle, ku ku ku," Orochimaru smiled as he turned to Sasuke and Sakura who had not left like Naruto told them to. "Now I wonder if you can do any better Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's eyes widened as the S-class criminal walked towards him at a sedate pace. "No! Stay back!" He threw several shuriken and kunai at Orochimaru, but the man merely weaved in between them like they were not even there.

"Ku ku ku, it seems you still hold fear child," Orochimaru bit his thumb and began doing a few hand seals. "What a disappointment. If this is all you're capable of I'll just let my pet deal with you," "Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!" Orochimaru slammed his hand onto the branch, causing seals to appear on the tree branch under it. There was a puff of smoke and Sasuke and Sakura found themselves staring at a large snake. "Time to feast my pet," Orochimaru chortled from atop the snake.

The reptile hissed as it bared its fangs at Sasuke, right before lunging down to devour the boy whole. Sasuke could do absolutely nothing as the snake closed in on him, too busy dealing with the shock of Naruto's decision to protect him, and the fear he felt of Orochimaru.

However, before the snake could swallow the two genin whole, Naruto appeared in front of it, letting the creature hit him in the back as he channeled chakra to his feet. The giant snake was stopped by Naruto right in front of Sasuke, who stared at the blond in shock.

* * *

Outside of the Forest of Death one Mitarashi Anko was happily drinking her red bean soup and munching on some Dango. "Mmmm. There ain't nothing better than dango and red bean soup…once I'm done eating I guess I'll head over to the tower. It's been about twenty-four hours, so the fast ones should be finishing up."

Anko finished eating all of the dango on threw the pointy toothpick at the tree. "There, a perfect leaf symbol." She exclaimed as she finished making the symbol of Konoha from the toothpicks she had been throwing that had held her dango.

There was a sudden puff of smoke and one of the Chunin proctors appeared in front of her, "There's big trouble Anko-san! We need you right away!"

Anko stared at the Chunin with a blank expression as she chewed on her dango, "What is it?"

"Bodies, three of them. There's something wrong with them, something I think you need to see."

Anko tapped her chin in thought before deciding to follow the Chunin. When she got to the bodies it was to discover something that rather shocked her, especially since she had seen it before.

"After examining their papers and personal items, they seem to be from Kusagakure who were entered into this exam but…" The Chunin who was looking at the information on the team shook his head. "As you can see they have no faces. They're blank, as if they've been completely melted off."

_There's no mistaking it, this jutsu is Orochimaru's work!_ Anko thought frantically. _But why is he here? And why now?_

"Show me the pictures of these three?" Anko demanded. When she got to see the photo id's it was to see the face of the woman who had grabbed Anko's kunai with her tongue.

_I should have realized this from the beginning! He was already in disguise at the time, _the Snake mistress swore as her mind became a whirlwind of activity.

Anko whirled on the three chunin who were at the scene, "I need you to report this to Hokage-sama! Get him to send in some ANBU teams into the Forest of Death! I'm going after them right now!"

Anko did not bother to wait for a reply as she ran towards the gate and jumped over it, heading into the Forest of Death to confront her old sensei.

* * *

Naruto's head was looking down, casting his eyes in shadow as he spoke. **"What the fuck is wrong with you!"** The voice was different, more guttural and raspy then it had been. **"I asked you a question teme!"** Naruto lifted his head up to reveal red eyes with black slits running down the middle. His whisker marks were thicker, more jagged than the standard lines they normally were. And his canines had elongated, jutting from his upper lip.

"**What's the matter pussy! Too scared to even run away!"** Naruto glared at Sasuke. **"Tch. This isn't the teme I know, that Sasuke may have been a prick, but he was never this weak and cowardly!"**

Naruto reared his fists and then slammed them into the snake behind him, leaving two decently sized imprints on the creature's face. The snake hissed out in pain before being forced back the summoning world.

"**I guess I'll just have to take care of this myself!" **Naruto glared at Orochimaru as he landed on the branch.

_Now this is interesting, _the snake Sannin thought to himself as he began to dodge and weave in between Naruto's renewed assault. _His speed, reflexes and strength seems to have doubled. The boy is quite the surprise._

Naruto jumped into the air and descended on Orochimaru with an axe kick. The Snake Sannin jumped back, letting Naruto's heel hit the tree, creating a small crater on the branch. Naruto appeared in front of Orochimaru and attempted to claw the Sannin's eyes out. Orochimaru ducked and weaved under the attack, coming into the blonds guard and hitting him numerous times in the torso. However, this time, all they did was make Naruto stumble back a little.

Glaring Naruto came in again, this time with a low kick high kick combo. When Orochimaru dodged all of them Naruto shot a wind blade at him from point blank. To Naruto's surprise, Orochimaru was able to dodge the attack enough that it only left a light wound on his left arm.

Gritting his teeth, he charged in even more furiously than before. Despite the increase in speed Orochimaru found that Naruto was getting increasingly sloppy. Where before his attacks had some fluidity, now he was leaving nearly twice the amount of openings.

_I see so the more heightened his emotions get the stronger and faster he becomes._ Orochimaru side stepped a punch and delivered his own at the Genin's face, sending the blond stumbling back. _But it comes at the cost of his ability to think clearly._

Deciding he had seen enough Orochimaru waited until Naruto attacked next, Kawirimi'ing himself with a Tsuchi Bunshin(Mud Clone). He appeared behind Naruto and wrapped his tongue around the blond genin's neck.

"**What the-! Hey, let me go you stupid fuck!"** Naruto grabbed onto the tongue as he began to struggle against the tight hold. Orochimaru lifted the parted Naruto's cloak and lifted up his shirt.

"Ah! So that's the seal that keeps it at bay. I have to admit, it's quite the masterpiece. When your emotions are heightened and you're in danger it releases the power of the Kyuubi, very interesting. You may actually be of use to me."

The fingers Orochimaru's left hand began to glow purple. However, just as he was about to slam his fingers into the seal with the Gogyou Fuiun (Five Prong Seal), Naruto decided that he would rather not have the snake Sannin's touch his stomach, or any other part of him for that matter. Channeling chakra into his gauntlets the 'slinct' sound of his tri-claws coming out sounded, right before he sliced a decent sized chunk of Orochimaru's tongue right off.

"Gah!" Orochimaru hissed in pain as half of his tongue was severed, "You goddamn brat!" He opened his mouth and a snake shot out of it The snake opened its mouth to reveal a sword, which stabbed Naruto right through the stomach, just missing his spinal cord as it went out the other end.

"**AAAAHHHHGGGG****!"** An Animalistic howl of pain shot out of Naruto's mouth as he slammed into a tree, the sword pinning him to it.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, her voice working for the first time since the fight started.

"Ku ku ku. That was quite the performance Naruto-kun." Orochimaru regained his composure as he began going through more hand seals. "As a gift to you I will grant you some of my power, think of it as a gift for impressing me so much." The Snake Sannin's neck elongated and he bit Naruto on the left side of his neck.

"**AAAAH**HHH!" Naruto screamed as a seal began to form in the place Orochimaru bit, taking the shape of a diamond pattern.

"Now…" Orochimaru turned to look at Sasuke. "Let's see if the Uchiha can do as well as Naruto-kun did."

Had Orochimaru bothered to look at Naruto again he would have seen the seal he created pulse, with wisps of purple chakra coming out of it.

* * *

Naruto's eyes shot open as he sat up. "What the- where am I? What happened?" He asked himself as he looked around frowning when he saw that he was in…Konoha? At least, it looked like Konoha. The buildings were the same, and he could see both the Hokage Monument, and the Tower.

However where the Leaf Village would normally be bustling with activity this place looked dead. There was no one there, something that rather disturbed the young genin. Standing up Naruto began to walk around, trying to find any signs of life.

"How did I get here?" he asked out loud, not expecting an answer. "The last thing I remember was-" his hands immediately went to his neck and stomach, checking to see if the stab wound and the puncture marks he would not doubt have on his neck were there. They weren't there, making Naruto frown. "I don't think I dreamed it so…"

He was knocked out of his thoughts when he saw a shadow hopping across the roofs. Spinning around Naruto jumped onto the nearest roof and took off after the shadowy blur.

"Hey! Stop!" He called out to no avail. Either the person didn't hear him or the man was just not listening. "Damn it, listen to someone when they're talking to you! Stop!"

Naruto chased the shadowy figure all over Konoha, eventually ending up on the Hokage Monument. "What the hell is going on here! Who are you!" He glared at the figure whose back was turned to him. "Answer me!"

"**Hehehe."** The figure laughed, the voice sounded demonic and with an odd echo, as if two people were speaking. **"So you can't figure it out? Figures, I was always the brains between the two of us."**

The figure turned around lifted the hood it was wearing, causing Naruto to gasp as he saw the spiky blond hair, and three whisker marks on each cheek. There was no mistaking it.

It was himself!

* * *

Sotei Jinsei Fuiin (Binding Life Seal) - Fuuinjutsu, No rank. A seal designed to inform one's teammates when they are in the same vicinity of each other. Works in a sixteen feet radius by glowing a soft blue and vibrating when a teammate is near. Glow and vibration intensify when more than two people with the connecting seals are near.

Fuuton: Kamikaze No Tatsumaki (Wind Release: Tornado of the Divine Winds) – B-rank Elemental Jutsu. Channeling wind chakra and rotating it around the fists, the user thrusts his hands out and releases his chakra. This creates two large tornadoes filled with wind blades that slice and dice an enemy within the tornado.

Tsuchi Bunshin (Mud Clone) – C-rank clone jutsu. As the name suggests this clone is made by infusing one's chakra into the mud and making it take the shape of its creator. Unlike Mizu Bunshins and Kage Bunshins, one hit will not dispel this type of clone. It is designed to take more punishment than the other clone types, and is standardly used as a great escape jutsu to use in conjunction with

Kawarimi.

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**Here you all are, let me know what you think.**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is just a message to the anonymous douche who wrote this:**

**"You do a shitty job writing anything that isn't battle and a mediocre job at that. Why I wasted an hour reading this, I'll never know. Guess I'll write one now to wash the shame of having read this."**

**First off, the fact that you don't have the balls to use your screen name is pathetic, if I was going to flame someone you can be sure as hell I would use mine so they could message me and at least get further details on why I don't like it if they so desire, though I at least try to keep any criticism constructive. Second, have you even written your own story? For some reason I highly doubt it, so until you write your own fanfic, don't bitch about other peoples work. No one forces you to read this and if all your going to do is complain than don't bother reading. Third, I don't get paid to do this, I write this on my own time, when I HAVE the time because I like writing. I post my work on here because I figured others might like to read it, if you don't, I'm not gonna cry, just stop reading and don't be a dick. And finally, My story has 965 reviews, 177,000 + hits, 75 C2s, it's on the favorites list of 1,042 people and the alerts of 931 and this story has only been on the site for about three weeks. So tell me, if my story sucks so much then why do all those people like to read my stories? No answer? I thought not.**

**However I at the very least thank you for the review, since it means I have one more then I would otherwise.**

**I would like to thank all of the people who reviewed this story; I'm almost at the 1000 mark, a grand occasion for any writer. This is only thanks to the people who have been giving me reviews, whether they are positive feedback, constructive criticism, opinions, idea's etc. I appreciate all of you both for reading and reviewing my story.**

**Another thank you goes out to Senjuto for helping me beta my story. **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and I probably never will own Naruto. I just wanted to let all of you know that in case you didn't get the memo…I know it's depressing, it depresses me too.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 17: of Battles and Courage**

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_It's almost nightfall, _Anko jumped through the trees as she searched for Orochimaru. She had been searching for at least two or three hours now and was starting to get both desperate and angry. Desperate at the thought of finally facing him and killing him, and angry that she had yet to find even a trace of the slippery snake. _I'll have to find him quickly; once it gets dark I'll be at a complete disadvantage._

She landed on a branch and looked around, trying to determine where to head next.

"Ku ku ku," Anko turned at the sound of the voice and saw Orochimaru sticking into a tree, "Well hello Anko-chan, how pleasant to see you."

"Orochimaru, you sick fuck. Today's the day you die," Anko spun around and jumped back as she pulled out several kunai to toss. The Snake Sannin's tongue shot out before she could throw them, smacking them out of her hand.

Anko landed on a tree branch and looked up to see Orochimaru descending towards her. She jumped back and thrust out her hands.

"Sen'eijashu!" Several snakes shot out of her hands and latched onto Orochimaru. However, as they sunk their venomous fangs into the Sannin he turned into mud. "Shit! Tsuchi Bunshin!"

She spun around just in time to intercept her former sensei's tongue, which she noticed with some surprise looked like a part of it had been cut off. She grabbed it with both hands as a snake shot out of her sleeves and wrapped themselves around the tongue, tightening her hold.

"You're not getting away!" she yanked on the tongue, throwing the surprised looking Snake Sannin over her. He landed on the ground with a thud, and Anko used that opportunity to jump on him and ram a knee in his gut.

Once again Orochimaru turned into mud, and this time, Anko was not fast enough as several snakes wrapped around her and smashed her into a tree. Anko didn't even have time to gasp as Orochimaru appeared right in front of her and jammed a kunai into her right hand and pinned it against the trunk.

"Ack!" Anko grunted as her hand gave a spasm from the nerves being damaged.

"Tsk tsk tsk Anko-chan, you should know better. You know you have no chance against me," Orochimaru chided her, much like he had when she was his student.

Anko grunted as she yanked the kunai out, "Fuck! You!" she threw it at Orochimaru who merely caught it between his fingers, twirling it around before tossing it back at her and cutting her cheek.

Before Anko could respond Orochimaru slammed her into the tree and lifted her up by the neck. "Such anger, are you not happy to see your sensei? You know that hurts my feelings Anko-chan, to know my favorite student hates me breaks my heart."

"You…don't have…a heart!" Anko gasped as she struggled to breathe. She tried to stab him with a kunai but Orochimaru used the Kanashibiri No Jutsu (Paralysis Jutsu) to paralyze her.

"You wound me Anko-chan," Orochimaru chided, wagging a finger at her.

"Why are you…here?" Anko grit her teeth, "Are you trying to…assassinate Hokage-sama!"

"No, no I don't have enough men for that yet," Orochimaru smirked, "So I thought I'd recruit some outstanding shinobi from this village."

"Ugh…" Anko tried to scream as she felt her cursed seal flare up.

"I have to admit I've received quite the bountiful harvest today," The Snake Sannin licked his lips. "I came here for one particularly talented Genin, and I ended up getting two. Both of them have received my…gift."

"How selfish of you…they're going to die," Anko gasped.

"Hmm…the chances are 1/10, however one may survive and the other is guaranteed to survive."

If Anko could have stiffened she would have, "Wh…who have you given your curse to?"

"Feeling jealous are we?" Orochimaru chuckled. "Are you still upset that I threw you away? Even after all these years…unlike you, both of these shinobi are quite talented. One of them is the kid who carries the Uchiha blood after all…and the other." Orochimaru licked his lips. "The other is the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi No Kitsune."

Anko paled for a second before she snarled at him, "If you even touch him, I swear to Kami I'll fucking kill you!"

"Ku ku ku, so you two are quite close after all. You know when I spoke of you, he said the same thing." Orochimaru gave a soft chortle, "I didn't realize you were into cradle robbing Anko-chan. Though from what I've heard about your… sexual habits I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

Anko could do nothing but listen on helplessly as her former sensei demeaned her relationship with Naruto. Truthfully she did not quite know what she felt for the younger blond, but she knew she would give her life for him. To listen to her sensei speak of their relationship, something Anko had started holding close to her heart was more then she could bear.

"Just imagine it!" Orochimaru smirked, "With that boy under my control, and Sasuke-kun's Sharingan, Konoha will most surely fall."

"Naruto would never… follow you!" If there was anything Anko was sure of it was that. Somehow despite all the pain he went through, Naruto still loved Konoha, or at the very least several of the people in it, he would never betray it or them.

"Oh I don't know about that. We all know how Jinchuuriki are treated. I will be the one to take away his pain and grant him the power to get revenge on the village that wronged him. Just think! It will be glorious to have him under my control!"

Orochimaru let go of Anko, letting her drop to the floor. "Anyway, I have three ninja of my own participating in this exam. I think I will go and enjoy the coming show." The S-ranked criminal sunk into the floor, yet his final words echoed around Anko. "Oh and be sure not to let Sarutobi-sensei ruin my fun, or I'll burn Konoha to the ground."

Anko was forced to lay there for several more minutes until she could move again. Getting up she made her way to the tower.

* * *

Sakura looked at her two teammates in worry as she changed their now hot rags with newer ones. She knew she was in trouble. Both of her teammates were unconscious and there was no telling when an enemy shinobi would show up in this place. She had managed to drag her two teammates to a large hollowed out tree, where she had set them in order to give them some kind of cover, but it would be obvious they were there to anyone who looked.

She looked down at Sasuke, who was sweating profusely and currently whimpering in some kind of pain. He had stopped screaming an hour ago, but it was obvious he was still being affected by whatever Orochimaru had done to him.

Sakura turned her attention over to her blond teammate who seemed to be having far more problems, he was sweating a lot, grunts of pain and occasional shouts escaped him, almost like he was locked in some kind of struggle. What was worse was his cursed seal, it was pulsing and a vile purple chakra was leaking out of it. Added onto that was the large stab wound he had suffered, she bandaged it up as best she could but she was no medic. She looked at the now soaking red bandages that covered his surprisingly muscular torso, had she not been so worried by the wound, which had gone all the way through his back she would have blushed at the compact yet tightly muscled body.

_I'm going to need to change his bandages again._

As she watched Naruto he began to trash around, yelling and shouting in pain and fear. Sakura was forced to literally hold him down so he would not hurt himself any more then he already had. She waited for it to subside before getting off him.

_What's going on with him? _She wondered as she began wiping some of the blood that was trickling down his mouth due to him biting his tongue as she continued to watch him her thoughts went back to the battle he had gotten into with Orochimaru. A part of her still could not believe he would go so far to protect her and Sasuke.

"_I may not get along with these two very well, but there still my teammates! The only way you're getting the teme is over my cooling corpse!" Naruto declared, shocking his teammates and amusing Orochimaru._

_That he would so willingly fight an S-rank criminal he had no chance of beating just so we could escape… _Sakura felt guilty for all of the times she had berated him now. He had risked his life for her, knowing the chances of victory were nil and she repaid him by yelling at him and trying to abuse him. Not that she could hit him anymore when she tried but that was not really the point.

Seeing his strength and Sasuke's afterwards made her realize that they were getting farther and farther away from her in terms of ability.

She was forced to hold Naruto down again as he began thrashing around and shouting in pain.

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"Did you hear that?" asked a black-haired kunoichi as she turned to her partners after hearing the shouts of fright and pain. "Do you think it was the Uchiha?"

"No, it sounded like that blond-haired kid." Replied the bandage faced shinobi. "Sounds like he was injured, I'm looking forward to paying him back for kicking me."

"So we should attack them now?" asked the kunoichi.

The bandaged shinobi shook his head. "No let's wait until the pink-haired one falls asleep. We'll attack at dawn to make things easier."

"Aw c'mon Dosu, that chick doesn't look like she can even take on one of us," the spiky haired Genin complained. "Hell, I doubt she could even take on an academy student."

"I agree with Zaku. I mean, look at her."

"I would rather not deal with any unnecessary conflict," Dosu snapped, "I don't care how weak she is, I would rather just run in, and kill them without trouble. And even though she does look weak, I want to do this when she can't even put up a fight."

The other two members just sighed, eventually nodding their heads, Dosu had been the one put in charge for this mission, so they really had no choice but to follow him.

* * *

Naruto stared at the person who looked just like him in shock. This person looked exactly like him. There were some minor differences, those differences being that his hair was a little darker, his whiskers were thicker and more jagged, and his eyes were a blood red color. But everything else was unmistakably his features, "Who are you!"

"**What a stupid question,"**the Naruto look-alike chuckled, **"I am you of course!"**

Naruto's eyes widened, "That's… not possible!" Then he stiffened and his eyes widened even more as he realized something, "You're that voice I heard on the bridge!" What the hell was going on! He had thought the voice belonged to Kyuubi!

"**I'm so pleased to know you recognize my voice, maybe you're not as stupid as I thought," **Yami Naruto tilted his head, his grin still on his face. **"And it's perfectly possible. I am you; I am the you that you buried deep within your heart. The darkness you carry within you. Haven't you ever wondered why even after everything you've been through you never truly felt any hatred? Why even with the village treating you, like you worth less than the dirt they walked on, you never lashed out?"**

Naruto frowned, truth be told he had never thought about why he had never really felt anger, or why he was always so cheerful. He had just felt that crying over something, or getting angry over something that could not be helped simply wasn't worth it. All he had ever wanted was for people to see him, and then later on to prove he was not the Kyuubi. He never had time for what he felt were ridiculous thoughts, "Not really." The blond shrugged and decided to try and keep a nonchalant attitude for this confrontation, "I never had time to think about such stupid and ridiculous and pointless thoughts."

"**Well, whether you thought about it or not, that is what I am. I am the darkness that you buried in your heart ever since you realized you were hated." **The Yami Naruto grinned, showing off his elongated canines, **"I have been buried here deep within your mind. But every year I would gain just a little bit more power, a little bit more freedom."**

It was here that the Yami Naruto frowned, **"At least until recently that is. Ever since you graduated and befriended 'those' two I have stopped growing. Ever since they came into the picture I began to get weaker!"** The dark version of the blond growled, **"I nearly gave up hope for ever getting out of here and giving Konoha our just revenge! The only time I was able to truly make an appearance was when that Haku chick died, and even then I could only subtly influence you. However…"**

Naruto watched in a mixture of shock and fear as a vile purple chakra surrounded his dark self, a seal spread out from his neck, forming a diamond pattern before stopping when it covered half of the dark Naruto's body.

"**However, after that man bit you I gained this! This incredible power! Power enough to defeat you and take over this body!"**Yami Naruto let loose a hollow and chilling laugh, **"With this I will get our revenge on Konoha! I will destroy that pathetic village!"**

Naruto glared at his opposite, before smirking, "You must be some kind of fucking retard if you think I'm going to let you get away with something like that. I'll never let you destroy Konoha, it's still my home and there are still people I love in it."

"**You won't be able to stop me!"**Yami Naruto rushed towards the blond faster than he could track. Naruto gasped as he felt a powerful blow being delivered to his chest. The blond was sent sailing off the Hokage Monument and smacked into the Hokage Tower, blasting a whole right through it.

Naruto groaned as he pushed some of the larger pieces of rubble off of him, "What strength…" He stood up on shaky legs his dark-self jumped towards him.

The blond snarled as he charged at Yami Naruto, who had stopped and stared at him with an infernal smirk on his face. Naruto threw a punch at his dark half. However all he hit was an after image. He gasped in pain as a fist implanted itself in his stomach, making him fold over like a cheap lawn chair.

"**Pathetic! To think you're a part of me,"**Yami Naruto frowned.

Suddenly Naruto disappeared in a burst of smoke, causing Yami Naruto's eyes to widen before he was sent sailing from a kick to the face. He flipped over in midair as he flew out of the Hokage Tower and landed on the ground several dozen feet below.

Naruto jumped down after him at him, descending with an axe kick. The dark half blocked it, grabbing onto Naruto's leg and spinning him around before throwing him way. Flipping in midair Naruto's feet hit a wall, which he used as a spring board to shoot forward.

As soon as he got within reach of his dark half, the dark Naruto smashed an elbow in his face, only for Naruto to turn into a log. He reappeared behind his dark version and linked his fists together, hammering them down onto his head. However Yami Naruto blocked the other blond, crossing his arms over his head. He grabbed onto Naruto's wrists before flinging him over his back, making him hit the ground with a grunt.

Despite getting the wind knocked out of him Naruto managed to latch onto his dark half's hands, pulling him down as he planted his feet in the other blonde's stomach. With a yell Naruto pushed the dark one into the air. Yami Naruto flew several feet into the air, and as he started coming back down Naruto jumped up to meet him. The blond planted a fist into the dark ones face, using his chakra increase his strength and send the dark Naruto flying.

Naruto landed back on the ground while his dark half hit it with a loud crash. He watched as dust flew into the air, getting into a stance as he waited for his other self to come out.

The Yami Naruto did eventually, bursting through the dust and coming towards him at speeds greater than those that the blond could reach. They soon began to trade blows, smashing each other through buildings and beating and pounding away at each other. They began using the buildings and debris to their advantage, each one trying to gain the upper hand setting traps with exploding clones in the hopes of at least catching the other off guard. They used all the skills they possessed to beat the other.

Technically the two were completely even; they had the same skills, the same strengths and the same weaknesses. A battle such as this would normally have turned into a battle of attrition with two people who had the same strengths simply winning by wearing the other down. Technically the battle was dead even.

However Yami Naruto had the power of the cursed seal fueling him, his darkness feeding the seal and in turn the seal feeding his strength. For every one hit Naruto got in, Yami Naruto got in three to four more, pounding away at the blond, beating him to a bleeding mass of flesh.

Not that Naruto was about to give up.

Realizing his situation Naruto jumped back and went through several hand seals. "Fuuton: Renkuudan!" Naruto's cheeks bulged as he gathered air into his mouth; he hit himself on the stomach, launching a compressed ball of wind.

"**Fool,"**Yami Naruto sneered as he went through his own hand seals. **"You can't beat me like that! ****Fuuton: Renkuudan!****"**He shot out his own ball of wind, intercepting the one Naruto shot. The two clashed in an explosion of wind.

Naruto grit his teeth as he jumped on a building, speeding through more hand seals. "Fuuton: Kaze Senbon!" Several dozen senbon made of wind appeared in front of him, before all of them shot towards the dark Naruto. As soon as they hit, holes appeared on him, only for Naruto to disappear in a burst of smoke.

The roof broke apart and Yami Naruto flew out of the new whole, smashing a fist under Naruto's chin and sending him flying. Naruto hit the edge of the roof before bouncing off before he hit the ground below. Yami Naruto jumped off the roof, forcing Naruto to roll out of the way as he attempted to stomp on the blond.

Continuing his roll Naruto pushed himself up and released a wind blade as he pushed himself into a corkscrew. Yami Naruto dodged and Naruto used that time to close the distance, punching his other half in the face. However he was sent sailing back when his dark counterpart exploded.

Naruto gasped in pain as he smashed through a wall, landing on his back and feeling several of the sharper pieces of debris stab into his back. He yelped in pain, rolling on his stomach in an effort to keep the debris from going any deeper.

"**Hehehe, I told that you couldn't beat me," **Yami Naruto smirked as he appeared before Naruto, stepping on one of the pieces of debris and pushing it into Naruto's back.

"AAAAHHHH!" Naruto yelled out, his back contorting as pain shot through his nerves. When his counterpart released him Naruto gasped for breath, trying to control the spasms that ran through his back.

"**Hah…"**Yami Naruto sighed, **"Looks like I'm finally gonna get my freedom."**He kneeled down next to Naruto, **"Don't worry I won't kill you, that would be like killing myself after all. However, now you're gonna know what it feels like to be locked away, and you're not getting out."**

_Damn it! Why is he so strong! _Naruto grit his teeth as he tasted blood in his mouth. He tried to get up only to realize his body wasn't responding; on top of that his vision was starting to get heavy. _He's too strong… I can't beat him…_

'_**Don't give up,'**_Naruto blinked as he heard a feminine voice enter his mind.

'_W-who?'_

'_**You can't give up.'**_

'_But he's too strong.'_

'_**If you give up he will destroy Konoha, and the precious people you have inside.'**_

'_Precious people?'_

"_When a person has something important to protect, that's when they become truly strong."_

'_Haku… I can't give up now. What would Haku-chan think of me if I just let him win! All of my friends would die! Ojisan, Teuchi-Ojisan, Ayame-nee-chan, Anko-nee-chan and Ten-chan. I can't give up!'_

'_**Then you must get back up and fight.'**_

'_W-who are you?'_

The voice giggled, _**'You will know in time. For now let me help you.'**_

Naruto suddenly felt power coursing through him as a foreign chakra invaded him. It felt odd, familiar, Naruto felt as if he should recognize the signature somehow. He stood up as the energy began pushing the debris out of his back, catching the attention of Yami Naruto.

"If you think I'll ever let you go free you've got another thing coming," Naruto said with his hair shadowing his eyes, the smirk on his face being the only thing Yami Naruto saw, "Now I'm gonna beat your ass black and blue!"

Naruto shot forward faster than his dark counterpart could react, jumping in the air and smashing a knee into Yami Naruto's face. As the dark one stumbled back, Naruto came in grabbed his head and smashed Yami Naruto's face into his knee, over and over as blood began to splatter on the floor.

Yami Naruto managed to free himself by jabbing his counterpart in the stomach, however it did little more then give him a second to breathe before Naruto was on him again. Like the last fight, this one was completely one sided; only this time it was Yami Naruto who was on the losing side.

Naruto came in with a left right, fist elbow combination. Yami Naruto was able to block the combo, but did not even see the knee that came in due to his focus on the other attacks. The Dark blond gasped as he felt his intestines crumple under the hit, causing him to fold over the knee like a cheap lawn chair. Less than a second later Naruto spun around on his heel and smashed a foot directly in his dark counterparts face, listening in satisfaction as bone and cartilage broke under his assault.

The force of the kick sent Yami Naruto flying, landing on the ground several feet back skidding along the ground for several more feet before stopping.

Panting heavily Naruto walked over to where the figure of his dark half lie. He looked at the face of himself as the cursed seal receded and smirked.

"Looks like you lost."

His dark half scowled, **"Do not think this means I am beaten! I will come back, when the time is right I will return and,"** A cruel smile graced his lips, **"I will destroy Konoha and everything you hold dear."**

Naruto watched as Yami Naruto disintegrated, leaving nothing behind, "You can come back as many times as you want." Naruto replied to his other self's parting words, even though he was no longer there to hear them, "I'll beat your ass each and every time."

With the battle over the odd energy that had been empowering him left, causing him to fall to the floor, unconscious before he even hit the ground.

* * *

Sakura continued trying to keep an active vigil over her two teammates, however there was a look of exhaustion clearly written on her face. She had been awake for close to eighteen hours, forgoing even short naps since she did not know if or when an enemy would attack. Her head began to nod as she felt herself getting tired.

It snapped back up when she heard the sound of a twig snapping, and turned to see a squirrel running towards her. She gave a sigh of relief when she realized it was not an enemy, however her eyes widened and she threw a kunai towards it. Luckily for the squirrel it hit the ground right in front of it, causing the creature to squeak and run off.

She let out a deep breath as she watched it scurry away and turned back to watch her teammates. Soon enough her head began to nod and her eyes began to close. That was when she heard a chuckle coming from in front of her.

Looking up it was to see the three Oto genin who Naruto had stopped from attacking Kabuto. All of them had a cocky looking smirk on their faces, well, the two whose faces could be seen, she could not tell if the one with his head wrapped in bandages did or not.

"Looks like you've been up all night," came the smug voice from Dosu.

"Now if you don't mind, why don't you wake up the Uchiha. We're here to fight him." Zaku gave the girl a bloodthirsty leer.

"What did Orochimaru do to Sasuke-kun and Naruto!" asked Sakura, causing the trio to widen their eyes in recognition of the name. "You guys work for him don't you! Tell me what that mark he put on them is!"

The group of Oto ninja paused as they absorbed the new information given. The cursed mark was something only the failed experiments or the elite members of Orochimaru's forces had. Something seemed off about their orders now. Why give the Uchiha a curse mark, only to have him assassinated a short while later. And this girl was saying the blond had one as well, which was even more out of character for their leader.

"I wonder what that man is up to…" Dosu wondered out loud; however he pushed aside such thoughts for now.

"Hmph, since you now possess this information I'm afraid we can't let you live. Or the other two for that matter," Zaku prepared to charge the girl.

"Wait Zaku!" Dosu ordered, getting his teammate to stop. The man walked forwards until he stopped at the spot where Sakura threw the kunai. Kneeling down on the grass he ran his hand over the area. "This soil looks like it's been disturbed and the grass isn't growing here. It looks like you tried to set a trap for us, poorly I might add."

Sakura paled, causing the three Oto ninja to smirk before they leapt over the ground. Before they reached the apex of their jump Sakura smirked, using the kunai in her hand to cut a strand of ninja wire attached to the kunai embedded in the ground next to her.

As the second wire was cut, a large log came flying towards the three Oto genin. While the three were slightly surprised by the second trap, they got over it quickly. Dosu placed the hand with the odd metal gauntlet on the log and channeled some chakra into it. The results shocked Sakura as the log was split in two, leaving the trio's progress to her unimpeded.

Her eyes widened as the three descended towards them. As her mind registered that she was going to die a loud shout of "Konoha Senpuu!" distracted her from the defeatist thought, and a green blur appeared in front of the three Oto genin, knocking each of them away with a kick.

As the green blur stopped moving, Sakura managed to recognize the familiar figure.

_Lee!_ She thought, confused but thankful for his help.

"Who the hell are you!" Zaku shouted as he stood up and rubbed his sore cheek.

"I am Konoha's beautiful green beast, Rock Lee," Proclaimed the bowl cut, spandex wearing Genin.

"Lee, what are you doing here?" asked a bewildered Sakura.

The boy looked back at her and grin, "I will always appear whenever you are in danger, Sakura-san." He reached over towards his shoulder and gently grabbed the squirrel sitting on it, before setting the woodland creature on the ground, "It's all thank to you, little guy."

Sakura gave the boy a smile, "Thank you, Lee."

Lee gave her a thumbs up before turning to the Oto genin, "I said it once before, I'll protect you 'til the day I die."

Sakura just smiled as she pulled out a kunai and prepared in case Lee needed help.

Dosu eyed the green clad Genin wearily. He knew better then to judge the boy because of his terrible fashion sense, that speed he had shown proved he was good.

_No matter how good he is, he's no match for the three of us, _Dosu thought as he began to advance towards Lee.

Darting forward Dosu uncovered the odd gauntlet he was wearing, rearing his fist back to strike at the Genin. Much to his shock said boy waited until he was halfway there before slamming his hands into the ground and pulling out a large chunk of rock and dirt. Dosu's arm hit the rocks, causing it to explode.

"While I have not seen you fight, I remember you bringing that strange gauntlet to bear against Kabuto-san," Lee stated calmly. "Because I don't know what it does, logic dictates that I shouldn't let you hit me with it."

Dosu narrowed his one good eye as he landed on the ground before rushing back towards the Konoha Genin. Lee waited for his opponent to calm calmly, and when Dosu was in range struck out with a right, left combination. The right fist was blocked but the left happened to fast for Dosu to see it until it was too late. Dosu stumbled back and was then kicked in the ribs and went flying back a ways. Grunting he got back up and was forced to jump out of the way when Lee sent a punch at him that was strong enough to make a crater when it hit the ground.

Lee stood back up and faced Dosu who came back at him. Dosu swung at Lee with the arm that did not have the gauntlet attached to it. Lee blocked the arm, grabbed onto his as he threw his opponent into a tree, leaving a small impression.

Dosu narrowed his visible eye as he pushed himself out of the impression he was in before charging at Lee again. Realizing that straightforward tactics wouldn't work, he decided a little deception was in order.

Coming in Dosu made a feint with a high punch, when Lee moved to block him; he switched attacks and came in with a kick that caught lee unawares.

By the time Lee had recovered Dosu was nowhere to be seen. A kick to the back of his head sent Lee stumbling forward before he felt a hand grip his leg and toss him into the air, then slam him into the ground.

Lee got back to his feet and searched for Dosu. As he did he felt a presence behind and saw Dosu coming in with his gauntlet covered fist reared back.

_I am sorry Gai-sensei, but I must use 'that' jutsu!_ Thought Lee as he unwound his bandages.

As Dosu got within striking range, Lee disappeared from view before appearing below him and kicking the Oto Genin in the chin, hard. As Dosu soared into the air Lee appeared behind him, wrapping the mummified Genin in his bandages. Then Lee started to spin, slowly at first but it gradually picked up more and more speed until the pair looked like a drill plummeting to the earth.

"Take this! Omote Renge (Hidden Lotsu)!" yelled Lee as he released his hold on Dosu.

Just as he was about to hit the ground Zaku slammed a hands into the ground and sent a wave of air towards the spot Dosu was about to hit. A few seconds later Dosu hit the ground head first, implanting himself into it with a little over half his body sticking up.

With a few wiggles and grunts Dosu got himself out of the ground and stood back up no worse for wear.

"That actually would have killed me had Zaku not softened the ground for my fall," Dosu said as he looked at his now tired out opponent.

"I-impossible," Lee muttered as he fell to the ground, his muscles having torn from using his jutsu.

"It seems that attack you used has some serious backlash," Dosu mused as he saw Lee kneeling on the ground, panting.

"It matters not; I have tired you out as well. I can still win," Lee said, giving Dosu a confident smile.

"Not in that condition you can't," Dosu chuckled, "And in case you haven't noticed I'm not the only one you need to deal with. But enough of that, I'm getting tired of your interference, so I'm going to finish you off now."

Dosu charged forward once again as he reared his arm back for another attack. Lee tried to dodge only to receive a jolt of pain for his troubles as the after effects of the jutsu kicked in. he looked up just as Dosu swung at him. Lee was lucky enough to dodge the attack, albeit barely, but before he could even think of retaliating his vision began to get blurry and a sharp pain filled his head as his ears bleed.

Lee tried to stand, but as soon as he moved he was forced onto his hands and knees as he began to throw up.

"You like?" asked Dosu, "I call this my Melody Arm. With it I can amplify sound waves and use the vibrations they cause to break through your eardrum and damage the inner membrane making you lose your semblance of balance. You won't be able to function properly for a while now."

Deciding he did not want to be left out Zaku lifted up his hands and pulled his palms up to reveal the whole he had in each hand. "My specialty is the ability to control supersonic airwaves and air pressure, slicing up or blasting my opponents. To us, your jutsu are laughable."

"As you can see, you have no hope against us. You put up a good fight, but it's time to say good bye kid," Dosu reared his melody arm back, ready to strike.

He didn't get the chance to swing as a powerful punch connected with his jaw, launching him back several feet. Dosu looked up in surprise at seeing a fiercely determined Sakura standing beside Lee, her fist held out in a punch.

"So it looks like she's not completely useless after all," Zaku commented with a sneer.

Sakura panted as she glared at the trio. There was no way she could win against one of them, let alone all three at the same time. Maybe Sasuke could, maybe Naruto could, but Sakura held no delusions that she could.

It didn't mean she was going to let them kill Lee when he had come to save her.

"S-Sakura-san?" asked a wide eyed and surprised Lee.

"Don't worry Lee, I can at least hold them off for a bit while you recover," Sakura said, smiling at him.

"Heh, I don't even know if she's worth the effort," Zaku commented.

"Well then, why don't I take care of this?" Kin asked rhetorically.

Sakura looked at Kin before dashing towards her; she flung several shuriken before going through a set of hand seals. Kin blocked or dodged all the shuriken and looked at the pinkette only to see…three of her?

"You don't honestly think a pathetic jutsu like that is going to work do you?" snorted Kin as she threw several senbon at Sakura. All three Sakura's burst into smoke with the one in the middle also being replaced with a log.

Sensing a presence behind her Kin turned to see three more Sakura's, all of them doing hand seals. Kin gave a grunt of annoyance as she tossed more senbon, once again, the two on either end disappeared in a puff of smoke while the middle one was replaced with a log.

Kin spun around just as Sakura appeared behind her, blocking the punch the pinkette sent her before lashing out with her own fist. Sakura stumbled back, giving Kin the opportunity to knee the girl in the gut before kicking the back of her legs, forcing Sakura onto her knees. Then she grabbed Sakura by the hair, pulling on it as hard as she could, forcing Sakura to yelp in pain.

"Well get a feel of this, it seems her hair is softer than mine," Kin's smirk turned into a disgusted sneer. "If you have time to take such good care of your hair, you could have spent it better training. You're not even a real kunoichi are you, probably just a pathetic fan girl for the Uchiha boy over there. Hey Zaku! Why don't we kill that Sasuke guy in front of this little bitch!"

"Heh, it would be my pleasure," Zaku said as he made his way over to the shelter.

Tears began to pour from Sakura's eyes as she realized just how useless she was. _I'm so weak. I've always berated Naruto for being a pathetic idiot, but the truth is I always had to rely on him and Sasuke-kun to bail me out of trouble. Now these guys are going to kill them because I couldn't do anything…_

She thought about all the times Naruto and Sasuke had protected her. When Sasuke jumped in front of that Kiri Chunin during the beginning of the Nami mission; he and Naruto had done all the fighting during that mission, she had done nothing. And then in the Forest of Death Naruto had put his life on the line for them, knowing he could not defeat Orochimaru. And even though he had been severely outclassed, he had done far better than any Genin had the right to, Sasuke as well after Naruto fell.

_I don't want to be the one to fall behind,_Sakura thought. _I can't be the one to fall into their shadow, I want to stand besides my teammates._

A yank on her hair brought her head back up. "C'mon, pay attention. My teammate is going to kill your boyfriend, I wouldn't want you to miss it."

Sakura's eyes widened_, I can't let them kill Sasuke-kun or Naruto!_Sakura brought her kunai up, causing Kin to take notice.

"You don't seriously think you can get me like this do you?" Kin asked with a superior smirk. "Don't be stupid, you're too weak to get me."

"Who said this was for you?"

"Wha-"

Sakura slashed the kunai up behind her, cutting off her hair and surprising Kin. Standing up the pink-haired girl reared her head back and smashed it into Kin's face, causing the girl to stumble back.

Sakura then raced towards Zaku, who had taken notice, and began several hand seals. Zaku sent a blast of airwaves at her, but Sakura replaced herself with a log, reappearing on his left doing more hand seals.

"Gah! You're so annoying!" Zaku shouted as he released more airwaves. However Sakura once again replaced herself with a log, this time appearing above him. "That stupid technique will only work so many times!" He flung a kunai at her and then began searching around for where she would appear next.

After a while when she did not reappear he blinked, then became surprised when he felt blood splatter onto his face, he looked up to see Sakura with a kunai in her forearm still descending on him. She jabbed her own kunai in his left forearm while biting onto his right hand. The two tumbled to the ground with Sakura on top and keeping Zaku from using his airwave attack.

"GAH! You bitch! Get! Off!" He began to smash a fist onto her head attempting to get her off of him. "You god damn crazy bitch! Get off!"

* * *

A little distance away Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru who had stumbled on the scene watched in horror as one of the people they knew from the academy was getting her face beaten in.

"What do you want to do Ino?" asked Shikamaru, for once his voice not sounding lazy.

Ino bit her lip as she remained silent. She didn't know what to do, a part of her wanted to help her former friend. But another part still remembered when Sakura had given her back the ribbon she had given the pink-haired girl as a sign of friendship.

"Ino?" Shikamaru said. "She's your friend isn't she? Didn't you two know each other really well in the academy?"

Ino looked at Shikamaru before looking back at Sakura who was still taking a beating. A determined expression came onto Ino's face as she stood up. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

After bashing Sakura in the face several dozen more times, Zaku finally managed to get her off. He was just about to blow her to oblivion when team ten appeared, though Chouji looked like he was about to run away at any second.

"Great, some more of you." Zaku snorted. "No matter how many turn up the outcome is going to be the same." He and the other two Oto genin were getting annoyed with all these people constantly coming and interfering.

"They just keep swarming in, there like bugs." Dosu mumbled.

"What the hell are you two thinking?" Chouji hissed. "These guys are too dangerous!"

Chouji knew that out of all the teams theirs was likely the weakest. They had the laziest Jonin in Konoha, who preferred playing Shogi to teaching. Shikamaru never trained, preferring to either watch the clouds or play Shogi with Asuma and recently Naruto when he would show up. He himself was always eating while watching the clouds or watching Shikamaru play Shogi. And Ino either only complained, fawned over Sasuke, or talked about beating Sakura.

It was made worse because each of them only knew one of their clan techniques. Shikamaru was too lazy to learn any more. Ino was too busy being a fan girl. And Chouji was always too busy eating to learn. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Shikamaru spoke up.

"It's troublesome, but we have to do this. Now that Ino's shown herself we men can't just run away."

"Sorry I got you two involved," Ino apologized. "But we are a three man team, we do everything together."

"Meh, whatever happens, happens," Shikamaru shrugged, "we'll find a way to deal with this."

"B-but I don't wanna die yet!" whined Chouji as he turned around and attempted to make a run for it. However Shikamaru had latched onto Chouji's scarf to keep him from leaving. "C'mon Shikamaru! Let go of my scarf!"

"Hehe, you can leave if you want, fatty," Zaku said, grinning darkly.

Chouji stopped moving completely, all thoughts of leaving disappeared when Zaku said those words. "What did he just say? I couldn't hear him too well."

"I said you can go back into the forest and fuck yourself. Fat ass!" Zaku exclaimed.

_Oh no…now he's done it,_Shikamaru muttered a quick curse of troublesome under his breath. _That word is taboo for Chouji._

Chouji did complete one hundred and eighty turn around as steam began to pour out of his ears, "I'm not fat you stupid piece of shit! I'm big boned! And now I'm gonna squash you!"

Chouji began going through several hand seals and with a cry of, "Baika No Jutsu (Double Weight Jutsu)!" expanded to nearly three times his size. His limbs and head were pulled into his clothing with chakra coming out of the wholes, turning him into a giant ball.

"Pudgies RULE!" He cried out, somehow still perfectly clear despite being inside his close, before he began rolling towards Zaku faster than the Oto genin expected.

"What's this weird jutsu?" Zaku held out his hands and sneered. "It's just a rolling ball of fat ass! Zankuuuha (Slicing airwaves)!" A last of airwaves was sent towards the rolling ball that was Chouji, slowing the Genin down some. However Chouji jumped up into the air and descended towards him.

"What the-? My airwaves were useless!" Zaku shouted. _And I can't touch that thing or it will rip my arms off, then I'll be crushed._

Seeing the predicament his teammate was in, Dosu began to run towards Zaku. Before he could get even five feet he found himself frozen. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed his shadow was attached to Shikamaru who was holding up a hand seal.

"Kage Mane No Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu)success." The shadow using Genin muttered.

"My body…I can't…move…" Dosu found that even talking was requiring some effort.

Chouji slammed into the ground, forcing Zaku to jump away lest he be crushed.

Shikamaru put his hands on his head with the fingertips touching his head, forming an M and forcing Dosu to do the same.

"Dosu! What are you doing!" Kin shouted as she saw Dosu moving into weird poses.

"Ino! Now it's just the girl we need to take care of!" Shikamaru shouted as he used his hands to make a pair of ears on his head, forcing Dosu to do the same.

"Got it Shikamaru!" Ino made a triangle hand seal. "Take care of my body! Ninpou: Shintenshin No Jutsu (Ninja Art: Body Possession Jutsu)!" Ino's body swayed a bit before Shikamaru caught her.

A little ways away Chouji's jutsu had worn off and said Genin had swirls in his eyes. "Oooh wow. Everything's spinning."

"It's over now!" The now possessed Kin shouted as she pulled out a kunai. "If you guys move an inch I will kill this girl! When I can't sense your chakra anymore I'll let her go! If you don't want it to end here I suggest you leave your scroll and get out of here!"

Both Dosu and Zaku just looked at her, confusing the Konoha ninja. Much to their shock Zaku held up a hand towards her and blasted Kin/Ino with an airwave, sending the girl flying back. The possessed girl hit the tree behind her, making her yelp in pain and cough up blood. Because of the effects of the jutsu blood also started coming out of Ino's mouth.

"Ino!" Shikamaru yelled in worry.

"These…guys…they don't even care if they hurt their comrade…" Ino said from Kin's body as she lay on the ground.

"Heh, I think you guys are confused about us," Zaku said darkly.

"Our goals are not the stupid scrolls nor to safely complete this exam." Dosu said, "We're simply here to kill Sasuke!"

The genin who had not known that felt their eyes widen in surprise.

_Damn it! This jutsu's gonna end soon! _Shikamaru grit his teeth in frustration at the troublesome situation he found himself in.

"It looks like that girl's jutsu allows her spirit to enter the body of another." Dosu smirked under his bandages, "However if her bleeding is any indication she receives any damage done to the body she enters. That means that killing Kin will also kill that girl." Just as Dosu prepared to kill Kin another voice spoke up from above the rest of the genin.

"Bah, I can't take this anymore."

Everyone looked up to see Neji and Tenten on a branch several meters above them. Neji scowled as he crossed his arms, "Some minor Oto ninja fighting against these second rate ninja and declaring it a victory?" He scoffed, "How pathetic."

"They keep coming out like cockroaches," Dosu mumbled.

"Lee…" Tenten muttered as she saw her teammate. She turned her gaze too look out across the battlefield and her eyes widened when she saw Naruto unconscious, "Naruto!"

Neji looked at her before look back at the battle, more specifically three Oto genin, "The kid with the bowl cut is our teammate; it looks like you went a little overboard with him."

"So what if we did? What are you going to do about it?" Zaku gave the Hyuuga a defiant glare.

Neji opened his mouth for a moment before he smirked and deactivated his Byakugan, "I don't have to do anything."

Everyone wondered what he meant with that statement, but it soon became clear when a vile and evil chakra descended onto the clearing. Turning everyone saw Sasuke who was getting to his feet with purple chakra whipping around him violently. Standing up he looked himself over as he activated his Sharingan.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura mumbled in shock, shivering at the violating feel the purple chakra gave off.

Sasuke turned to look at her and frowned, "Sakura, who did this to you?"

With everyone's attention on Sasuke, no one took notice of Naruto as the seal on his neck hissed and steamed before dissolving as if it had never existed.

* * *

Naruto stifled a small groan as he woke up. Cracking his eyes open the whiskered blond found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. He looked to his left, then his right and took note of the room he was in.

The room was fairly lavish as far as he could see, with deep red walls and intricate patterns that Naruto could recognize as seals lining them. On his left hand side Naruto saw a door that also had seals running along it and on the right was a night stand and amour made from some kind of rich wood, with beautiful inlayed golden patterns running along it.

As he continued looking around a voice spoke up from the foot of the bed, **"You know, I was wondering when you would wake up."**

Naruto shot upright from the bed and found himself staring at what he could only describe as a goddess. She had caramel colored skin several shades lighter than some of the citizens found in Kumo. High cheek bones gave her a regal look, yet at the same time they were softer than the more rigid and cold look most nobility seemed to possess. A small button nose fit her face perfectly, along with her thin yet full red lips and a startling pair of ruby red eyes. Her hair was a dark red that trailed down to her lower back, with two bangs framing her face.

Her body likewise spoke of absolute perfection. She was wearing a dark crimson kimono that hugged her frame to reveal a perfect hourglass figure and had slits running along the side of her legs up to mid-thigh that revealed perfectly smooth looking skin. The front of her kimono also had a V cut to it, revealing a generous amount of her cleavage, which seemed to fit her slender frame perfectly.

Naruto could not help the small blush that spread across his cheeks as he stared at the enchanting woman, something said woman noticed. She gave the young man a smirk, **"You know, you're very lucky that I have not castrated you yet. I very rarely allow people to view me in this form." **

Her soft alto voice was like honey being poured into Naruto's ears and made him blush even more, it was than she realized what she had said.

"In this form?" questioned Naruto as he tilted his head to the side. What did she mean by this form? Did she have a different form? Who was she? These questions ran through his mind before his eyes caught sight of something that his previously enamored self had missed.

Those being the nine swishing red fox tails behind her and the two red fox ears that were situated on top of her head.

He narrowed his eyes, "You're the Kyuubi?" it sounded like a question, however they both knew it was more of a statement than anything.

Kyuubi smirked, **"I'm impressed, you got it right in one; that was quite the observation."** She said in a small mocking tone,** "Of course, the added appendages should have made it obvious."**

Naruto stared at the woman for a long time as he tried to get a reign over his emotions. Right now there were many he was currently feeling, anger at being near the creature who had destroyed his life and confusion about why he was here and at seeing Kyuubi as a female rather than a giant fox being to name a few.

As the moment ended Naruto shunted his anger to the side for a moment, it would not do for him to say something that he would regret. "You know I never would have imagined that the great Kyuubi No Kitsune was a female," Well just because he was trying not to say something he would regret did not mean his mouth would always agree with him.

**"I hope you plan on explaining what you mean by that comment," **Kyuubi narrowed her eyes at him, **"I don't often take very well to insults." **

To add more impact to her threat she unleashed a small portion of her youki, along with the blood lust and killing intent that came with it.

Naruto paled as he felt the power she was radiating and realized that what he had said might not have been his smartest statement. He immediately made too elaborate, "Wh-what I meant was that I had not realized the Bijuu had genders. I thought you were all just a mass of chakra."

He cursed to himself as he heard the slight stutter in his voice; it was made even worse when a small smirk came to Kyuubi's lips telling him she had noticed it too.

Kyuubi reigned in her power a moment later as she regarded the blond before speaking, **"I suppose I cannot blame you for that common misconception. None of the Bijuu were born with genders, even I myself did not have one to start off with." **

The vixen gestured to her body as she continued, **"This body, what you see before you is a creation of my own making. I made this sometime near the beginning of my life so I would not have to deal with all of the troublesome humans that would try to attack me when I traveled."** She paused for a moment before smirking, **"It was also a good way to live a more luxurious life, one that was more befitting for a being like me."**

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Kyuubi looked at Naruto with a smirk before shrugging her shoulders, **"I suppose I could tell you. You should be suitably honored as you will be the first and most likely only person to ever know this. When I originally created this form it was simply so I could move without the hassle of having to deal with some stupid humans that may try to gain my power as I stated earlier. However I soon learned of another benefit that came with this form. Men tended to lust after me."**

When Naruto raised an eyebrow Kyuubi decided to elaborate, **"I noticed it during the first time I visited a human settlement. Men would tend to stare at me as I passed; even those who seemed to have a significant other with them could not help but drool over me. I soon learned that I could use this to my advantage…"**

Naruto's mind ran through that statement several times before he realized what she meant, "You're telling me you seduced them?"

**"Well not exactly seduce," **Kyuubi smirked, **"that would imply that I actually touched them, I would never sully my hands by letting them touch some pathetic human in that way, nor would I let a human touch me, beyond what was absolutely necessary. No…I simply let my natural charms do the work and they would wait on me hand and foot, it really was quite amusing to watch."**

"So you ruined people's relationships for you own selfish reasons? You used people for your entertainment?" Naruto hissed out through gritted teeth, "I suppose I should expect nothing less from a selfish creature like you."

Kyuubi narrowed her eyes at the blond, **"Do not presume to know me. I am ageless, I have lived hundreds if not thousands of years, humans are nothing to me. They're like ants, such creatures should be honored that I found a use for them, rather than simply stepping on them like the other Bijuu were prone to do."**

Naruto snorted, "Right, cuz the Konoha ninja you killed when you attempted to destroy Konoha were ants that you decided to find a use for right?"

Almost as soon as he said that Naruto was blasted with a high dose of Kyuubi's killing intent, he paled and sweat began to form on his brow as his breathing got heavy from the pressure of the red heads power. Before he knew what was going on Kyuubi was right in his face with a glare that put every other glare he had seen on a female to shame.

**"You are so lucky I cannot kill you right now _child!" _**Kyuubi sneered at the blond, twisting her pretty visage into something truly frightening. **"Were it not for the seal that binds our souls together I would have destroyed you for making such a presumptuous and arrogant claim! You know nothing of me, of whom I am, what I am! You only know of the things you have heard from this damnable village and the fools who live in it, words spoken by foolish humans who understand nothing and cannot even see past their own self-importance! You know absolutely nothing of that night. Do you honestly think I would let myself stoop to such a level that I would bother with killing off a small human village such as yours?" **

Kyuubi scoffed, **"Do not be full of yourself, as I said, humans are contemptuous creatures and I would never tarnish myself by giving into baser emotions I may have to destroy one pathetic human village like lesser beings might."**

Naruto gulped as he tried to keep his fear out of his voice, "Then why did you attack?"

The demoness reigned in her blood lust and power as she backed off and gave the blond a pointed look, **"That is not something I would share with another lightly. You have not earned my respect, nor do I feel you deserve that information."**

Kyuubi paused for a moment as if in thought, **"Perhaps in time, if you prove worthy I will tell you, but as of right now you have not earned the right."**

Naruto frowned as Kyuubi spoke, a part of him wanted to demand her to tell him what had happened on that night. After all, she was sealed inside of him because of her nearly leveling all of Konoha to the ground. If anyone had the right to know what had happened that night than it was him.

However he was also not stupid enough to push his luck. In the end he decided it was best not to speak, lest his tongue say something he would regret.

Thankfully the vixen had some other things to say to break the silence, **"Now that you know your place, perhaps we can discuss the real reason I brought you here."**

Naruto looked at Kyuubi with a prominent frown, "The real reason?"

**"Yes."** Deciding to get comfortable Kyuubi sat down on the bed, letting her tails lay on her lap. **"The reason I called you hear is due to what that…_man_ did to you."** Naruto noticed the distaste the fox woman's voice held when she said man, making it obvious she did not like him.

"You mean when he bit me?" asked Naruto as his hand went to the spot he was bitten.

Kyuubi nodded, **"When he bit you he injected several powerful enzymes along with a portion of his soul and several powerful seals that, if they had taken a hold of you, would have enslaved you to his will."**

It was here that Kyuubi gave a small pause and her eyes gained a thoughtful look, **"You are lucky it was me who was sealed inside of you. Had it been any of the other Bijuu they would not have been able to contain the power of the seal like I had."**

Naruto frowned, "But you didn't contain it, I had to face an evil version of myself with the power from that damned seal!"

**"And yet it did not extend beyond that did it?"** Kyuubi said, making the spiky headed blond concede the point. **"I was able to use my youki to contain it, which in turn aloud you to drive it out by combating your other half."**

"I see…" Naruto looked at his lap in thought for a second. Bringing his head up again he looked at Kyuubi, "I suppose you want some kind of thank you."

Kyuubi gave him a mocking smile, **"Well a thank you would certainly be warranted in this instance, but I did not do it just for you."**

The red head frowned, "**Had I not used my power, you would be enslaved to the power of the cursed seal. I will not have _my_ vessel being used by some foolish man with delusions of grandeur."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the statement and the possessiveness her voice held when she said _my_. It was obvious to him that she did not particularly care for him, if she even did at all. Yet she had protected him from Orochimaru's seal, a part of him wondered why she had done such a thing.

His tenant noticed his questioning look and decided that further explanations were needed, **"As you are my vessel that means you represent me in a way. I have no way of escaping here so I have to rely on you to make sure my name does not get sullied. Being used by a madman who desires the untouchable would ruin not only my reputation, but also make it harder for me to have any influence over your decisions."**

"So you wish to control me?" asked Naruto with narrowed eyes.

Kyuubi scoffed, **"Of course I wish to control you, though you do not need to worry, with this,**" the red-head pointed to the choker on her neck, **"I cannot control you in anyway."**

Naruto took a closer look at the choker she was wearing and noticed it had the same seal that he had noticed running along the walls. It took him a moment to realize they were the exact same seal as the one on his stomach, "I see; this seal is what keeps you here."

**"Yes,"** Kyuubi answered stiffly.

The whisker marked blond was silent for a moment, "I get the feeling you did not bring me here just to tell me about what that man did to me?"

**"Very good,"** Kyuubi said with a smirk, **"you are right. I called you here to tell you of the consequences that this event has had on you." **

She frowned as she went into her explanation, **"When he placed that seal on you, I was forced to divert a lot of my youki to keep you alive and the seal from spreading. More than half to be honest, the enzymes were much stronger than I would have expected. However due to the enzymes that had entered your body and my youki being used to keep them at bay, your body has been…changed would be the best way to put it."**

Naruto stiffened as he looked at Kyuubi, "What do you mean…changed?"

**"I mean you are no longer human,"** she said in a blunt tone, **"the complete overdose of my youki, along with the enzymes invading your body has turned you into something other than human. I believe the closest term I can call you is Hanyou, your body while still at least half human has been changed to match that of a demon."**

Kyuubi noticed the pale look on Naruto's face and smirked a little, **"You are now half demon, half human, a hybrid between the two if you will."**

Naruto felt his whole world sink with that knowledge. He was now exactly what the villagers always said he was, a demon. It did not matter if he was only half demon, the fact that he had somehow changed into even part of a demon was enough to send his whole world spiraling out of control.

"So the villagers were right…" Naruto mumbled as tears stung his eyes, "I am a demon."

Kyuubi watched the various emotions play upon the young man's face, and when tears started forming in his eyes she could not help but scoff.

**"Do not be such a baby,"** When Naruto turned a glare on her she just glared right back. **"And do not think I will stand for you glaring at me either, you are not even my equal much less my better, so you have no right to glare at me."**

"No right? NO RIGHT!" Naruto shouted, "This is all your fault! I'm not even human anymore because of you! How can I ever hope to gain acceptance? Everyone I know will hate me now!"

**"You should be thanking me,"** Kyuubi said in a calm voice, surprisingly not mad at his outburst. He may not be fully human anymore, but she knew enough about psychology that he would get angry at learning something like this. And while a part of her just wanted to taunt him and send him even further into despair, she could not afford to do that. Her survival now depended on his survival and she needed him to be strong.

**"While it was not the most ideal solution, it was the only thing that would have worked to keep you from becoming enslaved to that man,"** Kyuubi explained calmly. **"If I had another option I would have used it, but I didn't, nor did I know of this outcome. And trust me, if I had known you would become a hanyou I would have never done this."**

Naruto took several deeps breaths as he tried to bring his emotions back under control, it was rather difficult with this new knowledge but he had long since mastered the art of hiding his emotions.

When he felt sufficiently calm he turned a gaze on Kyuubi, "How could you not have known I would not turn into this? And why would you have found another solution if you had known what would happen?"

**"I am not all knowing,"** Kyuubi said, sighing a bit as she admitted to having faults. She did not like informing someone of this, but it was necessary to build some form of trust between them, which had now become imperative. **"As powerful as I am, as intelligent as I am, even I do not know everything. This was just one of those things that I could not have foreseen."**

There was a prominent pause as Kyuubi gathered her thoughts, **"As for why I would have selected a different option to save you had there been one…"** she paused again before grimacing, **"now that you are a hanyou there are several problems that have arisen that…"**

Kyuubi paused again as her eyes glazed over. Naruto saw this and was about to ask why she had stopped when the fox woman beat him to it, **"We will have to continue this discussion some other time, it seems your friends are in danger."**

Naruto's eyes widened as he jumped out of bed, "In danger! Damn it! I have to get out of here!" he looked at Kyuubi as he realized something, "How do I get out of here?"

Kyuubi sighed as she answered, **"Just close your eyes and think yourself out, same for coming back only in reverse."**

The blond looked at Kyuubi for a second before nodding. He closed his eyes and Kyuubi watched as Naruto faded out.

She stared at the spot he had left for a few moments before, **"You know I'm surprised you did not reveal yourself. Are you afraid of what he will think when he finds you?" **She spoke to what seemed like thin air, **"Or is it that you are afraid of facing me?"**

For a moment there was no sound. After a few second a feminine voice spoke up, **_"Do not think I fear you Kyuubi. You know as well as I that there is nothing you can do to me."_**

Kyuubi's lips thinned but she could not think of a suitable comeback. Instead she said, **"Whatever, you should just consider yourself lucky that I have agreed to protect that child. My survival now depends on it."**

**_"We both know that if it became necessary I could have forced you to protect him…"_**

Kyuubi snarled, **"You may be safe for now, but do not think I won't find a way to make you suffer for your insolence."**

Rather than get frightened the voice merely laughed, **_"We both know there is nothing you can do."_**

With that the voice left, leaving an angry and irritated Kyuubi.

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**So this chapter didn't really go the way I originally thought it did. My original plan was to have Naruto meet Minato, Kushina or both and somehow I came up with... this. I'll be one-hundred percent honest and say I thought of changing it several times because let's face it, half demon Naruto is a cliché and female Kyuubi is getting to be a cliché. However there are a number of reasons I decided to leave it as is. **

**Reasons is being:**

**1) The idea of having an immortal half demon Naruto running around the world, causing mass amounts of property damage is hilarious. **

**2) Following up on reason one, I plan on having crossover sequels to this story where Naruto travels throughout time, I'm thinking of doing Fairy Tail, Inuyasha, an anime set in a more modern day (Not sure which one yet, but if anyone has eventual suggestions let me know) and I'm thinking of taking Naruto into the Star Wars galaxy after that, or at least some other space manga like outlaw star. **

**3) From what I understand of Japanese folk lore, a kitsune is always a female and a being who seduces men. In keeping with that tradition I decided that Kyuubi will have a female form…for those who are concerned about this I do have a plan that should spin and twist this clichéd idea into something more original and will go into Kyuubi's psyche and past much more than other stories. **

**4) Naruto is going to be immortal, therefore I felt a constant companion who can stay with him throughout time would be nice, and let's face it, would you rather have a mass of violence and hatred or a smokin' hot vixen as your companion? I know what I would want.**

**Any whos, give me some feedback to let me know what you all think.**


	18. Chapter 18

**So my decision to make Naruto a half demon was not very popular, some liked it, some don't and some are indifferent. I honestly can't say I'm surprised. I knew it wasn't going to be and knowingly decided to keep the cliché (Though really isn't everything written on this site a cliche? Can anyone say Naru/Hina? Biggest het. pairing and cliche for Naruto romance out there) for reasons stated in my last chapter. That said, I do have a plan to twist this particular cliché so that it becomes more original. To assuage some fears I will tell you all right now that Naruto will NOT gain tales, ears or any other added appendages, nor will this make him into some kind of god (at least not for this story, maybe in one of my other crossovers for this but not this one). That's just stupid and at least half the cliché, and I believe that half of the fun in writing are taking some cliche's and twisting them into something completely original (As I said before, just about everything imginable is a cliche in fanfiction like this, it's what you do with it that counts). I won't tell you everything there is to know about Naruto being a half demon since that would ruin the surprise, but I will tell it's going to be different then what you usually get. All I can ask is that you trust me when I say I know what I'm doing, and if you can't well, no one is forcing you to read this.**

**Also the cross over story will not be coming for a long time, and I mean a LONG ass time. I don't know how long this story is going to be, but I have an estimate of around 70-80 maybe even more then that, chapters before I reach the end. And I'm not going to write a crossover until I finish this story.**

**Now then, this is just for clarification purposes. The Naruto that Naruto fought was his dark half, who will be replacing Kyuubi in the 'Naruto inner struggle' bit so instead of Kyuubi vs. Naruto it will Yami Naruto vs. Naruto. Personally I don't think Kishi went into the Yami Naruto story enough, considering he seemed like a pretty important aspect of Naruto's psyche.**

**xpatron: She's not peaceable towards humans, in this story Kyuubi could care less about them, she is apathetic at best. You'll find that my Kyuubi while nice to Naruto, she is doing it for admittedly selfish reasons... at least for the moment. With your review I doubt you'll be reading any more of my chapters, but I plan on giving Kyuubi an actual past rather then she was a bijuu and she destroyed shit. As for your comment on my complaints about anonymous reviews. I don't dislike them, I've done more then enough anonymous reviewing in my time, I just dislike it when someone is afraid to use their screen name when 'flaming' someone. If your going to tell me my shit sucks, then the least you can do is offer the common curtesy of using your screen name. Also I don't know what a review reply is, is that when I send you an individual ms to your review? Cuz if it is, I kind of figured people would get pissed if I started sending a bunch of messages out that answered peoples questions. But if that is what people want then I will endeavor to use that method. And what does being American have to do with anything? While I'll admit that more then half of the American population is retarded, not all of us are.**

**So I have finally reached the 1000 + mark! YAY! This calls for a celebration, I'm going to get out the booze and we can all get wasted... just kidding! I don't like to drink except on rare occasions and I prefer not getting drunk. But if any of you want to party in my stead your more then welcome to. Anyways I am thankful for all of the reviews I have gotten, even the ones that essentially tell me I suck and should crawl in a whole and die, since they still add to my review count.**

**To those who have lost interest in the story due to the last chapter, I am sorry you can no longer find entertainment in it but I feel that, as a writer, even a complete rank amatuer like me, I should at the very least stay true to what I want to write. If I go by what others want me to write, my stuff no longer becomes original (Yes I know there are cliche's in the story but try to work with me here) and I'm really nothing more then a guy who writes my stories for the sake of others rather then myself, which lets face it, every author on this site writes because they love to and they have ideas and simply don't mind sharing those ideas with the masses. Now that does not mean I won't take idea's that other people offer, but the main story plot is something I myself came up with. Still even though you have lost interest I do appreciate you following my story up to this point, I hope you can find another author who can do better then me at keeping you entertained.**

**This is a thank you to Senjuto for continuing to awesome up my story, I appreciate all the work he has done for me.**

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**Disclaimer: have any of you ever had one of those 'what if' moments? You know like, what if I owned Naruto? I have, and if I owned Naruto then I could die happy.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 18: A Slightly Different Naruto… Sort of**

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Sasuke turned to look at her and frowned, "Sakura, who did this to you?"

"S-Sasuke-kun…your body," Sakura stammered at seeing the black flame-like pattern on his skin.

Looking at himself, Sasuke saw the flames spread out over the left half of his body, he smirked, "Its fine. I can feel the power flowing out of my body. I'm feeling pretty good right now. He gave it to me. And I finally understand. I am an avenger."

_Even if I must make a deal with the devil, I cannot stop my quest to gain power. _

While these thoughts were running through Sasuke's head, everyone else was looking at the raven-haired Genin in either shock or curiosity.

_That shouldn't be possible. That mark only has a 1/10 chance of not killing the person who has it placed on them, _Dosu thought in shock. _For him to have survived…_

Sasuke turned back to the pinkette, "Now tell me, who hurt you?"

"That would be me," Zaku stepped forward with a smirk.

Shikamaru's mind, for once, was actually working harder than it had when he usually played Shogi against his dad and Naruto as he watched Sasuke. Realizing the danger he quickly turned to Ino and began shouting, "Ino! This is going to get bad! You'll get caught up in this if you don't return to your body! You come here too Chouji! We're hiding!"

"Not good!" Kin/Ino put her hands together and her family's hand sign. "Kai!"

Kin slumped back to the ground as Ino returned to her body, "*Cough* *Cough*"

"You're back!" Shikamaru said in relief as he kept the girl up, "Thank kami!"

Sasuke turned around to face the Oto ninja, his teeth grit as the seals along his body began to spread to the other side, covering most of his visible skin.

"This is…!" Dosu's eyes widened as he realized at least a part of what was going on, "His chakra is too large!"

Zaku scoffed as he held out his hands, "Dosu, there's no need to be afraid of this half dead freak!"

Dosu looked over at Zaku in shock, "No Zaku! Don't you realize what that is?"

But Zaku wasn't listening as he shot his hands towards Sasuke, "Ultimate Zankuuha!"

A large blast of air was shot towards the area where Team Seven resided. The attack destroyed everything that had not been rooted to the spot.

"Naruto-kun!" Tenten shouted as she watched her friends form disappear within the jutsu.

When the dust settled, Zaku smirked as he no longer saw any trace of Team Seven, "Hah! I've blown 'em all away!"

"Blown who away?" A voice asked behind him. Zaku barely had time to turn around before Sasuke backhanded him, sending him flying back.

"He's fast!" Dosu said in shock. His eyes wondered over to the still unconscious blond and the pink-haired girl. "He managed to move so fast, while carrying them away."

Grinning Sasuke went through several hand seals before sucking in a breath, "Katon: Housenka No Jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Flower Jutsu)!" Six decent sized fireballs were launched towards Zaku.

"So what! I'll just blast them all away," Zaku thrust out his hands again. "Zankuuha!"

The airwaves blasted into the fire balls, putting them out. However when they were gone, everyone could see the six shuriken that had been hidden in the fire, "What!"

Zaku only had time to put his hands in a cross guard as the shuriken slammed into him, "AHHHH!"

Once the shuriken all hit their mark, Zaku looked around to find the Uchiha. He only had a few seconds to look before said Uchiha was behind him, grabbing onto both of his arms and forcing Zaku onto his knees. Sasuke put a foot on the Oto Genin's back and began to pull the arms back.

Ino looked at her crush in shock. _His chakra is totally different than his time at the academy. What's going on?_

Zaku tried to move, but was only able to turn his head enough to see Sasuke grinning at him, "You must be awfully proud of these arms of yours. I think I'll take them away!"

Not giving Zaku a chance to reply Sasuke began to yank on the Genin's arms, while simultaneously pushing his foot further into Zaku's back.

**SNAP!**

"AHHHHH!" Zaku yelled, and everyone else either flinched or blanched at the sickening crack as they heard Zaku's arms snap like a twig.

As this was happening all of the Konoha genin were watching in horror as Sasuke brutally dealt with his opponent. When Zaku's screams died off, Sasuke let go of him, no longer finding any fun hurting the near-comatose shinobi.

Sasuke's eye looked over to see Dosu and a smirk made its way to his face, "You're the only one left." He began walking over to the now petrified Dosu, "I hope you let me have more fun than he did."

_This…this isn't Sasuke-kun,_Sakura thought to herself in horror. She remembered all of the times she had watched Sasuke while on Team Seven. Even she could not deny that the Uchiha was cold. But even then, she knew that this was not Sasuke.

She was just about to run up to him and get him to stop when someone else did it for her.

Sasuke froze as a hand placed itself on his shoulder, "That's enough teme!"

Sasuke turned with a sneer on his face at the slightly familiar voice, though it was a tad deeper then he remembered. However the sneer faded and was replaced with a look of shock as he stared at the only somewhat familiar figure.

He could easily tell it was Naruto, the three whisker marks on each cheek and the blue eyes showed that. However there were several prominent changes that the blond had. The first was his hair, it had grown quite significantly, going from the short spikes to longer hair that, while still spiky, now went down to mid back. A pair of elongated canines could just barely be seen jutting from his upper lip and his whisker marks looked thicker than they had been. His face was a little bit leaner than it had been, it almost seemed as if the blond had aged a year or two as it looked more mature than the chibi-like face he had before. And finally Naruto seemed to have grown a bit, not much, but the fact that he was now taller than Sasuke himself and almost looked to be the same height as Shikamaru was a significant enough difference that it was noticeable.

"Dobe?" Sasuke asked in so much shock his seal reverted to its sealed state. "What happened to you?"

Naruto frowned at his teammates shocked looked, "What do you mean what happened to me?"

"N-Naruto?"

Naruto turned around to see Sakura and the members of team ten. He blinked for a minute before grinning, "Yo!"

"Man this is so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered as he looked over at Ino, who, despite the situation was drooling at the blond without even realizing it. _Definitely troublesome…_

Naruto looked around and frowned when he saw everyone in the clearing staring at him, "What the hell are you people staring at!"

With that everyone looked away and Naruto frowned again. Sighing he turned to look back at Sasuke, "I'm disappointed Sasuke, using something given to you by that man. You should know something like that is always a double-edged sword, nothing good can come of it."

Sasuke scowled and would have said something had a voice not interrupted.

"You are strong."

Everyone turned to see Dosu holding out an earth scroll, "Sasuke-kun, we can't defeat you at this time." He placed the scroll on the ground, "The earth scroll, a gift to you in exchange for letting us go." He rolled the scroll over to them, "I know this may seem convenient, but there is something we need to find out."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke and sighed before picking up the scroll. He pocketed it before turning to Dosu who was picking up his two unconscious teammates, "Do what you need to do, but I suggest you leave my teammate alone. If you show up again with hostile intent, it won't be Sasuke-teme you face but me." Naruto's eyes flashed red, "And I won't hesitate to kill you!"

Dosu stiffened as something in the blonde's gaze told him he wasn't lying and that not only could he kill him, but that he would kill him. Dosu nodded, "Very well, but just so you know, if we do meet in battle we will not hesitate to fight back."

"As I won't either," Naruto replied as Dosu left. The blond turned back to the others and was about to say something when he noticed something off, "Hey has anyone seen my shirt?"

Several face-faults went around with those still conscious just now wondering how he had not noticed that.

"Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned his head to see a red faced Tenten walking up to him, oddly enough, she was looking anywhere but him, "A-are you alright?"

"Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he asked tilting his head slightly.

"It's just that you're um…" not able to continue she merely pointed to the bandages he had wrapped around his torso.

"Oh these!" Naruto tore the bandages off to reveal perfectly healthy, if a little blood smeared, skin. He patted where the wound had been a few times, "Yeah I'm good; I've got a pretty good healing factor so there's nothing to worry about." Naruto looked up at her and smiled, before noticing the redness staining her cheeks.

"What about you? Your face is all red?" he put a hand on her head, causing her face to turn even more red. "Huh, that's odd…you don't have a fever, but your face looks like a tomato. Are you okay Ten-chan?"

"O-Of course!" Tenten squeaked as she stepped away from the blond, her face feeling as if it had been burned with a Katon jutsu, "A-anyways, I'm glad you're not hurt."

"Thanks," Naruto said with a smile. It was then he noticed Tenten's spandex wearing teammate sleeping on the ground a few feet away, "Is your teammate okay Ten-chan?"

Tenten turned around to see her teammate passed out and drooling on the forest floor, "Oh hehehe, yeah he's fine, just taking a little breather," She backed away from the blond, causing him to raise an eyebrow, "Why don't I go wake up now!"

Naruto watched in a mixture of shock and amusement as Tenten began to slap Lee awake. He turned his attention back to Sasuke who was now being fussed over by Sakura. He reached into his pouch as he walked over to them. Rummaging through it for a little while Naruto found the scroll he was looking for and unsealed a spare shirt and cloak.

He began to put his shirt on and frowned as he found the shirt didn't seem to fit. Grunting a bit he continued to try and make his shirt fit, only to rip it when he zipped it up, "Gah! Stupid shirt! What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Everyone once again turned their attention to Naruto who had lost the epic struggle of trying to put his shirt on and sweat dropped, "Why doesn't it fit!"

Sasuke's right eye twitched while the others either sweat dropped, or in the case Tenten blushed at seeing the blonde's shirt rip over his muscles.

"Um Naruto…" Sakura said unsurely, getting his attention, "Haven't you noticed?"

Naruto blinked at her, "Noticed what?"

"You're different, physically I mean," Sakura blushed a bit, even she could not deny that whatever had happened to Naruto had made him fill out nicely.

Frowning Naruto looked at his arms and noticed they looked a little bigger than before, bigger and more defined, though they still held their lithe whipcord quality, "Huh?" _I guess this is something I gained from becoming a Hanyou._ "So I have."

Sighing he decided to forgo trying to get a shirt to fit and instead just put on the cloak, which now came up to his calves.

Finished with his clothing crisis, Naruto turned his attention back to his teammates, "Since we have both of the scrolls necessary we should probably head over to the Tower. No sense in wasting our time here."

Sasuke grunted as he stood up, "You're right dobe, we should get to the Tower as soon as possible, especially since we don't know what the rest of this stage might entail."

Nodding Naruto said goodbye to Tenten and Team Ten before the three began moving towards the Tower in the center of the Forest of Death.

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"Naruto stop jumping around!" Sakura shouted as Naruto shot back towards them after having been flying through the forest at speeds faster then she could properly track.

Coming back Naruto brought himself towards Sasuke and Sakura who had been jumping at a more sedate pace and watching the blond with some annoyance, "Sorry Sakura, it's just that I've never felt so good before!"

After they had left the others and began making their way towards the Tower Naruto had been noticing all the differences he had with this new body of his. For one, all of his senses were now through the roof, he didn't even have to channel chakra into them, and they were just naturally powerful. He had also noticed an increase in his physical capabilities, his strength, speed, stamina, reflexes; everything seemed to have gained a bit of a boost, though he would have to test his physical capabilities out to see the full extent of his growth. Even his mind seemed to have been affected by his new change, he noticed it was nothing major, but he could think much more clearly now, like some kind of blocker that had been in his mind had been released and unlocked his potential.

Another thing he noticed was his chakra felt different. It was much more chaotic than before, yet at the same time it flowed through his coils far more smoothly, allowing him to access it more easily.

All in all he felt great.

"Whatever, let's just get to the Tower," Sakura sighed, not quite able to blame Naruto for being so energetic. Nor would she, Naruto had proven himself to her in the Forest, risking his life for theirs; the least she could do was be nice to him.

With Naruto calming down and guiding them, the group made it to the tower two hours later. When they walked in the trio looked around and frowned when they saw it was empty.

"Damn it, no one's here!" Naruto grunted in annoyance, "I thought someone would have at least been here to greet us and take the scrolls."

Sasuke grunted a bit as he stood up a little straighter, untangling himself from Sakura who had been helping him move since his cursed seal had disappeared, "I'm alright now Sakura."

"Oh…ok Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with a smile, though on the inside she was crying at the loss of holding her Sasuke-kun.

_I CAN'T BELIEVE WE HAD TO LET GO OF HIM! SHANNARO! _Inner Sakura shook her fist in anger.

"So what do you guys think we should do now?" asked Naruto.

The other two blinked as they tried to figure out what they should do as well.

"Hey look at this!" Sakura said as she pointed to a large poster on the wall opposite of the entrance.

Naruto read the message on it several times over before nodding, "I think it's telling us to open the scrolls."

The other two agreed and Naruto and Sasuke each grabbed one of the scrolls, "Alright we'll open them on three." Sasuke and Naruto looked over at each other, "1...2...3!"

The two opened the scroll and looked to see what was inside. Naruto's eyes widened as he recognized the complex seal on the scroll. "Sasuke, it's a summoning jutsu! Toss your scroll now!"

The two tossed the scroll away where they landed on the ground in an X. A few seconds later the there was a puff of smoke, signaling someone had been summoned.

When the smoke cleared it revealed Iruka standing there, "Hey!"

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said with a grin. "I didn't realize you would be a part of this."

Iruka looked over at Naruto and blinked for a second before he spotted the whisker marks, "Naruto! What happened to you?"

Naruto shook his head, "To be honest, I don't really know myself. I had passed out after…" The blond frowned for a moment, "That's right! Iruka-sensei, you need to inform the Hokage that Orochimaru is in the Forest of Death!"

"What!" Iruka shouted in surprise, shock and fear, "How do you know this!"

"Because he attacked us," Naruto said, looking over at Sasuke who was now rubbing the seal on his neck. "He managed to put some kind of hickey on Sasuke, I…can't be sure, but I believe he was after the teme's Sharingan."

Iruka stiffened as he processed the new information. Anything dealing with Orochimaru was bad news, and if the man was after the Sharingan it would spell trouble for Konoha, "I'll be sure to inform Hokage-sama right away then. In the meantime I suggest you rest from your ordeal, chances are, Hokage-sama will call the three of you in to give a report on what happened. So stay in your room until you're told otherwise."

Naruto nodded to Iruka, "Got it sensei, we'll stay put."

"Right," Iruka was tempted to say more, to ask Naruto if he was alright, but if Orochimaru had given Sasuke what he thought it was, then the Hokage would need to be informed immediately. He disappeared within a Shunshin a moment later.

"Why did you tell him that dobe?" Sasuke asked in anger after Iruka left.

"Because the Hokage needs to be informed of what happened," Naruto replied in a mild voice. "We were attacked by Orochimaru of the Sannin, an S-rank traitor of Konoha. Something of this magnitude cannot be kept secret."

"I'm not talking about that," Sasuke glared at the blond. "I want to know why you told him about the seal. Specifically my seal!"

"He would have found out eventually anyways teme," Naruto rolled his eyes at the glare he was receiving. "Don't glare at me like that, this is serious. We don't know what kind of effects that seal will have on you."

"It gives me power," Sasuke said, remembering the feel of power flowing through him, "That's all that matters."

Naruto's mouth became a thin line as he heard his teammate's remark, "It also makes you a psychotic killer. Or do you not remember how you nearly killed that Oto Genin for sport? We need to look at it, and see what it does besides give power. Remember, Orochimaru obviously wants your Sharingan, do you really think he would give you something that powerful without a cost?"

Sasuke frowned, the dobe did have a point, "So what do you suggest?"

"We'll head to our room for now. I want to look at the seal before anyone tries to tamper with it," Naruto said. "Depending on what we find, we may need to seal it until we can determine if it's safe to use or not."

Hearing that his new power may have to be sealed did not sit well with Sasuke, however Naruto had made a decent point and he would admit the blond knew more about seals then he did. "Fine, let's go get a room and get this over with."

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Naruto frowned in thought as he stared at the seal on his teammate's neck. The seal was something of an oddity. Naruto could tell it was a decently high level fuuinjutsu, yet at the same time it was so sloppy the blond had to wonder what Orochimaru was thinking to put something like this on someone.

"Well?" asked Sasuke who was sitting in front of Naruto with his shirt off so the blond could have unhindered access to the seal.

"It's definitely a fairly high level seal," Naruto replied as he unsealed his fuuinjutsu equipment. "Powerful too. Some of the seals I don't even recognize. However, it's also been made rather poorly. The Hebi-teme obviously doesn't really care if someone lives or dies from this seal. I can see a few seals that I have knowledge of. You've got a slave Seal, which is designed to bend the will of the person using it to whoever created it. A modified pain seal, I think this one is to inflict pain on a person if they decide to use it against the seal against its creator. And another one that I can only recognize a little bit as something that affects the mind. My guess is it's a modified mind slave seal; normally these are designed to control others by controlling the chemical processes in the brain. This one however looks like it enslaves the user's will to the power of the seal, basically it acts like a drug, the more you use the seal the more you'll crave its use."

Naruto cut his thumb and placed his blood in the ink bottle, he began to stir the ink as he thought of what kind of seal he should use to seal this mark. "Until either myself, or someone better than me can figure out what this seal does we should keep it under locks."

Sasuke grunted, still not liking the thought of having all that power sealed away. However he understood what his blond teammate was saying, and did not want his will to be enslaved to someone else.

Using quick and precise brushstrokes, Naruto began to create a counterseal to keep the cursed mark under control.

"Don't you also have one of these cursed marks?" asked Sasuke a little while after Naruto started sealing, "I thought he bit you too."

"He did," Naruto said, biting his bottom lip in concentration. "However, the seal couldn't take hold on me. This mark seems to feed off of a person's dark emotions to get its power, so if someone rejects their darker side the seal can't take effect."

Naruto started writing all along Sasuke's back as he found himself needing more space to write the seal, "I remember when I was caught in my mind because of the seal; I had to fight my dark half in combat. Apparently he had the power of the seal, so when I defeated him the seal disappeared as well."

Sasuke frowned, his had merely showed a younger version of him being powerless and Orochimaru had come and offered him power, "I didn't have something like that happen to me."

"It's probably different for everyone," Naruto shrugged as he finished creating the seal. Unlike the Predessecor for the seal he was using, this one did not require much space due to how Naruto had created the seal. The Fuja Hoin, which this seal was created from required the person the seal was being used on to sit within two concentric circles. Having realised that it was because most people created an unessecary amount of formula symbols Naruto had set about to making something easier, taking away some symbols and adding in other ones to compress the nessecary amount of seals needed for the fuiinjutsu.

He checked it over to make sure there were no mistakes, and upon finding none went through several hand seals. "Dyuaru Sou Fuja Hoin (Dual Layered Evil Sealing Method)!" he placed a glowing purple hand on the cursed seal and watched as the seals he had created all began to move towards the one on Sasuke's neck.

"Gugh!" Sasuke grunted and squeezed his eyes shut as his cursed seal flared. It definitely hurt, but thankfully this pain was nowhere near the pain he felt when he had been given the cursed seal. For several seconds Sasuke was forced to bear with the pain until Naruto finished sealing the cursed seal. When it was done the Uchiha heir was left gasping for breath as he felt slightly weakened.

"You should get some rest. You're going to feel groggy after having that sealed up," Naruto said as he moved off the bed.

Sasuke didn't say anything but nodded as he lay down and fell asleep.

A few minutes later the door to the shower opened and Sakura stepped out in a clean set of clothes, "Shower's open if either of you two wants it…"

She looked over to see Sasuke already asleep and Naruto moving to the shower. As the door closed Sakura went over to Sasuke and looked down at the sleeping figure of her crush. She sighed as she went to one of the other beds and went to sleep.

Fifteen minutes later Naruto came out of the shower in a pair of orange boxers. Seeing his teammates already asleep and feeling kind of tired himself he went over to the last bed and plopped down on it. Rolling onto his back Naruto closed his eyes and decided to visit Kyuubi and finish the conversation they had started from earlier.

* * *

Opening his eyes Naruto found himself in a forest that he recognized as the one that surrounded Konoha. A little ways away in front of him was a small hut with some smoke coming out of a chimney. Determining that was where Kyuubi lived the blond made his way over to it, promising to get some answers from his tenant. When he got in front of the door he paused for a second, before deciding that it may be in his best interest not to get on the red heads bad side and knocked.

He heard some shuffling and a small curse when it sounded like someone bumped into something before the door opened and revealed Kyuubi.

Kyuubi blinked at him for a moment and for a second Naruto could see surprise in her eyes, though it only lasted for a second, **"I did not expect to see you so soon."** She said after a while, only for a small grin to form a second later, **"Did you miss looking at someone as beautiful as me?"**

For a moment Naruto blushed in embarrassment, however he soon remembered who or more precisely what this was that was in front of him. Gathering himself he did his best not to scowl at her as he spoke, "Believe me, were it up to me I would not have come back." He smirked for a moment as he noticed her scowl, "However, I believe our conversation last time was interrupted."

Kyuubi frowned at the lack of respect in Naruto's tone, but decided to let it slide for the moment, **"I suppose it did. Very well, you may come in,"** she opened the door a little wider and walked away, forcing the blond to close the door as he walked in.

**"You may as well find a spot to sit and get comfortable," **Kyuubi said as she took the bed. **"This is going to be a long conversation."**

Naruto frowned as he looked around and eventually found a chair next to the bed on the opposite side of the amour. Moving over to it the blond Konoha shinobi took a seat.

**"I guess I should start by asking why you would _honor_ me with another visit so soon?"** Kyuubi said with some sarcasm being spoken when she said honor.

Naruto's hackles rose but upon seeing the smirk on Kyuubi's face knew she was baiting him. He took a deep breath and blew it out, when he had gained a good handle on his emotions he looked over at the red head, "As I said before our last conversation was interrupted…_"_

**"So it was…"** Kyuubi trailed off.

For a moment Naruto waited for her to begin the explanation she had been about to give him before he was forced to get to his friends. However when none were forthcoming he realized she was waiting for him. This caused him to scowl as he knew it meant she had put one over on him, and judging by her smirk, he knew that was what she had intended.

Unfortunately for him he needed to know what had happened to his body, "You were about to tell me why you would not have used the method you had to save me, if you knew what would have happened."

Kyuubi looked at him for a moment and smiled, **"I suppose I was…however, I don't really feel like telling you anymore."**

Naruto grit his teeth but did his best not to let her get to him, "And why not?"

**"Because I don't see how I can gain anything from telling you,"** Kyuubi's smile widened at seeing how her words were pushing him. While she may not be able to kill him, that did not mean she was not going to make him suffer for being her prison.

Despite knowing she was being stubborn in refusing to tell him just to get him riled up; Naruto was having a hard time controlling his emotions. Were it not for the fact that he had no desire to feel her power again he would have lashed out. As it was it took nearly five minutes for him to regain control over himself.

"We both know that whatever you were going to say is just important to your survival, I doubt you would have been willing to have even gotten started on that topic otherwise."

For just a second Naruto saw what looked like respect flicker within the twin red orbs, however it was gone soon after making the blond wonder if he had imagined it.

**"Clever deduction,"** Kyuubi said as she looked at him, **"I'm impressed you were able to come to that conclusion."** She frowned as she began her explanation, **"You are correct, this is important to my continued survival. Because you are a half demon, you have gained…immortality."**

"Wh…what?" Naruto choked out in a whisper as his eyes widened.

Kyuubi sighed, **"Immortality, I am positive that you have gained immortality."**

"Immort-" Naruto could not finish the word. Some people may have been pleased to learn that they would never die; a fear of death was always present for most people who lived. However Naruto had never been one of those people, had never wished for such a thing. Especially now when he had finally found precious people to protect, people who enjoyed being with him. A friend in Tenten, Rock Lee, Anko, the father/daughter duo who owned the ramen stand, Iruka and the Hokage, they were the closest thing he had to family. Being with them had brought life to him, he was happier now that he had several people who genuinely cared for him.

However they would all grow old and eventually die, it was just how things were. Nothing could survive the ravages of time, nothing except for a demon, or in his case a half demon. He was officially being told that he would never die, that he would be forced to watch everyone he ever loved and ever would love die. Meanwhile he would live on and be forced to endure the pain of losing those he cared for.

Tears once again began gathering in the corner of his eyes, something that Kyuubi picked up on right away.

**"You need to grow up child!"** Naruto looked up at Kyuubi to see her looking at him with a harsh glare, **"I will not have my vessel acting in such a pathetic manner. There is nothing that can be done to turn you back to the way you were, so thinking on it is pointless." **She favored Naruto with a condescending smirk, **"Besides, you should be grateful. It's not often one is gifted with immortality after all."**

"Grateful?" Naruto asked in a harsh whisper, "Why should I be grateful? What possible reason is there that you believe would make me feel gratitude towards _you_?"

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed at the blond, **"I would suggest you watch your tongue boy. Or did you not learn your lesson from yesterday?"**

However Naruto was too far gone to listen to her, this woman, this creature had just given him a curse that would only cause him more pain and he with his mind decidedly clouded right now, he lashed out in the only way he could think of.

Kyuubi became surprised when the blond leapt at her. She had no time to react as he grabbed her by the front of her kimono, picked her up and bodily slammed her against the wall.

"Shut up!" Naruto ground out as he glared at the still surprised Kyuubi, "I have no reason to be thankful for what you've given me! Because of you, I will be forced to watch all the people I care about die. No matter how strong I am, how powerful I grow, how much intelligence I gain I-"

Naruto was cut off as their situation became reversed when Kyuubi spun them around and slammed him into the wall hard enough to leave several cracks within the mindscape, **"Don't you _ever _try to touch me without my permission!"** Kyuubi snarled with absolute rage on her face, **"If you so much as even think of trying to lay your hands on me I will make you regret it! Do not think that just because I cannot kill you, that I cannot make you suffer! I will not have someone below my station put their paws on me, and you are far below me!"**

Naruto snarled at her and Kyuubi became surprised again when she saw Naruto's eyes morph from the blue orbs they had been, into a set of amethyst colored eyes with black slits running down the middle. His whisker marks began to thicken as well and purple youki began leaking out of Naruto's body. The power was not only surprising to Kyuubi, but due to the fact that she was still weakened from having used as much power as she had, it was also frightening.

The blond before her currently had more power than she did.

In an act of anger Naruto pushed off the wall and tackled the stunned and frightened Kyuubi to the ground. A gasp escaped the red-head's lips and she was surprised to feel pain when her back hit the floor. Looking up she saw Naruto with a fist cocked back, encased in a globe of purple energy and ready to smash it into her. She closed her eyes and for the first time in her life, she found herself afraid of another being. However as she waited for the blow she found herself surprised when it never came.

Opening her eyes Kyuubi looked into Naruto's and was startled to see his fist shaking. She looked from his fist to his face and saw that his teeth were grit in frustration and tears were trickling down his eyes. He looked like he was having some kind of inner battle with himself.

As if the surprises she had endured in the last few seconds was not enough, the hand Naruto was holding lost its purple glow, his features returned to normal and a choked sob escaped him. Finally the blond seemed to lose his strength and fell right on top of Kyuubi, where he proceeded to break down…crying right into her chest.

Had this happened any other time, Kyuubi probably would have been so royally pissed that Naruto would have likely been beaten so badly that it would have reflected in the real world and he would have required a bedpan. However the culmination of shock for what had transpired, fear for the power the blond had emanated and confusion about why he had not struck her when he had the chance kept Kyuubi from harming him. So instead of doing that, she just lay there and let the whisker marked blond cry.

After a while Naruto seemed to get a hold of himself and looked up to see Kyuubi staring at him with wide eyes.

"Sorry," he whispered in a hoarse voice before getting off of her and standing up. He held his hand out to Kyuubi who looked at it wearily for several long seconds before taking it.

**"I don't understand,"** she said as she looked at the blond in complete confusion, **"you could have killed me back there."**

"I know," Naruto whispered. He was unsure how he knew, but somehow he knew that he could have killed Kyuubi right than had he wanted to. And he knew instinctively that unlike her, he was not dependent on her survival, not anymore since he had his own youki and no longer needed hers.

**"Why didn't you?" **asked Kyuubi as she tried to get a good look in his eyes, not that it did any good since his eyes were covered in shadow.

Naruto shook his head, "I don't know…I guess I just couldn't do it. Even though you ruined my life I…I guess I just couldn't bring myself to do it…"

Kyuubi looked at Naruto for a long time, studying the blond as if he were some kind of puzzle. After several minutes of searching for something she could not seem to find she spoke, **"Thank you."**

She had to forcibly make the words come out of her. Never before had she ever thanked another being for anything, doing such a thing was beneath her, to Kyuubi it should be others who thanked her for not ending their miserable existence. But right now the blond before her was currently more powerful than she was, not only that but she had felt what little power she did have being drained by the seal when he had gotten angry. Until she could figure out what that meant the vixen decided it would be wise not to anger Naruto.

Naruto looked at her for a moment before nodding, not really trusting his voice for the moment. It was silent after that as the two tried their best to look anywhere but at each other, that silence soon began to stretch and it was surprisingly Kyuubi who became uncomfortable with it.

**"Look I…I know we didn't really get off on the right foot,"** Kyuubi frowned for a moment as she tried to find the right words for what she wanted to say. It was not easy for one such as her, one who had never really tried to get along with others. However she knew what needed to be done in order to ensure her continued existence, and like it or not this boy was the key.

**"I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I know you don't like what's happened to you…"**

Naruto's snort interrupted her, "That's a very mild way of putting it. You've essentially told me that I'm going to live forever, that means that I will be forced to watch as all of the people I've grown close to die. You've made it virtually impossible for me to meet my friends in whatever after life waits for us, hell you've made it hard for me to even make friends now…"

The blonde's voice was soon reduced to a whisper, "And you've made it impossible for me to find love."

Despite herself Kyuubi winced, **"That's not true…at least not in the context your thinking."** When Naruto merely raised an eyebrow she tried her best to elaborate, **"It is true that a…a relationship like marriage or something permanent is impossible…"**

At the blonde's glare she realized that might not have been the best way of putting it and tried to finish what she was saying more delicately then she normally would, **"But that still does not mean you can't find someone out there who will love you."**

"But they won't always be there," Naruto said, "eventually they will die and I will be alone again."

Kyuubi found herself biting her lip, there was something about the way he said that, that brought an odd desire to help him out of her. That or perhaps she was still afraid of the power he had displayed, **"I…I'll be there you know,"** she said, causing the young half demon to look at her with an odd stare that almost, _almost _caused her to blush.

**"Because you're a half demon now… there is no way for me to escape the seal. So um…"** she trailed of for a moment when she noticed him still looking at her.

After a few seconds a blush finally did arise from her cheeks, one made from both anger and embarrassment, **"Look would you stop staring at me like that!"**

After a few moments Naruto's eyes went to a less imposing stare, "Sorry, it's just, it sounded like your telling me that you've offered to stay with me."

Kyuubi's blush seemed to increase a bit, **"W-well it's not like I have a choice! I'm stuck here now. Before I turned you, I could have escaped the seal if I had managed to convince you to take it off. However when you changed into a hanyou something in the seal changed as well and now there is no way for me to escape."**

She gestured around both her neck and the walls, **"Even were you to rip the one off of my neck, these walls are impossible for even you to take off." **She frowned, **"I suspect it has something to do with the seal that man tried to put on you. I don't know much about sealing, I never really bothered to learn anything about sealing until I actually _was_ sealed to be honest, but I do know that placing a high level seal on a body that already has an existing high level seal can cause a disruption in the original seal that was placed on the person. Likely that's what happened here and it caused the seal that held me to mutate before I could contain it."** She shook her head, **"Though as I said I can't be too sure…"**

"I see…" Naruto trailed off for several moments as he tried to come to grip with everything he had just been told. He felt like he had been given far too much information and his mind was going to meltdown from being so overloaded. With a heavy sigh he sat down on the bed, which was the closest object to him.

He looked up at Kyuubi who was still looking at him, "Why don't you tell me about what it's going to mean for me to be a hanyou now…"

He realized that at the moment there was no way he could come to grips with what had just happened, so it would be best if he moved onto something else before he dealt with the knowledge he had been given. "Are there any benefits to me becoming a half demon?" he asked.

Kyuubi stood there for a few seconds before getting herself together; she tentatively sat down next to him. **"There are a few things I can tell you, however I should warn you, I don't know everything there is about this new form."**

"But didn't you turn me into a Hanyou?" Naruto asked in confusion, "I would have figured that you would know my abilities since you're the reason I changed."

Kyuubi shook her head, **"Unfortunately I have only basic knowledge on Hanyous. There has not been a half demon in nearly four millennia. Long before even I was born. The only reason I was even able to figure out what you were was because of a tome I had once read that spoke of a Hanyou who had been a cross between a powerful Inu (dog) demon and a human. And even then, this is different."**

"How so?"

**"Because you started off human,"** Kyuubi said with a shrug. **"You were not bred between a demon and a human, but created because of an overdose of my youki. Normally such a thing would have killed you, but because the seal that keeps me here is constantly channeling my youki through you, it had changed you to that of a Hanyou instead."** Kyuubi paused for a moment before continuing, **"It may also have something to do with your chakra."**

"My chakra?" asked Naruto with a frown.

Kyuubi gave a small nod, **"Your chakra is, was more…stronger than most. It had an odd vitality to it that made it stronger than other people's chakra. I believe it was at least another part of the reason you did not die during the transformation."**

"I see…" Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before getting back to the topic at hand, "So then my abilities are likely different than those of this other Hanyou you read about?"

**"Yes,"** Kyuubi answered simply. **"But that's a given considering you were made this way because of me. From what I read the demons of ancient times were nowhere near the strength of the Bijuu. In fact most Jonin-level shinobi could go toe to toe with the demons of the past."**

Naruto tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow at that tidbit of information, "How do you know that? More tomes?"

"**Partially. However there were also still a few demons other than myself and the Bijuu when I was first born." **Kyuubi shrugged, **"Most if not all of them were killed off, with only the most powerful surviving, and even then I think the stronger demons were eventually killed, leaving only us Bijuu."**

"So then how were you born?" asked Naruto, actually getting interested in learning more about the past. Despite not liking Kyuubi hearing a piece of history that nobody else was likely to know held an odd form of appeal to the blond.

Feeling a bit more bold now that they were no longer at each other's throats Kyuubi just gave him a knowing smile, **"A story for another time perhaps, we're getting off topic after all."**

Naruto a pout at not having his curiosity sated and Kyuubi was unable to contain the laugh that escaped her, **"Now I'm sure you already know the basics of your abilities. Your speed, strength, endurance, reflexes, senses and regeneration have increased significantly; I would say that you are now on par with your friend in the horrible green spandex when he is not wearing his weights. Your mind is also able to process information at a faster rate, even though you still act like an idiot sometimes." **

It took Naruto several seconds to realize she was trying to make a joke, and when he did the blond decided that since she seemed to be trying to get along that he would also extend an olive branch. He gave her a small tentative smile, which made Kyuubi give an internal sigh of relief before she continued her explanation.

"**As far as other abilities, I'm not one hundred percent sure. As I said, this has not happened for a long time. Aside from that, you are the first and likely only human to ever become a Hanyou from a Bijuu. I would hazard a guess that you will be able to use at least some of the techniques I have created over the years."**

"You created your own jutsu?" asked Naruto, despite the revelations, emotions and mental exhaustion they had given him, he could not help but feel a small bit of excitement at the prospect of using jutsu created by _the _Kyuubi No Kitsune.

Kyuubi hummed as she tapped a finger against her chin in a thinking pose that made her surprisingly cute, **"I suppose you could call them that. However none of these actually require hand signs, instead they are pure manipulation of either an element, or youki. And you may not be able to use all of them, since your youki is not as potent as mine."**

"Youki? You mean I have youki?" asked Naruto.

**"Of course, you're a Hanyou now so your chakra was actually replaced with youki,"** Kyuubi frowned for a moment. **"Technically you can consider it half youki. When my youki mixed with your chakra it melded with it, turning you into a Hanyou. That's partly why your physical abilities are so much better now. Because youki is many times more potent than chakra, your coils constantly have a set amount flowing through you no matter what you do. This means that youki is moving through all the various parts of your body, enhancing them. This is actually going to be useful to your physical training since it means that your muscles will never atrophy from disuse."**

"So basically I could stop exercising right now and remain at the same level of physical performance?" asked Naruto.

Kyuubi nodded, **"Yes. And if you continue to get stronger, your muscles and bones and anything else that get strained, torn or broken will becoming twice as strong."**

Naruto nodded as he thought about what that would mean. Since his body would no longer atrophy he would not need to wear his weights all the time unless training, in fact in may prove to be more beneficial than if he were to keep his weights and resistance seals on, since they would not be needed to keep his muscles from deteriorating.

"So does this mean my youki will be harder to control?" asked Naruto as he decided to get back on track.

Kyuubi gave Naruto a grin as she shook her head. **"On the contrary, because your coils expanded and your youki flows much more smoothly than your chakra did, it will be easier to control. Your only real issue will be some of the less powerful human techniques. Because youki is many times more potent and chaotic, you will need to use nearly three times less youki than you did chakra. But I know several advanced exercises that I created to help you control your youki."**

Naruto nodded as he gave Kyuubi a smile, "So does this mean you're going to help me with my training?"

Kyuubi smirked, **"I suppose I could, but you'll have to listen to everything I say when I say. And if you fail to do so, I'll cut off the circulation to one of your limbs, and trust me, you won't like the one I pick."**

Naruto frowned but before he could respond to that threat a new voice interrupted him.

"…to…Na…ruto!"

"What the hell!" asked Naruto.

**"Oh, sounds like someone's calling you from the outside world," **Kyuubi commented.

Naruto frowned, "Then I guess I have to go." He looked over at Kyuubi. "I'll see you later I guess."

**"Actually if you want you want to talk to me, just think what you're going to say and I'll be able to hear and answer you,"** Kyuubi said, getting a nod from Naruto as he faded out of the seal.

Kyuubi stared at the spot Naruto had been sitting, thinking hard on what had just happened. The conversation had turned out to be nothing like what she had expected; the way Naruto had surprised her when he slammed her into the wall, and again when he had called upon that power. **_While his youki was nowhere near as strong as I am at full power it was still far more powerful than I had expected._**

She was unsure what to make of it; the power he had unleashed was both unexpected and unwelcome. Mainly because she did not know what it meant. That energy had just seemed burst out of him in an uncontrolled manner.

**_If anything it seemed like a hidden well of energy, _**she thought to herself, **_this new development bears further investigation…_**

* * *

"Naruto! Wake up Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she shook the blond viciously. Sasuke and the ANBU who had come to get them sweat dropped at how violent the girl was acting.

"NN…ugh." Naruto blinked his eyes open to see Sakura over him, "What the hell do you want? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep…"

Sakura huffed, "Hokage-sama wants to see us! So get off your lazy ass and c'mon!"

"Fine…" Naruto yawned as he got out of bed. As soon as he did he heard a squeak and turned to see a red-faced Sakura.

"P-put some clothes on baka!" She shouted as she turned around and attempted to hold in her nosebleed.

Naruto grinned, "You know, you may want to keep any fantasies with me in them out of your head Sakura-_chaaan_. After all, what would Sasuke-kun think if you started falling for another man."

"S-Shut up!" Sakura squeaked as Naruto laughed and put on a pair of pants and his cloak.

"*Sigh* Looks like I'm going to need a change of pants too, these no longer fit either." Naruto shrugged the thought off for now. He looked over at the ANBU who was standing in the doorway, he had the distinct impression the person was staring at him, "Lead the way ANBU-san."

This seemed to snap the ANBU out of his/her stupor. "Right, follow me," A distinctly female voice said.

The members of team seven all stood up and followed the ANBU out of the room.

Sarutobi looked at the door as it opened and the members of Team Seven walked in. he immediately put a smile on his face, pleased to see that they seemed relatively unharmed, "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, it is good to see you three. I trust you are doing well…?" He looked at Naruto in surprise. "Naruto! What happened to you?"

"Why does everyone always ask me that?" Naruto said in an annoyed tone, "First Sasuke-teme, then Iruka-sensei and now you!"

"Well, it's just that you look so different," Sarutobi defended himself.

"Didn't Iruka-sensei tell you about my changes?"

Sarutobi shook his head, "I believe he was more concerned by the fact that three genin went up against an S-rank criminal."

"Whatever it's cool," Naruto shrugged. "As for the changes I honestly don't know. One minute I'm up against that pedo-hebi-teme, and the next I'm like this. Not that I'm complaining because I gotta admit, I'm really liking this new look! Anyways, I guess you called us to talk about your pedophile of a student?"

Sarutobi chuckled as his surrogate grandson nonchalant attitude, though he was a tad worried. "I suppose if you don't know we'll just as to see if we can figure out what happened later. However, as you seemed to have guessed I called you hear to discuss what I heard from Iruka as well as Anko in the Forest of Death."

"Anko faced Orochimaru!" Naruto said in shock, "Is she ok! Orochimaru didn't hurt her did he? Where is-"

"Calm down Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said, watching as the blond took several deep breaths. "Anko is perfectly fine. She had a few minor injuries but nothing serious. It seems Orochimaru does not want to start any trouble…yet."

Naruto snorted, "If that were the case I doubt he would have attacked our team."

"Perhaps, but from what I understand he had a specific purpose for doing that," Sarutobi said. "Perhaps you three can elaborate on what happened from your perspective."

The three genin looked at each other, nodding before they began to corroborate their story. Telling Sarutobi what happened to them from after the group had been separated by a Fuuton jutsu. Several times in throughout the brief, the old Hokage felt like he was going to have a heart attack, especially when he was told of Naruto basically sacrificing himself for his teammates, though a part of him could also not help but feel pride at Naruto's willingness to sacrifice himself for his teammates.

At the end of the report he frowned, "So you're telling me that both of you received the curse seal?"

"Hai, that sounds right," Naruto replied.

"And yours is no longer there?"

Naruto sighed before showing either side of his neck where the cursed seal would be, but there was nothing there. "I managed to beat the hebi-teme's power back, I suppose that just goes to show how truly awesome I am."

His teammates snorted while Sarutobi chuckled, "I see, well that is good to hear. Now Sasuke, anything Orochimaru gives is extremely dangerous so I am afraid we will have to seal it…"

"Don't worry Ojisan," Naruto interrupted, "I already took care of it."

Sarutobi blinked, "What do you mean you already took care of it?"

"I mean I sealed it up," Naruto answered as if it should have been obvious.

"Show me," The aging Hokage ordered. Sasuke frowned but went over to Sarutobi and showed him the seal none the less. The Hokage looked down at the seal to see the familiar heaven seal like Anko's. However surrounding that was a seal that looked extremely complex and powerful. ""What kind of seal is this?"

"It's a modified version of the Fuja Hoin (Evil Sealing Method), it's essentially a double-layered version of that," Naruto answered, at Sarutobi's enquiring look he continued. "As you know the Fuja Hoin is a seal that ties the users will to its ability to seal whatever you're trying to seal away."

At Sarutobi's nod Naruto continued, "What I did was dual layer it so that rather than just being tied to Sasuke's will, it's also tied to my will; meaning that even if Sasuke tried to use it, it wouldn't work unless I gave permission for it to be used. This also has the added benefit of allowing Sasuke to train harder since he does not need to worry about keeping the seal in check."

Sarutobi stared at the blond in amazement as he listened to the boy's explanation. _To think that in less than six months Naruto-kun has come so far in such a vague and difficult skill to learn. He truly is your son Minato._

"That's extremely impressive Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said. "I am actually surprised by how good you have gotten in your sealing."

"Hehehe, thanks Ojisan," Naruto rubbed the back of his head as an embarrassed blush spread across his face.

"You know, if you're interested I could have Jiraiya look over a few of your seal designs when he gets into the village," Sarutobi suggested.

"You mean Jiraiya, _the_Jiraiya? Of the Sannin?" asked Naruto in shock.

"Yes the very same, I have recalled him from a mission I sent him on and he should be returning sometime within the next month."

Naruto grinned, "That. Would. Be. AWESOME!"

Sarutobi chuckled, "I am glad to know you're pleased. I do have a question though; can you put that seal on Anko?"

Naruto's shoulders slumped a bit at that, "No, because Anko already as a Fuja Hoin on it I can't. That would have to be removed before I could place this one on her, and if the seal is removed the cursed seal would flare up and destroy her chakra coils, especially since she's never used it before and would be unable to handle the influx of power."

"I see…" Sarutobi sighed sadly, "I thank you three for giving me your report on what happened. The second stage for the Chunin Exams will be ending in two days, so I suggest you use that time to rest."

"In that case I'm going to get some food. I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks." Naruto said as he and the other two left, "I wonder if they have any Ichiraku's here."

As the door shut Sarutobi looked over to the corner of the room, "What do you think?"

There was a shimmer before a man appeared in the corner. He was taller than most people, standing at around 6'5" and had long white spiky hair that went to his mid back and was held up by a head band that had two horns on either side and the kanji for oil on the front. He was wearing a green gi under a red vest and had wooden geta sandals, along with a large summoning scroll attached to his back.

The man gave thoughtful look as he glanced back at the doorway, "The gaki is definitely talented, I can tell you that. I'm not even sure Minato could have come up with a seal like that at his age. And this means we won't have to worry about the snake trying to affect the Uchiha's mind since it would have to go through Naruto."

"So I'm guessing you would be willing to help him out over the one month period?" asked Sarutobi. "I also need you to look at his seal, I fear the Kyuubi may be able to try and influence him. It was able to speak with him during the mission to Nami, I want to make sure that won't happen Jiraiya."

Jiraiya frowned before shrugging, "Well, we'll see what happens; so long as it doesn't cut into my research."

"Have you no shame Jiraiya-kun," Sarutobi scolded.

"And your telling me you do?" asked Jiraiya with a grin, "Besides, I only need a little bit more material before I come up with my newest Icha Icha series."

"Hmmm well that is quite important," Sarutobi said in agreement. "Still, I think you should help train the boy."

"Don't worry old man, I'll help the gaki along," Jiraiya said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go do some 'research'."

Sarutobi watched as Jiraiya disappeared, sighing he went back to thinking about all the information he had on Orochimaru.

_I will need to be careful with my old student around…just what are you planning…Orochimaru._

_

* * *

_

(Two days later…)

After the remaining two days had passed everyone who had managed to make it through the Forest of Death gathered in the center of the tower. As Naruto looked around he spotted those who had managed to pass the second stage. Aside from his team, the other rookie teams eight and ten had managed to pass, along with team nine. Kabuto's team had also made it. The Suna team had passed, as well as the Kumo team and, to Naruto's surprise; the Oto team had managed to pass.

Behind and on either side of Sarutobi stood Anko and Ibiki along with all of the Jonin-senseis whose teams had made it, along with several other Chunin and Jonin who were here to witness the event.

_I can't believe so many people made it, _Anko frowned as she scanned the crowd. _Twenty-four people managed to pass the second test. I would have at least thought it would be in the double digits. _As she continued watching she spotted Naruto who gave her a grin causing her to grin back. _At least the gaki made it, now maybe I can get some entertainment. _She frowned again. _Though he did face Orochimaru, but I was told by Hokage-sama not to worry and that his cursed seal had disappeared. I'll have to ask him about that later._

"Looks like your team made it Kakashi. They didn't do too bad, or perhaps they got lucky. But from here on out it's all about skill, and with my team here yours is out of luck," Gai said to his eternal rival.

"Hm, you say something Gai?" Kakashi turned towards the green clad Jonin with a bored look.

"Oooh! Rival Kakashi that attitude of yours is so hip and it gets on my nerves!" Gai formed a fist in front of his face as fire seemingly ignited in his eyes. Kakashi sweatdropped before turning his attention back to the stadium floor.

_So that's Naruto-kun's sensei and Gai-sensei's eternal rival, _Tenten eyed the silver-haired man. _Well if we're going by the looks department he's got Gai-sensei beat._

_It looks like quite a few made it,_Yugito thought as she looked around at the others. She paused when she spotted the blond, _It seems he was more than just empty bravado after all._

_For this many teams to make it and most of them rookies, it's no wonder these three nominated their teams,_Sarutobi looked over to Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma.

"To everyone who has made it this far, I would like to congratulate you on passing the second stage of the Chunin Exams," Anko started, breaking everyone from their thoughts. "Now I suggest all of you listen carefully to Hokage-sama who will be explaining the third test!"

Everyone stood a tad straighter as the Hokage stepped forward, "Before I explain the third test, there is something I would like all of you to know. And that is the true reason for this exam."

Many of the genin perked up at this, wondering what he was talking about.

"Why do we have all of the Shinobi villages taking these exams together? Many people believe it is to promote friendship among other countries. Others believe it is to raise the skill level of our shinobi. It is here today that I will tell you the truth, because I do not want you to be confused about this," Sarutobi took a slight pause as he watched the genin look at him in curiosity.

"The truth of the matter is that this is a replacement for the war among allied countries," Sarutobi stated, surprising even the most knowledgeable genin.

"I see many of you are confused, so I will explain. A village's strength is determined by the strength of its shinobi, not just having the numbers over another village, but proving that our shinobi our stronger than those of other villages. By holding the Chunin Selection Exams we can prove to the Daimyos and other villages the strength we have to offer, though I will admit this is not entirely reliable, to simplify this explanation. Your strength represents the power of your village and that in turn makes other villages wary of attacking and in entices more clients to choose your village for missions over theirs."

Sarutobi watched as several of the genin there began to understand, he then looked over at Naruto who was picking at his ear and looked bored. The old Hokage sweatdropped, _I doubt he's even listening to what I have to say…_

He was just about to start talking again when a sickly looking Jonin appeared in front of him, "*Cough* actually Hokage-sama *Cough* would you please let me explain this *Cough* to this genin?"

Sarutobi nodded and took a step back. The Jonin stood up and turned around and Naruto had to raise an eyebrow at the man's appearance. He was dressed in the standard Jonin uniform and had a bandana style headband. But what caught Naruto's attention were the deep set bags under his eyes, as well as his general sickly look.

_I wonder if he's actually sick, or if he's just faking it so people underestimate him,_Naruto wondered, having read about psyching your enemies out so that you could surprise them.

"Welcome, my name is *Cough* Hayate Gekkou and I'm the proctor for the *Cough Cough* third stage of the Chunin exams," Hayate spoke, coughing so much that many of the genin wondered if he was fit for duty. "Unfortunately it seems that the first and second stages of the Chunin Exams were too easy and we now have too many candidates. Because of this, we will be holding preliminary matches."

"Why do we have to have preliminary matches?" asked a confused Sakura. "Why can't we just all continue?"

Hayate coughed as he looked over at her, "Because honestly the first two exams seem to have been too easy this year, we just have too many people. There will be many Daimyos and other important people coming to this exam, so we need to make sure that only the best of the best are in it."

"So basically the cream of the crop," Naruto said, "Well I was looking for something to do anyway, I suppose it will be fun to play along with this."

"Er…right?" Hayate sweatdropped at seeing the Anko-ish grin on the blond Genin. "Before we begin I will explain the rules. As the referee I expect you to follow everything I say. If I command you to stop I expect you do it, failure to do so will result in your immediate extermination from the exams. Fights will be done one on one and the winner of the fight will progress to the next round. Your opponents will be chosen at random and the match will end when an opponent dies, loses consciousness or gives up. If I see that a match is unable to continue I will also end the match. Any questions?"

When none were forth coming Hayate continued, "Anyways, if any of you want to quit, now's your chance."

As Hayate looked around the room, Kabuto looked up at his 'Jonin' sensei only to see the man shake his head. He frowned in thought, not quite sure why Orochimaru wanted him to stay, but something he would do none the less. _I guess I can keep the old blood down for a while longer…_

Hayate seeing that no one was going to back down decided to start the match. Everyone turned their attention to the screen as it began to run through a list of names before stopping on two of them…

* * *

Katon: Housenka No Jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Flower Jutsu) - This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are spat out of the user's mouth, flying wildly in every direction and assaulting the enemy. In addition, the flames are controlled one by one with chakra, so avoiding them all is extremely difficult. Shuriken can be hidden within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack. Like the flames, the shuriken can be controlled with chakra. For the most part, however, this technique is used as a distraction.

Fuja Hoin (Evil Sealing Method) - This jutsu is used to suppress jutsu-induced marks on a person. Marks of weaker power can be completely suppressed by this jutsu alone, but for marks of higher power like Sasuke Uchiha's Cursed Seal of Heaven, this seal is dependent on the recipient's willpower to some extent. It is also capable of holding back certain Kekkei Genkai, such as that of the Kurama clan as seen when Kurenai tried to do this.

This seal requires a number of hand seals and a large amount of chakra to be performed. Preparation for this jutsu requires two concentric circles with kunai placed in intervals along the circumference, in addition to a number of characters written in blood that radiate out from the center of the curse seal.

According to Kakashi, this jutsu is quick, but painful. The seal can be removed at any time by the caster or whoever the seal is on, as demonstrated during Sasuke's battle with Naruto in the Valley of the End. Since this seal does rely on the will of the individual on to whom its placed the affected may be able to just will it away without an unsealing jutsu.

Dyuaru Sou Fuja Hoin (Dual Layered Evil Sealing Method) - This is a more advanced version of the Fuja Hoin that was created by Uzumaki Naruto. Rather than being tied to the will of just the person it is attached to, the seal is also tied to the will of the person who placed it effectively doubling the amount of protection the seal gives. The only way to break such a technique is to either overpower it with chakra, which is an extremely painful and potentially fatel for the person the seal is on, or to have advanced knowledge in fuiinjutsu on the level of Master Fuiinjutsu user like Jiraiya.

* * *

**So here you go, I've explained some of Naruto's abilities. Truthfully he is not that much stronger now then he was before he changed. All he has are increased senses, a slight increase in physical prowess, Yoki or 'half yoki' instead of chakra and immortality, or at least he won't die of old age or disease. Also there is one other thing to note, Naruto will NOT be gaining 'mates'. There will be no 'bite this chick on the neck while your having hot passionate sex and she will become a half demon like you' glib going on here. In my opinion that is another reason Half Demon Naruto has become so cliche'd. That is also why I made Kyuubi to be who she was, Naruto's existance is going to be pretty lonely since every one else will eventually die, even the girls he falls in love with. Hence Kyuubi, she will be able to keep him company.**

**Now for what this means as far as Romance is concerned I will tell you since I have left that open to interpretaton long enough. Naruto will have what are called open ended relationships, at least that's what a few of my lady friends call them. Their will be girls that he will love, but due to the fact that A) He is a shinobi and can get killed at anytime. B) He has a group of nine S ranked criminals and quite possibly orochimaru after him now. and C) is now immortal and will only die if someone kills him, his relationships can not go beyond that. I know people want it where he can somehow make others immortal as well, but that is not possible, if Kyuubi can't do it than why the hell would Naruto be capable of doing it when the only reason he is a hanyo is because of Kyuubi. So as I said, open ended relationships with a few select girls that he cherishes. Also for those who are concerned about this becoming some kind of smut story, don't be. I have no intention of having Naruto get tang with every female he finds, lemons will be few and far between and Naruto will only get with girls who he actually loves. Eventually he will learn to simply cherish the time he has with them and remember the times they shared after they die. Yes, it's sad, yes Naruto will always feel some pain from the loss, yes this may piss some people off and yes its not the most ideal solution but I can't see this going any other way without going through the 'marking mates' cliche of Naruto being a half demon. And honestly, I feel this is more realistic take on shinobi relationships. When you can die at any given time, would you really be willing to risk marrying someone just for one of you to get killed and leave the other. Just look at Asuma's relationship with Kurenai in the manga, he dies leaving her with a son, it's simply the danger that comes with being a shinobi and why someone like Naruto would not be willing to risk being in a serious relationship, he does not want to get hurt like he did with Haku and he does not want others to hurt if he dies.**

**Right, well I'm tired, cranky and feel like going to bed so I'll see you guys later.**


	19. Chapter 19

**This is a thank you to everyone who are still interested in reading my story. I appreciate all of the reviews you guys are leaving and hope my story continues to interest and entertain you.**

**Another thank you goes to Senjuto for Betaing my story.**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights or privileges to Naruto. If I did, I would be getting paid to write this, rather than writing it on a fan fiction web site. I would also be a millionaire and own my own mansion… several mansion, one of which would somewhere off of Costa Rica, or maybe one of the Caribbean Islands, or Hawaii... Hell why not all three.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 19: Prelims, a Time for Battle**

* * *

_Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akadou Yoroi_

"Well teme, looks like they decided to start you right off the bat," Naruto grinned at his foul haired teammate.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as Naruto and the other genin walked up the stairs, leaving him with his opponent. He watched his opponent move towards the other end of the arena with his hands in his pocket and typical 'cool as a cucumber Uchiha' expression on his face.

"I hope you're ready Uchiha," Yoroi stated as he got into a fighting stance, "Powerful clan or not, you're going to lose here."

Sasuke would have rolled his eyes at the other Genin, were it not un-cool for him to do so, "You keep telling yourself that."

"Are both fighters ready?" Hayate asked as he received a nod from Akado and a grunt from Sasuke, "Hajime!"

As soon as the fight started Yoroi went through several hand seals as he came at Sasuke, his hands began to glow a light blue. Sasuke flared his Sharingan as he took his stance, he could see something odd about the glowing hand but was not sure what it did, so decided to avoid it for the most part.

When Yoroi got to Sasuke he reared his glowing fist back and attempted to strike at the raven-haired Uchiha. However Sasuke managed to dodge the attack with relative ease, using the time dilation and predicting abilities of his Sharingan to great effect. He pushed his way into his opponent's guard and landed several hits on the man's torso. Yoroi staggered back from the hits, they stung, but were not devastating.

He looked up just in time to receive a fairly powerful kick to the face that sent him tumbling to the ground. Yoroi got up and wiped the blood that had come from his now split lip, glaring at the Uchiha survivor.

His hand began to glow again and he attempted to strike out at Sasuke. However the raven-haired Genin had the Sharingan available for use thanks to Naruto and thus, was able to evade every single attempt Yoroi made. It was made easier because Kakashi was faster than Yoroi when they sparred so this man was pretty much going at a snail's pace.

Sasuke blocked the left fist coming at him, and then ducked under the glowing hand. When the hand passed over him Sasuke felt a slight drain on his chakra reserves.

_I see, so that's why he's been so adamant about getting me with that hand. _Sasuke thought as he swept Yoroi's legs out from under him and then lashed out with a kick that connected to the other ninja's jaw on his way down.

"You know, if you want to actually hit me, you're going to need to be a lot faster than that," Sasuke stated as Yoroi got back up with a glare. "Also that little chakra draining jutsu of yours isn't going to work on me."

Yoroi glowered at Sasuke and came at him with his glowing hand again.

"Sasuke-teme's got this in the bag," Naruto stated as he watched the battle. "That other guy's like a one trick pony, he can't seem to do much more than that glowing hand of his."

"It does look like Sasuke-kun's winning rather easily," Sakura stated in agreement, making Naruto raise an eyebrow at her as he wondered why she was not screaming at him for calling her crush teme.

_Though she has been a little nicer since I woke up with my battle from the Pedo-teme,_ Naruto thought to himself before shrugging and turning back towards the battle.

As soon as Yoroi got right up to Sasuke, said Genin disappeared. The next thing Yoroi knew was getting a hard kick under the chin and getting sent flying into the air. Sasuke appeared under him using the Konoha Kage Buyou (Leaf Shadow Dance) to get under him.

"Th-That's my-" Lee stuttered, recognizing the attack that he often used and the one Sasuke had seen only once.

Gai remained silent, though he was not pleased by Sasuke blatantly stealing someone else's move without asking or bothering to really master it.

"I'll admit that move was taken from someone else," Sasuke stated as he hovered behind Yoroi. "But from here on out its all original, Sishi Rendan (Lion's Barrage)!" he called out the name of his attack and used a heel drop into Yoroi's stomach. Said Genin was sent sailing into the ground, smashing into it and coughing up blood before passing out.

"Shousa Uchiha Sasuke!" Hayate announced.

Sasuke stuck his hands back into his pocket and walked back up the stairs where his teammates were.

"You stole that move from Lee," Naruto accused.

"Hn. I did what I had to. That move was useful, so I figured I could learn it," Sasuke said, feeling the need to defend himself against Naruto's accusing eyes.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, "You took it without his permission and used it in a move of your own. That's a blatant sign that you don't respect others for their hard work. Lee put a lot of effort into learning those moves, and for you to just copy them shows you don't appreciate just how powerful they are."

For some reason when Naruto said that Sasuke winced. He would not admit it, but that kind of accusation actually stung. "Whatever," He tried to play it off.

Naruto scowled a bit but decided not to comment on it further as two more names appeared on the board.

_Yamanaka Ino vs. Higarashi Tenten_

"Good luck Ten-chan!" Naruto called out as Tenten walked down the stairs.

Tenten was glad that she was not facing Naruto or he would have seen the blush on her face. Several of the girls did notice however and scowled.

"Yosh! Tenten, show them your flames of youth!" Gai cried out.

"Let your youth burn brightly!" Lee shouted in enthusiasm.

Tenten blushed even deeper, not sure what was worse, having Naruto cheer for her or having her green spandex clad teammate and sensei cheer her on. _Well I suppose Naruto-kun's cheering is not so bad. But do Lee and Gai-sensei really have to be so loud?_

"Are both fighters ready?" asked Hayate as soon as the two got onto the stadium floor. When they both signaled readiness Hayate nodded, "Hajime!"

Ino threw some shuriken as soon as the battle started before running at Tenten. Said weapons expert sighed as the weapons came out her. She began to dodge the weapons with ease and to the shock of Ino, grabbed onto several of the shuriken before tossing them back.

Ino's eyes widened as two shuriken managed to graze her arms, and bit back a yelp of pain.

"If you're going to use such a basic tactic against me then you might as well quit," Tenten stated in a bored tone. "It's obvious from the lack of muscles on your body and the fact that you look like a twig that would snap if a breeze hit it, that you were nothing more than a fan girl at the academy."

Ino scowled, "Shut up! I'll show you!" She ran at Tenten who merely sighed in disappointment. The moment Ino got within two feet of Tenten, said girl leapt into the air and spun around.

"Konoha Senpuu!" Tenten smashed a kick right in Ino's face, sending the girl flying back several feet where she landed on her back and gasped as the air was knocked out of her, "With such weak skills you should just give up now."

"I-I'm not done yet!" Ino said as she struggled to get up.

"You know your teammate is gonna get her ass kicked right?" Naruto said as he made his way over to Team Ten. "Badly, I might add. Ten-chan utterly despises fan girls like her."

"Now I think that's being a little unfair," Asuma said as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Ino has a few tricks up her sleeve."

"You mean the Shintenshin No Jutsu?" asked Naruto before shaking his head. "That jutsu requires the person she is aiming for to stand still, and if it doesn't hit her soul will be stuck outside of her body until it hits something and bounces back. Besides, Ten-chan could have ended this a long time ago if she had used her weapons since that's what she specializes in. Also, you're forgetting that she was trained by Gai-sensei."

Asuma shivered a bit, "You do…make a valid point there."

"How do you know so much about that girl?" asked Shikamaru. He actually agreed with Naruto, there was no way Ino would win this, and for all the reasons the blond gave.

Naruto grinned, "I've been training with Ten-chan and her team since I became a Genin. Every other day after missions and team training with my own, I go over to training ground nine and train with her and Lee."

Shikamaru nodded and a part of him wondered if this was why the whiskered bond seemed so much better than he had been in the academy; though he was positive there was more to this than just that.

"Shintenshin No Jutsu!"

The pair snapped their attention back to the battle as Ino called out the one clan jutsu she knew. However it didn't matter since Tenten had already moved from the spot Ino had been aiming for. When the girl slumped down Tenten merely placed a kunai at her neck and waited for the blond girl to come to. When she did it was to see the bun haired girl in position to slit her throat.

"Yield," Tenten ordered.

"I…fine," Ino huffed in disappointment.

Hayate coughed as the match ended, "Shousa Higarashi Tenten!"

Tenten grinned as she made her way back up the stairs. She was stopped as Naruto stepped in front of her and gave her a grin.

"Nice job, you really kicked her ass."

Tenten blushed a bit but smile back, "Thanks Naruto-kun."

"Yosh! Tenten that was a most youthful match!" Gai said, giving the bun haired girl the nice guy pose.

"You truly showed your flames of youth Tenten!" Lee matched his mentor's pose.

"Uh… thanks you two," Tenten sweatdropped as she decided to keep Naruto between herself and her team.

_Sabaku No Kankurou vs. __Tsurugi Misumi_

"Oh look it's make up boy coming up to fight," Naruto said, loudly.

Kankurou stopped and glared at him, "Damn it, I told you it's WAR PAINT!"

Naruto snickered, "Yeah, war paint that you probably stole from your sister's make up drawer."

Kankurou saw red, "You stupid little brat! When I get done here I'm coming after you!"

Hayate coughed to get the attention of everyone so they could start the fight.

Naruto settled down, snickering occasionally as the fight started. Eventually he really started to watch the match; unfortunately this one went by fairly quickly, about two or three minutes all told. It seemed that Misumi guy was able to stretch his limbs to incredible length. He had managed to wrap his body around Kankurou and threatened to crush him if he did not yield.

Of course Kankurou just laughed at him and Misumi crushed his neck. Only to find out that Kankurou was in fact a puppet, surprising Naruto and others who had not known what the large mummified object on his back was.

After that Kankurou had come out of the bandages, showing that he had hidden himself inside of them and had been using chakra strings to control Karasu's movement. After that several spikes had stuck out of Karasu's body and impaled Misumi who was dead before he even hit the ground.

_Inuzuka Kiba vs. Nii Yugito_

"Alright Akamaru, it looks like we're up!" Kiba shouted as he forewent the stairs and just jumped off the railing.

Yugito merely walked at a more sedate pace, not really bothering to hurry things up. When she got down she saw Kiba leering at her and resisted the urge to hiss.

"Wow check this out Akamaru, we're facing a babe!" Kiba grinned lecherously, "Hey baby, how about after this you and I go out somewhere?"

Yugito grit her teeth, the only sign she was pissed by what the dog using Genin said as she replied in a cool tone, "No thanks, I don't date men who have a habit of not bathing."

"What was that!" Kiba growled, "Listen here you bitch, you should be glad someone like me asked you out!"

"I doubt anyone would be pleased to have such a lecherous pig who smells like wet dog ask them out," Yugito said in disdain.

"Wow Kurenai-san, I thought you would've beaten the pervert out of Kiba by now," Naruto said with a chuckle.

Kurenai scowled as she listened to her Genin speak, "I have tried, but it's more difficult than it looks."

"Well, can't be helped I suppose," Naruto shrugged. Kiba had always been something of a lecher, hitting on nearly every girl in class, much to their displeasure, "it's just who he is I guess…"

Naruto turned his attention back to the battle when he felt a massive killing intent being released from the blond woman. Naruto chuckled a bit. _Oh she's pissed. Kiba never seems to learn; even I understand to never do that to a woman._

'**Are you sure about that, you could've fooled me when we met,' **Kyuubi's melodic voice entered his mind.

Naruto frowned for a moment as he heard Kyuubi's voice and the teasing tone in it. He was not really sure what to make of her yet, but he also knew they were pretty much stuck together and that he should at least try to find be cordial even if he was not yet sure they could be friends. With that thought in mind he decided to play along, _'Now that's not fair Kyu-chan. I was so surprised to find out that the demon who was sealed inside of me was a woman, a hot woman I might add, that I forgot my manners. I learned all about speaking to woman from Anko.'_

Kyuubi was thankful that Naruto could not see her otherwise he would have actually seen a rather prominent blush stain her cheeks. The only time she had ever received compliments from anyone were the men who had been enthralled by her beauty, and they were not much more than mindless slaves. However being a several millennia old Bijuu she was able to recover admirably, **'Anko is hardly the appropriate person to learn how to treat a woman. She's almost like female version of you.'**

Naruto had to resist the urge to face fault, _'What! That's not true!… Is it?'_

Kyuubi smirked as she chalked up a point for her, **"Don't feel bad Naruto-**_**kun**_**. It's nothing serious, you just lack tact. But don't worry, I'll teach you all about how to treat a female after the second stage.'**

'_Great…' _Naruto sighed, _Just what I need, etiquette lessons from someone who's known for destroying things with a single swipe of her tail._

'**I heard that!'**

'_So?'_ Naruto asked, _'it's not like you can do anything about it.'_

'**Oh now that is where your wrong,'** Kyuubi said, and Naruto suddenly got an ominous feeling, **'I may not be capable of controlling your actions… however I am more than capable of using my youki to make you very uncomfortable. For instance say… cut off the anatomy that makes you a male."**

Naruto paled, _'Gah! I'm sorry, please don't be angry with me!'_

Kyuubi gave a dramatic sigh but was secretly chalking up another point to her, **'Seriously, what am I going to do with you?'**

'_Umm… help me with my etiquette?' _asked Naruto in a sheepish voice.

Naruto could picture the smirk on the vixens face, **'Hmph, you'll be getting that anyways. No I was thinking of punishment. Perhaps I really will cut off the circulation to certain parts of your anatomy…'**

Everyone that was standing near Naruto wondered why he had suddenly turned white as a sheet, _'Aww! C'mon Kyuubi, that's not fair!'_

'**Who ever said I play fair.'**

Naruto almost felt like crying, but if Kyuubi really could do what she suggested than it would behoove him to not do anything to actually anger her right now, _'fine…'_

'**Anyways… Naruto, take look at that girl, can you feel it?'**

Naruto looked over at the girl who was releasing enough killing intent that Kiba had soiled himself, _'Feel what? Her killing intent? It is pretty intense, not as much as Zabuza's but...'_

'**No not that. She's using yokai in her attacks, well a little bit. That girl is a Jinchuuriki.'**

'_Really!' _Naruto asked in shock, _'There's another Jinchuuriki here! Which one does she hold?'_

'**Hmmm…it's hard to tell for sure, but I think she holds the Nibi. The two tailed hellcat.' **Kyuubi paused for a moment, **'Yeah I'm sure that's the one she holds, and I've only ever seen that one once. It tried to attack me several hundred years ago and I was actually forced to turn it into ash with an Imari (Menacing Ball) because it was so damned persistent. It must have gotten caught some time after it reformed and then sealed.'**

Naruto gave the equivalent of a mental nod.

'_No wonder she felt so familiar. I never expected to meet someone like me here,' _Naruto frowned. _'That's probably why she kept staring at me.'_

The match was over almost before it started. As soon as Hayate gave the signal to begin, Yugito rushed Kiba faster than he could follow, and had already finished a set of hand seals. The five fingers on her left hand were crackling with electricity.

"Ichi!"

She hit Kiba on the left shoulder and the spark on her index finger disappeared.

"Nii!"

Kiba received another hit, this time on the left leg.

"San!"

He received a hit on his right arm.

"Yon!"

Then a hit on his right leg.

"Go!"

And finally a hit on his solar plexus.

"Raiton: Raibakufuu (Lightning Blast)!"

Kiba didn't even get the chance to scream in pain as his left shoulder exploded in a shower of electricity, launching him to the right. Then his left leg exploded, sending his body spinning through the air in a corkscrew. After that his right shoulder exploded, sending him sailing backwards and to the right. His right leg went after that, blasting him away again. And finally, his chest exploded, sending him crashing into the statue, creating a large crater.

The spectators all watched in shock and the men in a bit of fear as Kiba fell onto the floor, bleeding profusely, already unconscious.

"Consider yourself lucky I didn't kill you for being such a pervert!" Yugito hissed, even though Kiba was too out of it to even be aware of his surroundings, much less hear the blond woman speak. The Kumo kunoichi did not wait for Hayate to announce the winner as she strolled up to her teammates.

"That was pretty harsh Yugito-san," The dark skinned female of their team said.

Yugito shrugged, "You know how I feel about perverts Ayako. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same."

Ayako shrugged, "I guess I would, at least since it was that dog using kid." She glanced over at the blond-haired boy who she had barely managed to recognize as the obnoxious blond from the first exam, "Though I might not if it was him."

Yugito looked over to her fellow blond to see him talking with that bun haired girl.

'**You know she's right, he is quite the catch.'**

'_I so don't need your perverted comments right now Nibi,' _Yugito said, with a frown and small blush. She really wasn't sure why Nibi would make comments on men, the giant cat had no gender and did not seem interested in humans, yet for some reason it loved to tease her whenever an attractive male was around. Though she assumed it was some form of revenge for being sealed inside of her.

The two tailed cat snickered, **'So you say, but we both know what you think. Besides, he's a lot like you.'**

Yugito frowned at that, _'What do you…you mean he's a Jinchuuriki!'_ Her eyes widened a bit as she looked back over to the blond.

As if sensing her eyes on him Naruto turned his head to see her staring at him. The two eyed each other for a moment before he gave her a grin and waved. Yugito blushed a bit and looked away, causing Naruto to chuckle and get back to his conversation.

'**Of course, though I sense something odd about his chakra…it's different.'**

'_What do you mean different?'_

'**That's just what I mean, it feels different than human chakra. To be honest it almost feels like a demon's yokai only it's not as potent.'**

Yugito took a small glance over at the blond again. Wondering what was so different about the blond Konoha Genin.

_Nara Shikamaru vs. Tsuchi Kin_

"Man…how troublesome, why do I have to fight a woman…" Shikamaru groaned.

Several tic marks appeared on Ino's head, "What was that Shikamaru! Do you have a problem with women!"

"Shut up troublesome blond," Shikamaru walked down the stairs, ignoring Ino's threats to castrate him for his sexist comments. He reached the bottom of the stairs and made his way over to the arena.

"Hey ref, do you think I could just forfeit…this fight's too troublesome. Plus I really don't want to be fighting a girl."

Hayate sweatdropped at the lazy Nara boy's attitude.

Kin got a tic mark on her head, "So you got a problem with fighting girls huh? Then I suppose I'll just have to beat you quickly."

"Whatever."

_I saw the other two sound ninja's abilities, _Shikamaru frowned as he looked at the black-haired kunoichi. _However, I don't know anything about hers…_o_n top of that she's already seen my jutsu._

"Hajime!"

Shikamaru went into several hand seals for the only jutsu he knew. "Kage Mane No Jutsu!" his shadow began to elongate and stretch as it made its way towards Kin.

"That jutsu again," Kin snorted. "You're nothing but a one trick pony."

She began moving, dodging the shadow as she threw several senbon with bells attached to them. Shikamaru ducked, dodging the senbon. He turned his head when he heard a chime and saw the bells attached to the senbon.

"Bells?" Shikamaru smirked, "That's an old trick. Next you'll throw one needle with a bell and one without it right? Then when I react to the sound of the bell and dodge the first one, the second one will get me right?"

"You sure like to run off your mouth!" Kin said as she threw several senbon needles.

"If you think I run off my mouth then you should be glad you're not facing Naruto," Shikamaru said.

"I heard that you lazy bastard!" Naruto shouted.

"Troublesome blond…" Shikamaru said and he was about to dodge when he heard a bell ring, only to realize at the last second that she was using the string to ring the bells behind her.

"Now I've got you!" Kin shouted as she threw her senbon at Shikamaru. Unable to dodge the attack the lazy Nara genius raised his arms to block it, getting several senbon stuck in his arms.

Shikamaru was about to make his move after that, when he found himself losing balance. "What the-" he looked over at Kin and saw that there were now three of her.

"You like?" Kin asked with a smirk, "This is my genjutsu. I utilize sound waves and direct them inside your body to knock your equilibrium off, you're likely seeing several of me by now."

"Damn it…" Shikamaru muttered as he watched the three Kins walk closer to his position, each one taking out several senbon.

"Hah! Not so tough now are yo-" She stopped when she felt herself freeze, "Nu ugh…m-my body!"

"Heh, Kage Mane No Jutsu success," Shikamaru smirked as he shook of the effects of her sound based genjutsu.

"Interesting. So that's how he did it?" Naruto said as he spotted what really happened.

"What do you mean Naruto?" asked Sakura, looking up from the battle towards her blond teammate, "How did he do what?"

"How he caught her," Naruto said as he gestured over to the battle. "I almost didn't see it, in fact if my eyesight wasn't as good as it was I doubt I would have seen it."

"So how did he get her?" asked Tenten as she leaned over the railing.

"I guess you two haven't noticed yet, but the shadows for the strings attached to that chick's senbon are far thicker than they should be." Naruto grinned as he watched Shikamaru take out a shuriken and launch it at the girl, who had been forced to do the same thing. At last the minute Shikamaru dodged the attack by bending backwards and forming a bridge. Kin had no such luck; Shikamaru had maneuvered her so that when she bent over she ended up smacking the back of her head on the wall, knocking her unconscious.

"Yeah! Go Shikamaru!" Ino cheered, pleased to see one of her teammates had made it.

"Tch, this is so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered as Hayate announced him as the winner.

_Aburame Shino vs. Abume Zaku_

"This sucks, I wanted to get some pay back on that Uchiha for what he did to my arms," Zaku said, getting a snort from the raven-haired Genin who decided the fight was not even worth watching.

When the battle started Shino decided to speak, shocking those who had thought him mute, "You do not have use of your arms, I would suggest you forfeit."

"Hmph, forfeit this!" Zaku took out his left arm from its sling and thrust it towards Shino, "Zankuuha!" A blast of air shot towards Shino who did nothing to dodge. As soon as it did Shino was sliced through before he dissolved into bugs, "What!"

Shino appeared right next to Zaku and punched him in the face. The Oto Genin stumbled back a bit before righting himself and growling, "Zankuuha!"

He sent another sonic airwave at Shino but the Konoha Genin dissolved into bugs again. "Damn it! Quit hiding behind your insects!"

"I am not hiding behind anything."

Zaku turned to see Shino standing behind him, "Hah! I got you now!"

"I do not think so," Shino said as he pointed behind Zaku. Said Genin turned around to see a swarm of bugs behind him, "You see, while you were so focused on me and my Kikai Bunshin (Bug Clones), I had been letting my bugs amass themselves. And since you have only one arm to fight with, you can only hit one us. It is always good to have an ace in the hole."

Rather than forfeit Zaku looked smug, "An ace in the hole huh? Then how about this!"

Zaku brought his other cast out of its sling and aimed it at the bugs, while the other went to Shino. "Zankuuha!"

Everyone had expected that to be the end for Shino. However they became surprised when rather than shoot out those powerful airwaves, Zaku's arms expanded as if something was stuck inside of them.

Zaku watched in horror as his arms began to get larger and larger. A scream tore through his throat as the pressure on his arms became so great that they were both ripped off at the elbow. It wasn't long before Zaku passed out from the pain of losing his arms, making Shino the winner.

"An ace in the hole is all well and good, but two aces are better," Shino said and walked back up the stairs as Hayate announced him the winner.

Sakura shuddered at the gruesome sight of seeing someone's arms getting ripped clean off, "I don't understand, how did Shino do that?"

"He hid his bugs inside of that Zaku guy's air plugs," Naruto answered as he reviewed the fight in his mind. "While Zaku was looking between Shino and the army of bugs, he had more bugs slip inside of those wind pipes on his hand to seal them up. The pressure from the air that was inside of his arms became so great that they were simply ripped off from the force."

"You are correct Uzumaki-san," Shino said as he came up the stairs.

Naruto grinned, "Good match Shino."

Shino nodded and walked back to his team.

"Man, those bugs were just creepy." Ayako said with a shiver, "I wonder where he got them."

Yugito frowned as she answered, "He's a member of the Aburame clan, they apparently allow those insects they use to live inside them and feast on their chakra, in return they are granted the ability to use them to communicate and fight for them."

Akayo gagged, "So they're like parasites? Gross."

"Hn. Seems Konoha's filled with a bunch of freaks," Daisuke grunted.

Yugito just shook her head at the bratty Genin's stupidity.

_Ukiso Daisuke vs. Rock Lee_

"YES! YES! I finally get my turn!" Lee shouted as he began to jump up and down, "I used reverse psychology by thinking that I didn't want to go and now it's my turn! Yes! WHOO HOO!"

"Lee." Gai said, trying to get the Genin's attention as he began to dance.

"Lee!" He shouted only for it to have no effect.

"LISTEN TO ME LEE!" Gai punched Lee in the face, sending him into a wall.

Less than a second later Lee got up and saluted, "Yes Gai-sensei!"

"I'm sorry I had to do that Lee." Gai said as tears formed in his eyes, "You're just young and burning in the fires of your youth!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted with a waterfall of tears streaming down his eyes.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

As Gai and his mini-me began hugging a powerful genjutsu, complete with a sunset and crashing waves appeared. Everyone in the room started screaming as they tried to claw their eyes out, many of the foreigners were especially disturbed by what was happening.

"Kai!" Kurenai tired dispelling the creepy sunset genjutsu, only to be shocked when she found out it didn't work. ""Kai!, KAI! Why won't it work!"

The only people who did not seem to be affected by the extremely disturbing seen were the Sandaime, who had unfortunately seen it and even more disturbing things in his lifetime; Tenten and Neji who had seen it nearly every day since they were put on this team; Kakashi, who was too busy reading his book to be bothered with it; and Naruto, who had seen it enough times that it no longer bothered him.

Thankfully for everyone's sanity the pair eventually stopped, though at least half of the people in the room were now blind as well as mentally and emotionally scarred.

Gai gave Lee his nice guy pose, "Now Lee! Go fight! Let your flames of youth explode!"

"EXPLODE!" Lee shouted as he jumped off the railing where Daisuke was already waiting for him.

"About damn time you freak!" Daisuke sneered, "Just for making me wait and that disgusting genjutsu you made, I'm gonna beat you into the ground!"

Lee frowned as he slid into his stance, "That is a most un-youthful thing to say."

"Hajime!"

The moment the fight started Lee shot off like a rocket speeding towards Daisuke who was forced to abandon his hand seals and roll out of the way of Lee's attack. Getting back to his feet Daisuke was just in time to duck a kick from Lee, jumping back he threw several shuriken at the bow cut Genin.

Lee however dodged them with ease as he closed the distance. Jumping into the air Lee spun around and managed to land a kick on Daisuke's head,

"Konoha Senpuu!" he called as he landed back on the ground, while Daisuke went flying into the wall.

Daisuke grunted as cracks spread out from the center of impact. Falling to ground the Kumo Genin struggled to get on his feet, "You little shit! I'm gonna kill you now!" He growled at Lee as he went through several hand seals.

"That's it! Take this! Raiton: Gian (Lightning Release: False Darkness)!" A large lightning bolt shot out of Daisuke's mouth, blasting its way towards Lee.

Or at least, where Lee had been.

The lightning struck the ground and caused sparks and dirt to fly everywhere. Daisuke began looking around for Lee, only to be caught off guard when said Genin appeared right in front of him. Daisuke tried to attack but received several blows to the torso for his troubles. He staggered back, holding his now cracked ribs as Lee disappeared again.

Daisuke received a kick to the back of his head, sending him tumbling down. He managed to turn his tumble into a roll and landed back on his feet. However Lee was already there, launching a kick into the Kumo Genin's gut.

Daisuke stumbled back and looked up. Once again Lee was not there and he received a kick to his head to the left side of his head for his troubles. Watching the Kumo Genin wobble a bit, Lee felt that he needed only one more hit to win this. However as he came in Daisuke had finished a set of one handed seals he had learned and placed his hand on the ground.

"Raiton: Tenrai Dageki (Celestial Shock)!" Electricity burst along the ground and Lee was moving towards it too fast to stop and dodge. The electricity hit Lee making him cry out in pain as he dropped to his knees.

"Hah! How do…you…like that…?" Daisuke asked, his breathing heavy as blood poured down his face from the bust nose and lip.

"It is most impressive," Lee said as he stood up, smoke pouring from him as he shook the attack off. "A most youthful technique, however…I am not without some techniques of my own." He looked up at his sensei who gave him a thumbs up. Smiling Lee unwound the bandages on his arms.

"What the…hell…are you doing?" asked Daisuke, allowing Lee to do this so he could regain his energy.

"You will see," Lee replied as he finished un-wrapping his bandages. The moment he did he disappeared, and Daisuke felt a foot smash under his chin and launch him into the air. Using the Konoha Kage Buyou Lee appeared behind the Genin and wrapped his bandages around Daisuke. The pair then began to spin as they descended and Daisuke ended up crashing head first into the arena floor.

Lee panted a bit as everyone looked down into the crater to see Daisuke with his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. The only way people could even tell that he was alive were the twitches and spasms his body seemed to go through periodically.

While the medics carried Daisuke out, Hayate announced the winner, "Shousa Rock Lee!"

"Yes! I did it Gai-sensei! I won!" Lee shouted as he fell on his butt, no longer able to move due to the jutsu he used. Naruto and Tenten went down and helped Lee back up the stairs where Gai was grinning broadly.

"Way to go Lee! That's the way to show your flames of youth!"

"Thank you! Gai-sensei!" Lee said with tears in his eyes.

Naruto noticed the looks the two were giving and decided to stop them before this resulted in a hug fest with him and Tenten caught in it. "If you two start hugging, I swear to kami I'm going to throw you over the railing Lee!"

Tenten giggled a bit while Lee looked embarrassed, "I apologize Naruto-san, I will try to keep my youthful flames down."

Naruto rolled his eyes before grinning at Tenten who smiled back.

_Ayako vs. Hyuuga Neji_

Neji smirked as he saw who his opponent was, "It must be fate."

"Oh no, this could be a problem…" Tenten muttered as Neji walked down to the arena floor.

Naruto blinked as he looked at Tenten, then to her sensei who had a rare serious expression on his face. He was not sure what was going on, but Naruto had the feeling something bad was going to happen._ Neji seems pleased with something, but Tenten and Gai seem to worried,_ The whiskered blond looked at the two before turning his attention back to Neji._ Maybe I should be prepared to intervene since I get the odd feeling things will get very out of hand soon._

Neji had to fight to maintain his Hyuuga composure, and not grin as he stared at his opponent. "Normally I would give you a chance to forfeit, however it seems fate has given me a chance to seek retribution for your village's crimes. I would be a fool to pass this up."

Ayako frowned as her crimson eyes stared at him in thought, "I have no clue what you're talking about, but I'm not going to back down."

"That's good, I don't want you to," Neji got into his Juuken stance.

Seeing as both fighters seemed ready Hayate began the match, "Hajime!"

As Neji rushed forward, intent on making the Kumo kunoichi suffer, Ayako went through several hand seals.

"Raiton: Kusari no Raikou (Chains of Lightning )!" Ayako smashed her hands into the ground and lightning that took the shape of a chain shot out of the ground. Neji was forced to jump left and back pedal as the chain began to follow him, stopping after several seconds.

Ayako began more hand seals, hoping to not give Neji the chance to close the distance between them, _If he gets in close I'm done for._

"Raiton: Raiyari (Lightning Release: Lightning Spear)!" Ayako held out her hand and a spear of lightning formed in it, which she then proceeded to toss at Neji.

Neji growled as he realized his concentration had slipped enough that there was no time to dodge,

"Kaiten (Rotation)!" he called out as he spun around and created a blue dome around himself. The lightning spear crashed into the dome and dissipated against the chakra shield.

Standing next to her sensei Hinata gasped, _H-He knows the Kaiten! B-but that's a M-main house te-technique!_

Kurenai looked over at her student in worry to see the girl looking shaken.

Ayako gasped as she saw her lightning attack dissipate against the shield, "W-what the hell! How could he block that!"

Neji smirked as he looked at Ayako and noticed the fear she had, "That is called the Kaiten, by expelling chakra throughout all my tenketsu points and spinning rapidly, it forms an impenetrable shield that no jutsu can get through."

Ayako grit her teeth as she launched several shuriken and went through more hand signs.

"Raiton: Hinoko (Sparks)!" thrusting out her hand several sparks shot out and connected with the shuriken, making them crackling with lightning. Neji merely scoffed as he channeled chakra into his hands and began swatting the shuriken away like they were nothing, though a few people could see he was just making a show of not being hurt as several burn marks appeared on his hands.

Ayako barely even had time to gasp before Neji was upon her. What happened next was not a battle but a beating. In his rage and desire for vengeance Neji began lashing out at Ayako, striking extremely painful points in her body with his Juuken strikes. Everyone winced as Ayako began to scream in pain, blood began pouring from her mouth and she felt as if someone had taken her chakra coils and burnt them with a Katon jutsu.

She did not even have the chance to fall down as Neji continued striking her so fast that it looked too many as if her body was just jerking back and forth from an unknown force. Finally it seemed to end and Ayako began to sway where she stood. Hayate realizing what was happening announced the winner but Neji wasn't listening. Neji powered up another Juuken strike and aimed for Ayako's heart.

"AYAKO!" Yugito shouted as she saw what was happening, but realized she was too far away to do anything.

Everyone else saw it as well and even though they realized they were too far away, was about jump over the railing to try and stop Neji from killing the Kumo kunoichi. It was all for naught as Neji hand hit Ayako's chest, right where her heart would be.

Only for Ayako to disappear in a puff of smoke and be replaced with a log.

Eyes widened as they recognized the signs of a Kawarimi but were confused about how it happened, since Ayako had been pretty much depleted of chakra and her tenketsu were undoubtedly closed off even if she did have some left in her reserves. It was then that people noticed Ayako on the other side of the arena, directly behind Neji, and in the arms of one Uzumaki Naruto.

"What the hell was that teme!" Naruto shouted as he gently laid a barely conscious Ayako on the ground. Neji looked surprised as he spun around, but glared when he realized who it was.

"Uzumaki, you shouldn't interfere in another's battle."

"The battle was over shitstain!" Naruto growled out the words. While he knew this was a battle and people got hurt in them, what Neji did was uncalled for and vicious in the blonde's mind.

"Were you not listening to the proctor announcing you as the winner!" Naruto stood up and backed away from Ayako as Yugito and several medics ran out to Ayako and get her on a stretcher.

He looked at the girl who had lost conscious some time ago and growled. While he did not know her, he hated it when people were unnecessarily cruel to others, especially women since his two greatest friends and one of the people he looked up to most were women.

He turned back to Neji and his eyes flashed red for a second, "You'd better hope I don't fight your sorry ass in the finals! Because if I do, I'm going to knock it back to the age of the Rikudou Sennin!"

Gai appeared beside Neji and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Neji, I'm disappointed in you. I know why you hate Kumo, but blaming it on someone that was not responsible for what happened is just as wrong as what they did."

Neji sneered as he shrugged Gai's hand off and went up to the stairs.

Sighing Naruto walked back up as well to see his teammates and several other people staring at him in surprise. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Dobe, how did you move so fast?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto gave a nonchalant shrug, "I've been working on my speed."

Sasuke frowned as Naruto walked past him. The blond leaned against the railing as everyone turned their attention back to the board. Naruto winced as he stared at his wrist and the dent that was in his guard from Neji's attack.

_It looks like my speed jutsu is still incomplete…I should have been able to move fast enough to not get hit._

He made a mental note of any other injuries and grimaced as he sensed the minor pain in his legs, it was a good thing he had been expecting something to happen or he would have not been able to use the technique at all due to the time it took to prepare, and even then it still hurt.

'**What technique are you- oh!'** Kyuubi said as she went through his memories to see what he was talking about, **'It looks close to finished though. It's definitely faster then that ****Shunshin**** you ningen use that's for sure.'**

'_That's because I made it combat oriented. I noticed back in Nami that __Shunshin__ had several powerful weaknesses aside from the standard swirl of leaves or smoke. That kind of covering only works on lower level opponents and It's easier to track, so I need something better.'_

"**Well when we get out of here I will help you where I can,"** Kyuubi reflected on how odd it felt for her to actually offer some help to someone, but justified herself by saying it was to help with her continued survival. As an after thought she added,** "Though, I'm only really good with and the techniques I myself created.'**

Naruto gave the equivalent of raising a mental eyebrow as Kyuubi offered help. For a moment he thought about rejecting it, but soon realized that having someone with as much knowledge as Kyuubi may prove beneficial. _'Thanks Kyuubi,'_ he said before turning his attention to the board to see who would fight next.

_Haruno Sakura vs. Sabaku No Temari_

Temari smirked as she jumped down the railing onto the arena floor, "Looks like I get another fan girl. How boring."

"You won't be talking like that when I beat you!" Sakura sneered as she walked down, angry that this Suna bitch was actually calling her out on her fan girlish tendencies.

"_CHAA! WE'LL KICK HER ASS!" _Inner Sakura shouted.

Seeing that the two girls seemed to be ready Hayate called the match, "Hajime!"

Sakura ran at Temari and create three Bunshin making the blond pig tailed girl sneer, "What a pathetic academy level tactic!" If this was all the girl was capable of then she might as well just end it. Temari whipped out her fan and swung it, "Kamitaichi No Jutsu (Wind Scythe Jutsu)!"

Sakura was hit by a large blast of cutting winds that slammed her into the opposite wall where she lost consciousness.

Everyone in the arena sweatdropped at how pathetic the battle was.

"Kakashi, did you teach her anything?" asked Kurenai, disgusted at the performance of the pink haired girl.

Kakashi sighed. "I did give her a few scrolls with several genjutsu, and some training exercises to increase her reserves but it seems she never practiced outside of team training."

"Kakashi, I think you just won the understatement of the year award," Naruto snorted. "that girl spends almost all of her time stalking Sasuke, or plotting the many ways in which she can rape him."

Sasuke shuddered at the thought and then tossed a glare at Naruto, "I really hate you dobe!"

Naruto just grinned.

_Kinuta Dosu vs. Yakushi Kabuto_

Kabuto looked at his sensei to see the man give a subtle shake of his head. _I see, well I suppose I can at least make this a good fight._

As the battle begun Kabuto threw several shuriken at Dosu, all of which were deflected. When Dosu closed the distance he threw out his melody arm, hitting Kabuto, only for said Genin to burst into smoke and a log to take his place.

Kabuto appeared behind the Genin and managed to hit Dosu in the back of the head, making him stumble forward. Spinning around Dosu tried to attack Kabuto, only to be met with the same conclusion of the first one.

"You know that will only work on me for so long," Dosu said, as he spun around and used his melody arm to block a kunai.

"Then it just means I'll have to come up with something else," Kabuto replied as he pushed up his glasses.

"You're welcome to try," Dosu charged back in and aimed his melody arm at Kabuto. At the last second he changed to his left arm. Spinning around he shot his melody arm at Kabuto who had appeared behind him when he used Kawarimi. Kabuto managed to jump back, but still received the brunt of Dosu's sound attack, making him drop to the floor and throw up.

Dosu smirked when he saw Kabuto try to stand up, only to fall back down, "It won't matter how many times you try, you won't be standing up for a while."

Kabuto grunted, "I guess you're right." _Of course I have to play along; it would not do for a spy like me to be seen as too strong. _"Proctor-san, I surrender."

Hayate nodded, "Shousa Kinuta Dosu!"

_Hyuuga Hinata vs. Akimichi Chouji_

"Let's make this a good battle ne, Hinata?" asked Chouji, giving the lavender eyed girl a smile.

"H-hai," Hinata said, feeling both glad and slightly sad that she had to fight someone as nice as Chouji.

"Hajime!"

Once the match start both Hinata and Chouji began running through several hand seals.

"Byakugan!" Veins appeared in Hinata's eyes and around her temple.

"Baika No Jutsu!" Choji's body expanded to nearly twice his original size, turning him into a big round ball. His head and all of his limbs retracted into his clothes and chakra began to pour out of the wholes. Choji was still not finished as he flew into the air where he began to rotate at high speeds.

"Nikudan Sensha (Human Boulder)!" Chouji's voice was still heard perfectly despite the boy's head being hidden in his clothes.

Hinata jumped to the left, dodging the large rolling ball. However she could see with her Byakugan that Choji was coming back. She was forced to run, heading towards the wall. At the last second she swerved to the right, making Chouji crashed into the wall while still spinning.

"Who do you think will win?" Tenten asked Naruto as they watched the battle.

"It's hard to say," Naruto said as he observed the battle. "Hinata seems to have more confidence than she did at the academy, though I can't remember much since she never talked to me. And I don't know the techniques she uses aside from the basic information I have on the Byakugan and Juuken." He shrugged, "Frankly I think this can go either way."

Kurenai listened to the conversation before turning her attention back to the fight. _Even if she doesn't win, I'm sure she'll surprise you and everyone else. Hinata has been working hard to become stronger, and is well on her way towards doing so._

Hinata ran up to him while he couldn't move and attempted to use a Jyuken strike, but due to how large Chouji was while using his jutsu it could not hit the tenketsu points and the attacks merely stung. She was forced to jump back when Chouji redirected his spin and launched himself at her. Hinata continued to dodge the attacks by the large Genin, but was starting to get tired. Knowing she had to end the battle soon, she turned around and began to spin.

"Kaiten!" Hinata cried out as Chouji slammed into the dome of chakra. The two jutsu seemed to push against each other as Chouji tried to break through the barrier and Hinata tried to keep from collapsing. However something had to give eventually and that was Hinata's jutsu. There was a large explosion of chakra as the Kaiten was released in a violent manner. Both Hinata and Chouji were sent sailing back. Chouji to hit the wall on the opposite end, and Hinata rolled along the ground before settling down.

Both were unconscious.

"Due to both fighters being unconscious, I declare this match a draw," Hayata coughed as the medics rushed out of the field.

Up in the stands Neji grit his teeth as he saw Hinata use one of the main house jutsu. He had never expected someone as weak as Hinata to know that jutsu. Even if he could tell she had only recently learned it, he felt it was an insult to have such a simpering little girl use it.

"Looks like your teammate's about to explode," Naruto whispered to Tenten, "He actually looks really constipated right now."

"Be nice Naruto-kun," Tenten said with a small giggled. She took a glance at Neji and giggled again, since he really did look constipated with how red his face was.

_Uzumaki Naruto vs. Sabaku No Gaara_

"Oh look you're up," Tenten got the blonde's attention.

Naruto looked up and grinned, "Finally! I guess they were saving the best for last!" he was just about to go down when a hand stopped him.

Turning around he saw Shino, "I suggest you just forfeit Uzumaki-san." the bug user suggested. "I saw this one fight in the Forest of Death, as a fellow shinobi and comrade I feel it's my duty to inform you that it would be most logical if you forfeited."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Yeah well thanks for that Shino. I feel so warm and fuzzy inside to know you care." Naruto pulled Shino's hand off of him, "Now if you excuse me, I have some ass to kick!"

"Well he's dead," Kankurou commented from where he stood next to Temari, "No way will that brat survive against Gaara."

Temari could not help but nod in agreement, _It's too bad too, he's pretty hot._

He walked down the stadium floor where Gaara was already waiting, "Sorry for the delay but the Naruto Express is now here and ready to kick your ass back to Suna, so please be sure to keep your hands at your sides and buckle your seatbelt for safety."

Gaara merely stared at him with that blank expression that held a barely contained bloodlust.

"Tough crowd," Naruto mumbled.

"Are both fighters ready?" Hayate asked. Gaara nodded while Naruto smirked,"Hajime!"

Hayate barely had time to jump away as sand burst from Gaara's gourd. Despite being surprised Naruto was able to get out of the way as the sand closed in on him. Disappearing in a burst of speed as he ran to the left at speeds far greater than any of the genin minus Team Nine had seen, though the members of Team Nine were still surprised by how fast the blond Genin was! Less than a second later he on the opposite side of the arena.

_So he uses sand as a form of attack, _Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought. He would need to gather more information about this Genin's abilities before he could come up with any kind of sound strategy against him.

_He's nearly as fast as Lee now! _Tenten thought in shock. She had watched many of Naruto and Lee's spars, and so she was surprised when the blond showed a speed he had not previously possessed. _Is it due to his change of appearance?_

Gaara also seemed surprised as Naruto dodged his sand. He looked over to see the blond on the opposite side and sent his sand over there. However once again Naruto dodged the attack, trying to ascertain just how fast that sand moved, _It seems like it takes several seconds to change direction… that means when he attacks I have about ten seconds before it gets back to him from this distance._

Naruto watched as the sand closed in on his position. He swerved to the right, dodging the sand before he made his way towards Gaara. Naruto appeared in front of Gaara and aimed a kick for him, only for more sand to burst out of the gourde and protect the Suna Genin from getting hit. Naruto was forced to kick himself away as the rest of the sand came back and tried to grab him.

_What the hell! How much sand does he keep in that thing! _Naruto wondered.

'**Naruto, that sand of his seems to be an automatic defense,' **Kyuubi supplied as she watched the battle and did her best to analyze the blonds opponent. **'I don't know if you've noticed yet but it's not even in his control unless he sends it at you.'**

Naruto was forced into a series of back flips as Gaara sent several tendrils of sand crashing towards him. _'So you're saying it's being controlled by someone or something else?' _Naruto held back a curse as he dodged another tendril, leaping onto a wall as the sand chased him,_ 'I'm calling foul play!'_

'**It's more than that I'm afraid,' **Kyuubi said in an ominous tone. **'That boy holds the Ichibi No Shukaku.'**

Growling Naruto linked his fists together as he spun around, "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!" he thrust his fists out and a giant blast of wind smashed into the sand, dispersing it.

'_So you're telling me he's a Jinchuuriki as well? Well that's just fucking peachy!'_

"Shit!" Naruto cursed as he jumped away from another tendril of sand that attempted to impale him. "This sand is really starting to piss me off!"

'**Yes, he holds the Ichibi, the one tailed Tanuki. He is the weakest of the Bijuu from I know, but is still not one to be underestimated. As you can already tell it gives this child complete control of sand, which makes him quite a handful.'**

'_So I noticed,' _Naruto replied dryly as he channeled wind chakra into his fists, "Fuuton; Kamikaze Seiken!"

The wind blasted away Gaara's sand and Naruto decided it was time to turn up the heat. Pumping yokai through his muscles Naruto shot off like a rocket, going as fast as Lee could with his weight off. To everyone except for the Hokage, the Jonin-senseis and a select few of the genin, Naruto had disappeared.

He reappeared right in front of a shocked Gaara threw a fist at his face, "Eat this!"

The sand that had not been after Naruto tried to protect the red head but the whiskered blonde's fist plowed right through it, sending the red head sailing back to hit the wall behind him. Naruto grinned, "Let's see how you like that!"

"I don't believe it!" Temari shouted, completely shocked at what just happened, "He just hit Gaara!"

Kankurou and Baki just stared at the arena wide eyed, unable to comprehend what happened. No one had ever managed to do what this Genin just did.

"He's as fast as Lee is without his weights!" Tenten said in surprise.

She had seen Naruto fight plenty of times, as well as sparred with him. So she knew he had been fairly fast, but he had never shown this kind of speed. _It has to have something to do with his transformation! There's no other explanation for his newfound speed._

"Yosh! Naruto-kun's youth is blazing!" Lee shouted.

"Lee! It seems you've inspired this young man to fan his youthful flames!" Gai shouted seemingly in agreement. "It looks like we're going to have to fan your own flames of youth to match Naruto-kun's!"

"I understand Gai-sensei! I will endeavor to increase my youthful flames! I will increase my weights by two hundred pounds by the end of the month! And if I cannot do that I'll run around Konoha on my pinkies!"

"And if you cannot do that, I'll climb the Hokage monument with a ten ton boulder on my back!"

Tenten, Neji and everyone else did their best to ignore the two making challenges that sounded more and more outrageous as time went on.

Gaara stood up and to Naruto's surprise, the red head was grinning. It was then that Naruto noticed cracks appear on Gaara's skin, _What the fuck…? Is that sand!_

"That's it Uzumaki! Make me feel ALIVE!" Gaara shouted, and with those words the sand started shooting at him again.

Naruto growled as he began dodging sand left and right, it seemed to be even faster than before. He spared a seconds glance at Gaara and saw him making hand gestures.

_He must be using his hands to increase the speed of his attacks, _Naruto growled as he blasted towards Gaara, bulldozing right past through the sand as he body slammed into Gaara. The blond continued on until he smashed Gaara into the wall, grinning when he heard Gaara gasp in pain as several cracks formed along the point of impact.

Naruto jumped back as Gaara slumped to the floor, "Nothing beats a sand shield out of the way like good ol' fashion blunt force trauma."

"You…you hurt me!" Gaara screamed as a bit of blood dribbled out of his mouth, "I'll kill you!"

Sand seemed to come at Naruto from all directions, making him curse as he tried to dodge. However even with his speed he could not dodge them all, nor could he pick up enough momentum to plow through the sand, and eventually one of the tendrils grabbed onto him.

Gaara began grinning maniacally as he directed his sand to slam Naruto into everything he could, walls, the floor, the ceiling, the railings. No one could keep out the wince as Naruto was smashed into seemingly everything.

Naruto groaned as Gaara's sand threw him into the wall where he left a large crater, _Fuck! That hurts…_

The blond spit out some blood that had begun to congeal in his mouth. He had never felt so sore in his life; _I think I would take playing death tag with Anko over this. _

Falling to the ground Naruto coughed up several wads of blood. He looked terrible; his cloak had been ripped to shreds some time during the thrashing he had received. His body had several large black bruises on his skin; almost enough that it looked like his entire body had turned into one large bruise.

Many of the genin watched in shock as Naruto stood back up, unable to comprehend how he could even move after the beat down he had received.

Naruto looked up to see a wave of sand coming towards him, _Fuck! _He began to speed through a set of hand seals, hoping he could complete them in time.

"Fuuton: Kamikaze No Tatsumaki!" Naruto thrust his palms out and two large tornadoes blasted from them, destroying the wave of sand Gaara had created.

'_Kyuubi do you have any idea's on how to beat this guy? because I'm all out!' _Naruto rolled to the left as sand shot at him, crashing into the floor before it continued to follow him.

Kyuubi did her best to contain her irritation as she spoke, **'I'm trying to think of something Naruto. Just give me a minute.'**

'_I don't think we have a minute!' _Naruto dodged another tendril of sand, only for one to catch his left arm from behind.

Gaara grinned as Naruto struggled to get rid the sand off his arm. He made his hand into a fist, "Sabaku Sousou!" there was a loud crunch as blood burst out from the sand.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Naruto's scream tore through the arena, and several of the genin, mainly those from the rookie nine blanched in shock and horror. Gaara began to laugh maniacally as he pulled the sand away for a moment to reveal the stump Naruto now had for an arm.

"Yes! That's it! Scream for me! Let me feel alive!"

"Oh dear…Kami-sama…" Tenten whispered as Naruto clutched at his now gone arm.

Yugito who had gotten back from making sure her friend was alright grimaced as she noticed the blond missing his arm.

Many of the other genin could not say anything. Sakura threw up, Shino looked on solemnly, Hinata who had just woken up looked like she was about to cry, Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru all looked like they were also on the verge of vomiting. All of the Jonin-senseis looked at the blond boy in shock, except for one who licked his lips at seeing how resilient the boy was.

_It's too bad he holds the Kyuubi. He would make a nice vessel._

However none of them were as bad as Anko, who looked ready to murder Gaara.

_Oh no… _Sarutobi paled as he saw his surrogate grandson's condition, _I need to stop this before it gets out of hand_.

"Hayate."

Hayate looked over at the Hokage before nodding, "Due to the fact that Naruto is unable to battle, I hereby-"

"NO!" Naruto roared, drawing everyone's attention to him as he stood up, "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT STOPPING THIS MATCH! I'm not done yet! This battle isn't over until I say it's over!"

Everyone looked at Naruto like he was crazy. However the look ofutter determination in his eyes left little room for argument.

"That's good Uzumaki! Keep struggling! That way I can feel more alive when I kill you!" Gaara crowed, his voice holding nothing more than madness in it.

Naruto glared at Gaara, despite the pain he was in, "You're not gonna be laughing like that after I beat your ass!"

'_Kyu, any ideas?'_

'**Well, I can regenerate your arm if you want?'** the vixen offered, **'But it's going to hurt.'**

'_I think I can take it. Now let's do this so I can kick some Tanuki ass!'_

Kyuubi sighed a bit as she prepared for what she was going to do, **'Brace yourself.'**

Naruto felt Kyuubi's yokai coming out of the seal and grit his as he felt it travel along his body and to his arm. Everyone watched in shock as the red energy from the Kyuubi was released. Naruto's eyes flashed red as his whisker marks began to thicken. All of the Konoha ninja who were old enough to have been there during the Kyuubi attack recognized that chakra.

_I don't believe it! He is using its chakra!_ Sarutobi watched as the boy grit his teeth in pain. _I didn't realize he could! Or does the Kyuubi have something to do with this…_

'**What an intense feeling!' **Nibi said, **'So this is the Kyuubi's power…'**

'_This is the Kyuubi? It's so potent, and that bloodlust…' _Yugito felt a trickle of sweat pour down her face.

Temari, Kankurou and Baki were also shocked and to be honest, fearful at the feeling of power emanating from the blond.

_What kind of power is this! _asked Temari.

_I can't believe he is actually consciously using its chakra!_ Kakashi looked at his Genin in shock, a trickle of sweat formed on his brow, _When did he learn to draw upon it?_

Many of the genin were doing far worse than the others. Shino was beginning to sweat under the intense pressure and killing intent emitting from Naruto. Hinata looked like she was about to pass out. Sakura and Ino were trembling as the yokai washed over them. Shikamaru was sweating under the intensity of the powerful and vile feeling chakra; however he was also staring at the blond like he was some kind of puzzle.

It was Sasuke however that was doing the worst. Despite the fact that the killing intent was far greater than any he had ever felt, he was glaring at the blond.

_How can he have that much power! It's not possible!_ He felt that he should have that power! The cursed seal on his neck flared a little bit, only for the seal on his neck to force it back down.

Naruto growled in agony as he felt Kyuubi's chakra suddenly burst, the ground under him splintered and cracked. Then bones shot out of Naruto's stump, forming the shape of an arm and hand as blood splattered everywhere. Kyuubi's yokai began to cover the bony appendages, the red energy flowing over it. Everyone watched in a mixture of shock and awe as muscles began to form along the bone, crawling and writhing like a phantom. When the muscles had finished forming new skin began to crawl along his arm, starting at the shoulder.

When the pain stopped Naruto sighed in relief before moving his hand in front of his face and clenching it to test the nerves, _'You were right Kyu, that hurt like a bitch! Still, thanks for the help.'_

'**Your welcome Naruto,'** Kyuubi replied, caught slightly off guard by him thanking her. **'By the way I think I have a way to beat Shukaku's vessel.'**

'_Well lay it on me then, cuz I'm running on empty.'_

'**If you can heat that sand armor on his skin to the point it turns to glass, and infuse it with my yokai, it will trap him inside.'**

'_Only problem is I don't have a fire jutsu, and I don't know if there are any fire jutsu that would be powerful enough to do that.'_

'**Don't worry, that's where I come in. I'll give you some of my yokai, then just direct it to your arms and I'll take care of the rest.'**

'_Right, I have no clue what you're planning, but I always liked flying by the seat of my pants anyway; makes things exciting.'_

He heard a giggle in his mind and turned his attention back to the outside world. He smirked at Gaara's surprised expression, "Now then, I hope you're ready to receive your beating."

Rather than get angry or scared Gaara began to smile, then he began to laugh, "Yes! YES UZUMAKI! I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU! MOTHER! MOTHER WANTS YOUR BLOOD!"

Sand began flying towards the blond who disappeared in a burst of speed, "Yeah well, you can tell your mother to suck my cock! Cuz that's the closest thing she's getting to my blood!"

'_Hit me Kyuubi!'_

'**Right!'**

Naruto felt Kyuubi's yokai coming and did his best to direct it to his hands, causing them to become covered in a red layer of yokai. Then his hands burst into flames, white flames that felt like they were hotter than the fires of Amaterasu.

Sand tendrils shot towards Naruto, but he merely swatted at them, turning the sand into glass and shattering it. Grinning Naruto appeared right next to a shocked Gaara and thrust his hands out. The area was bathed in a large explosion that covered the two ninja.

"Naruto/-kun!" Tenten and a few of the Konoha genin shouted at seeing the large white flames.

"Gaara!" Temari yelled in shock and worry. Sure her brother may have been a psychopathic killer, but he was still her brother.

When the flames cleared in revealed another shock. Naruto was standing there, looking no worse for wear, except a few new burns that covered his body. However the real shock was Gaara, who was completely encased in glass that had red energy forming over his form that was coming from the hand Naruto had placed on it.

"He's not dead yet," Naruto rasped out feeling like he had just run a marathon on top of getting his crushed by the Hokage Monument. "However…if you don't proclaim me the victor soon, he will run out of oxygen, because you can bet your ass I'm not letting him out until then."

Sarutobi coughed, getting Hayate to snap out of his shock, "R-Right, Shousa Uzumaki Naruto!"

For several seconds there was absolute silence as people tried to comprehend what happened.

"I don't… believe it…" Kankurou broke the silence.

"He beat…Gaara…" Temari choked, unable to believe her eyes.

Finally the others realized what had happened and some of the other genin began to cheer.

"Hell yeah Naruto! You showed him!" Sakura yelled out, unable to actually contain her excitement at seeing such an amazing reversal.

"Excellent job Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, surprising many of the other Jonin since he had never been known to show that much emotion, but he didn't care at the moment and was too excited to see his student beat such a powerful opponent.

"That's showing him Naruto-kun!" Tenten shouted as she cupped her hands to project her voice.

"Atta boy gaki!" Anko yelled, feeling ridiculously proud of the blond who had come so far and managed to take on someone like Gaara.

"Man that battle was totally troublesome," Shikamaru murmured, though he still clapped with the others.

"I know man," Chouji agreed, "I wonder what that powerful chakra was?"

_So do I? _Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, _Troublesome, now I might actually have to investigate something._

"Man, that was a scary battle," Asuma commented, wiping some sweat from his brow before he lit his cigarette.

"I know," Kurenai agreed even as she clapped. "I can't believe he was able to use that chakra, and to such a degree. I've never heard of re-growing lost limbs."

Asuma chuckled, "Well, pops always told me that boy would surprise us. And I thought I was surprised when he started asking questions about elemental manipulation."

Kurenai looked over at Asuma in surprise, but did not comment, mainly because she did not know what to say.

Sarutobi clapped enthusiastically, proud of how far his surrogate grandson had come. _To think he beat a known Jinchuuriki after only six months of real training. And the amount of control he had over the Kyuubi's chakra. I've never even heard of it being able to re-grow lost limbs. I'm not even sure Mito-sama had been able to do that. Granted she never used much of its chakra but still…_

_Unbelievable! _Yugito thought as she also found herself clapping, _That was an incredible match! I think even Kirabi would have been impressed with that! I didn't realize he was so strong._

'**I have to agree kitten, not many humans his age can be that strong.'** The large two tailed cat paused for a moment and Yugito could almost feel it's smirk, **'you know with the way your acting right now, one would almost think your attracted to him.'**

'_Nibi! Now is not the time to be thinking about such things! Besides, he's what, five years younger then me? I can't date someone younger than me.'_

'**Bah! Five years isn't that much of an age difference kitten. Besides you're a ninja, aren't you? Old enough to kill, old enough to have hot passionate sex…or something like that.'**

'_Damn it Nibi! Shut up! He may be strong! Hell, he might even be just a little below my own level of strength and I won't deny he's…handsome. But he's still just a thirteen year a kid!'_

All Yugito got from her tenant was a perverse giggle, which sounded so completely wrong its demonic tone. Seriously, why, out of all the Bijuu, did she have to get the perverted one? . It's like the damn thing got a kick out of taunting her with its stupid remarks, _I know it just acts like that to torture me…_

Why couldn't she have just gotten one like Kirabi's? Mellow and uncaring, she was sure that she and Hachibi would have gotten along so much better, at least if what Kirabi told her about his Bijuu was to be believed._ Of course I would have had to actually fight it in order to subdue it so maybe I would be better off with the snarky one..._

'**You can deny your attraction all you want kitten. But remember, I live inside of you so I feel what's going on. You can't deny that seeing that young mans strength didn't turn you on at least a little.' **Yugito blushed heavily at that comment. She turned her head so her Jonin-sensei wouldn't take notice of it.

Naruto grinned as he released his hand on the glassed Gaara, who was standing there with a look pf perpetual shock on his features. Falling on his back the blond began to laugh, despite the fact that each laugh he took sent pain shooting through his nerves.

"Gaara!"

Naruto moved his head to see Temari trying to find some way to free Gaara from the glass.

"Temari-san," Naruto got her attention, "Gaara's fine, he has enough oxygen in there to last about an hour. I suggest taking him somewhere and start chipping him out. Unless he can get out on his own…"

Temari looked at him for a moment before nodding in thanks. She ordered both her sensei and younger brother down before yelling for medics to help her get her youngest brother out of the glass prison.

Feeling exhaustion settle in Naruto passed out. The last thing he saw were several shadows crowding around him.

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Kaiten (Rotation)- This jutsu utilizes the chakra control gained through Gentle Fist training to release a huge amount of chakra from all the chakra points on the user's body. The released chakra blocks any possible attack on the user. The user then spins rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a rotating shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any nearby attackers. The user can also actively control the size and power of the sphere to suit the situation. This jutsu is only effective when rotating, since the chakra itself is not enough to stop a physical attack thus if they cannot rotate, the user becomes vulnerable. Tenten said that the Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin is more powerful than any defense, including Gaara's sand. This technique also compensates for the blind spot in the Byakugan's vision.

Raiton: Gian (Lightning Release: False Darkness)– Kakuzu's lightning-element mask emits lightning in the shape of a spear from its mouth, which then pierces the enemy. Its destructive power is great enough to even pierce through rock; meaning it has a high killing potential. The user can increase the number of spears to attack multiple enemies. This makes it nearly impossible to evade.

Raiton: Raibakufuu (Ligtning Blast) – A jutsu where the user places several 'sparks' of lightning on an opponent's limbs, which then explode causing mass amounts of damage.

Raiton: Tenrai Dageki (Celestial Shock) – Sends a decently powerful burst of electricity along the ground, shocking any opponent foolish enough to remain in its path.

Raiton: Kusari no Raikou (Chains of Lightning) – Creates several chains of lightning that shoot from the ground to ensnare and shock an opponent.

Raiton: Raiyari (Lightning Release: Lightning Spear) – Creates a spear of lightning that the user can throw.

Raiton: Hinoko (Sparks) – Creates powerful sparks, used in conjunction with throwing weapons, often paralyses opponents if hit.

Kamitaichi No Jutsu (Wind Scythe Jutsu)– This bold move is Temari's specialty. By freely manipulating the gale brought forth by her Giant Folding Fan, the many air currents collide and create vacuum pockets. The person enveloped by this gale is assaulted by countless invisible blades, carving up their body. Also, the strong wind power will blow away all incoming projectile weapons and will even make the opponent unable to stay on their feet.

Temari has also shown the ability to manipulate the form of the gale, creating a tornado to envelop and lift her opponent, while also cutting him several times. She is also skilled enough to cut away the armor of a samurai without injuring the wearer.

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**And here you are; the end to the second stage of the Chunin Exams. Next up is the inevitable training arc, what fun can our blond have now? **

**Hopefully he's having more fun than I am…ugh, homework sucks.**


	20. Chapter 20

**IMPORTANT NOTICE, AlL READERS PLEASE READ BEFORE MOVING ONTO THE STORY: This weekend I was looking through a few of the reviews and while I do not actually consider any of them flames (A flame to me is someone telling me my work is utter shit, and NOT telling me how to fix it), a few expressed suitable concern about the way Kyuubi was acting to Naruto, mainly being that she was too nice and not very Kyuubi like. Personally, I'm not sure what that means, but I decided to go back and re-read chapters 17-19 and discovered that the people who made these reviews... WERE RIGHT. While Kyuubi can be made in just about any way the writer wants, I made Kyuubi tell Naruto one thing, that thing being that she feels humans are beneath her, and yet she acted completely contradictory to that, meaning she was far to nice to Naruto. Therefore I went back and completely redid the chapter 17 Naruto/Kyuubi interaction in order to make it more believable, I made a severe overal to almost all of the Naruto/Kyuubi interaction in chapter 18 and made small tweaks and adjustments to suit the previous overhalls of the other interactions the two had in chapter 19. Now, while chapter 19 does not have that many changes in how the two interact except for a few extra sentences and I took out the affection suffixes '-kun' and '-chan'. Chapters 17 and 18 were redone enough that I would strongly suggest going back and re-reading the Kyuubi/Naruto scenes. You don't have to read anything else because I did not change anything else, but those two were changed and if you don't read them you are liable to become confused when reading this next chapter. That being said, you don't actually have to listen to me but it is advisable that you do.**

**Also this is a thank you to those people who did give me those reviews, and an apology to them for not getting my head out of my ass and making the changes sooner.**

**This next thank you is for all of the readers who have reviewed my story, I am most appreciative of the support and critique all of you give and am pleased to say that this last chapter brought in 84 reviews, which is awesome.**

**Finally I am sending out a thank you to my Beta Reader Senjuto for continuing to work with me, despite my eccentricities.**

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**Disclaimer: I could tell you about all the ways I don't own Naruto. But instead I'm gonna tell you how to make instant ramen without waiting the three minutes it normally takes to heat the water…just kidding! I don't think there is a way to actually make instant ramen truly instant. It depresses me almost as much as not owning Naruto does.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 20: The Oddest Things**

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Opening his eyes Naruto had to blink several times as he saw the by now, familiar red eyes of Kyuubi staring at him. He opened his mouth but it took a moment for him to actually speak, "Morning Kyuubi…" he trailed off as he realized he had just greeted the woman whom mere days ago he had hated with a passion, and in some ways still felt resentment for what she had done to him.

Kyuubi saw the flickering emotion and lingering resentment in his eyes and felt the odd urge to flinch away from them. For a moment she was unsure what to do as this necessity of being nice was completely foreign waters to her and regardless of the fact that it would benefit her to be nice, it went against her nature. However she was able to pull herself back together and tried her best at making light of the situation, **"Actually I think it's night right now. Though since you've been out of it for a while I can't be too sure."**

"So how badly was I injured then?" asked Naruto, closing his eyes for a moment as he relaxed into the bed that Kyuubi had in the mindscape.

"**Bad enough that you were unconscious when you first entered the mindscape," **Kyuubi replied. **"You have extensive damage to your body, aside from internal bleeding, you have several fractured ribs, several pieces of those fractured ribs stuck in your muscle and severe head trauma." **Kyuubi gave him a cheeky grin and attempted another joke, **"All together not very good."**

"Yeah well, considering I was fighting another Jinchurikki, a psychotic one at that, I'll take a victory of attrition over death any day." Naruto looked up at her and favored her with a rare smile, "I have you to thank for that victory Kyuubi."

Kyuubi looked away from him as he thanked her, a light hint of pink on her cheeks; she had never had these kinds of interactions before and so it was leaving her rather flustered. Not that she would let Naruto in on that, **"Actually that battle was almost all you. I just helped at the end… as well as re-grew your entire arm."**

Naruto grimaced as phantom pain hit his arm, "I don't ever want to experience that again."

"**Then you'll need to get stronger, because there are tons of people stronger then Gaara out there." **She gave Naruto a pointed look,**"To be honest you can consider yourself extremely lucky to have even beaten him at all. Had he used his Bijuu's chakra I doubt you would have won."**

"I know," Naruto sighed, he could not deny that his win was a combination of luck and sheer stubborn determination. He looked at Kyuubi, "you still up for helping me?"

"**I'd better be," **Kyuubi replied with something akin to a half smirk/ half smile. **"My continued survival depends on you, so if I don't make you as strong as possible than that leaves me in a dangerous situation."**She looked away from Naruto with a small frown, **"despite the fact that I am stuck in here I have no desire to die."**

Naruto rolled his eyes, "well thanks I guess, even though your doing this for selfish reasons, it will at least still make me strong." He watched her eyes shift and noticed a small flicker of emotion, for a second she had looked oddly vulnerable. It was gone a moment later but he had managed to catch it and remembered that he had been going to at least try and make an attempt at being cordial.

"I do appreciate your help," Kyuubi looked back at him and he gave her a tired smile, "With your help I'll be kicking ass and taking names in no time…"

Kyuubi watched Naruto as his eyes closed, his breathing evened out and he eventually went back to sleep. She stared at him for several minutes before tentatively scooting closer to where the blond lay. It was several more minutes after that before she reached out with a hand and began to gently run it through the blonds hair.

_**It's surprisingly soft, **_Kyuubi thought with an odd sense of wonder. When she had said she never touched a human before, while it may have been an exageration, she had been partly truthful. Prior to the first several years of her life when she had first created the body she was in now, she had never allowed a human to touch her. However, his hair felt oddly different from that of other humans she had touched to sate her curiosity of the creatures when she had first awoken, _**it feels a lot like my fur…**_

She stopped for a moment and withdrew her hand, fearing she had woken him when Naruto sucked in a breath. However after several seconds he released it and his breathing evened out. Sighing in relief she went back to her ministration of gently combing her hand through his hair.

* * *

The Yondaime Kazekage stood at the designated meeting place where he listened to a report given by one of Orochimaru's henchmen. As much as it disgusted him to side with that snake, he knew that he could not beat Konoha on his own. And so he allied himself with Orochimaru, and suffered through the reports he received as well as the Snake Sannin himself constantly berating and insulting him with that silver tongue of his. However as he listened the last part of the report he became startled.

"You mean to tell me Gaara lost! To a Genin!"

The one who was speaking to him, a young teen with white hair, brown eyes and two red dots on his forehead nodded. "It seems this boy, one Uzumaki Naruto, managed to surprise your son and use a powerful Katon jutsu of some kind of turn his sand armor into glass. It trapped him inside and allowed the boy to win in the preliminaries."

The Kazekage scowled as he thought of what this would, "If Gaara lost then I doubt there is any hope for us to defeat Konoha, especially if he was defeated by a mere Genin."

The plan would also be ruined now the Kazekage realized. The whole plan had hindered on Gaara being in the finals and turning into his Shukaku form to give a surprise attack in the middle of the exams, smashing Konoha's main force before his and Orochimaru's men even got there, with Gaara no longer in the finals…

"Orochimaru-sama has insured me that your sons defeat was a mere fluke. A matter of surprise and luck, nothing more."

"And yet, without Gaara in the finals all of our plans are ruined," The Kazekage frowned. "There is no way for us to defeat Konoha without having Gaara in their walls to strike them by surprise."

The young teen bowed his head, "Orochimaru-sama has come up with another plan to defeat Konoha. One he believes is better than the previous one we had."

"And one that will no doubt lead to more of my shinobi's deaths," While the Kazekage saw everyone and everything as either a tool or worthless, he did understand the value of good soldiers and the need to keep them alive. And he knew that any plan that snake of a man created, would put his shinobi on the front to take more damage than the man's Oto forces.

"No, with our original plan null and void, I will not support a campaign against Konoha, unless I feel the time is right."

"I see." The teen said slowly, "That's too bad."

It happened too fast for the Kazekage to see. A flash of light and that was it before he, along with the four ANBU he had brought to guard him died.

"Kukuku…" Orochimaru chuckled as he appeared behind the fallen Kazekage, his hand holding onto the Kusanagi blade as it dripped with the blood of the Kazekage. "It's too bad he didn't agree to my new proposition, if he had, he may have lived. Still, I feel it's better this way," He looked over at his most fanatically loyal servant. "How are you holding up Kimimaro-kun?"

"I am feeling fine Orochimaru-sama," Kimimaro replied. "Kabuto-san has assured me that I will be able to take part in the coming battle."

"Good. I am pleased to see your disease is being kept in check for now. I have great need of you," Orochimaru licked his lips.

* * *

Naruto awoke to see the white tiled ceiling of a hospital. He blinked a few times as he registered where he was before scowling. "Great, I wake up only to find myself stuck in a nightmare of bland ceilings, white walls and that Kami damned smell of antiseptics."

"Well I do apologize Naruto-kun, however it was necessary for you to come here so you could be healed."

Hearing the familiar voice Naruto turned around to see Sarutobi sitting on a chair next to his bed. "I'm pleased to see you're awake, you gave us quite the scare with your performance you know."

"Ojisan…" Naruto yawned as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Be careful not to move too much. The doctors said you were extremely badly damaged," Sarutobi said.

Naruto looked up and grinned, "Aww! You worry too much Ojisan." The blond ignored the protests of Sarutobi as he stood up and began to stretch, "Hmmm… I'm definitely sore, it feels a lot like someone decided to smash me with the Hokage monument…" He looked over at the Hokage, "How long have I been out?"

"About two days." Sarutobi answered, watching as Naruto took off the bandages he had on, "Do you really have to take those off? You might still be injured."

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah I'm sure, I don't want to look like a mummy while I walk around Konoha. And I'm perfectly fine, a tad tender is all."

Sarutobisighed and shook his head in exasperation, but knew that trying to stop the blond was pointless and there were other things they needed to talk about. "Naruto-kun, I believe there are some things you and I need to discuss."

"Um…ok. What kind of things did you want to talk about Ojisan?" Naruto decided to play innocent. Though he had a fairly good idea on what this was about.

Sarutobi gave him a deadpan look, "I believe you know what I want to talk about Naruto-kun. I know you are more intelligent then you sometimes let on."

Naruto sighed as he sat back down on the bed, "You want to talk about me using Kyuubi's youki right?"

Sarutobi nodded, "Yes I would. I would like to know when you learned to use that chakra."

"Well, I wouldn't say I learned to use it," Naruto tapped his chin, wondering how best to broach this subject. In the end he just decided to be honest, the old Hokage had always been understanding and he was sure he would be with this too. "My beat down of Gaara was in fact the first time I had used it since Nami, er wait, that's not quite true since I had also used it against Orochimaru in the forest…Though this was the first time I used it willingly and stayed myself while using it."

"I see," Sarutobi wished he could smoke his pipe right now, but not even he could get away with smoking in a hospital. "And how were you able to channel its chakra?"

"Kyuubi gave it to me," Naruto shrugged, upon seeing the Hokage's incredulous expression Naruto blinked. "What? She did, Kyuubi and I are all cool now." He paused when he listened to that statement in his head, "well, we're not exactly cool, but were no longer at each others throats."

"Ah! I see.. Kyuubi and you are…" Sarutobi frowned as he registered the two things Naruto said. The first, Naruto said he and Kyuubi were friends now, the second… "Did you say she? As in the Kyuubi No Kitsune is a girl!"

Naruto winced and held his head for a moment as he heard Kyuubi start to yell out threats to Sarutobi, "Yes, she's a girl, and she wants me to tell you that if she hears one more sexist comment about her gender, she's going to make sure you suffer untold amounts of torment before the Shinigami comes to take you."

Sarutobi shivered a bit at the implied threat, despite the fact that there was no way for Kyuubi to do anything of the sort, "I-I see… now you said you and Kyuubi are on good terms?"

"Of course I did. We're on… cordial terms," Naruto thought of his statement for a second before nodding, "I think that's the best way of putting it."

"And how do you know Kyuubi is a she?" asked Sarutobi as he eyed the genin wearily.

Naruto chuckled, "if you had been in the seal you would not have had to ask me that. Trust me when I say that there is no way she can be anything but female. She has this human form, er, half human form that she introduced herself with when talking to me. I doubt I could find many if any woman who is more attractive than her."

As he registered his words his mind blanked for a second, despite what he had said being completely true he was surprised he had said them. Perhaps the damage from his battle with Gaara had caused a severe case of head trauma, or maybe Anko had rubbed off on him even more then he had initially thought since that sounded like something she would say.

Kyuubi, having heard what Naruto said from the seal smirked, **'why Naruto you truly know what to say to make a lady feel special…'**

Naruto had to resist the rather large urge to snort, _'try not to get used to it… I doubt I'm in my right mind right now. And while I… while I won't deny that you are very physically attractive, it will take a long time before I would consider speaking of you in such an intimate manner were my currently screwed on right. It will take more the a pretty face for me to be friendly with you.'_

Within the seal Kyuubi frowned for a moment. She supposed she should have expected him to give out that kind of response, it was a natural reaction people had to someone hurting them as much as she had hurt Naruto. But, **'you know I am trying to be nice to you…'**

'… _I know,' _Naruto sighed, _'I do realize that, but you are also the cause of a lot of problems that I have no clue how to deal with right now.'_ He felt an odd fluctuation in his seal, it felt almost like a brief flicker of irritation and slight depression, only it was not his. However he put any thoughts on the odd sensation out of his mind for the moment.

The Hokage had to take a moment to register that new information, he decided to file it under the 'too troublesome to open' section of his brain. "How can you be sure that it's not just a trick? The Kyuubi is a malevolent and cunning being. One who nearly destroyed Konoha I might add."

Naruto shook his head, "I'm sure she's genuine." He looked over at his surrogate grandfather, "at the very least I do know that she cannot influence me due to the seal, she admitted herself, not in so many words and she was rather... erm angry at the time because of it, so I doubt she had a reason to lie. She also told me that her helping me is a matter of self-preservation, if I die she dies and she does not want to die right now… or ever for that matter."

"I see…" Sarutobi trailed off as he began to think on what he had just heard.

'**Naruto…' **Kyuubi's voice came in tentatively.

Naruto blinked at the odd tone she used, _'yes Kyuubi?'_

'_**I… **_**look, tell your Hokage that my attack…' **Kyuubi paused and Naruto had a feeling she was trying to admit to something that she was either ashamed of or did not want getting out. His thoughts were confirmed a moment later when she spoke again, **'tell him that my attack was not of my own making.'**

'_Not of your own making?' _asked Naruto in a tone laced with curiosity, _'what do you mean 'not of your own making'?'_

'**Look I… that attack was not my handiwork. Remember what I told you, I may not like humans, but I don't care for bringing myself to kill them. It's simply beneath me to even bother with such a thing.'**

'_So you're saying someone else attacked Konoha?' _Naruto asked incredulously, _'and what, you just happened to be there and knocked over a few buildings, killed a few hundred people?'_

Kyuubi growled at the blond, **'look! It wasn't my fault! I was under a…' **Naruto heard a sigh from the mindscape before the red head started in a softer voice, **'I was not in control of my actions at the time ok? There was… someone who was capable of casting a high level genjutsu that controlled my actions.'**

Naruto put a thoughtful frown on his face as he listened to Kyuubi's defense about her actions. It took him a minute to formulate a response and when he did his answer surprised him, _'I believe you.'_

'**You do?' **asked Kyuubi who was also surprised, even more so than the blond who said it.

'_Yes,' _Naruto thought about his reasoning before giving out more information, _'honestly your attack never really made sense. I mean, I sort of just assumed that Bijuu were simply mindless beasts, but your obvious not…' _he paused and this time he could clearly feel Kyuubi's shock through the seal, he wondered on that for a moment before shaking his head and getting back on track. _'So given what you've told me it only makes sense.'_

For a long moment Naruto did not hear anything from the vixen in his head. He was about to talk to Sarutobi and inform him of what he knew when, **'…thank you.'**

'_You're welcome,' _Naruto responded.

"Ojisan," Naruto said, getting the aging Hokage to shake his thoughts away and focus on the young blond before him.

"Yes Naruto-kun?"

"I believe this may help you come to better terms with what I told you already. Kyuubi was not responsible for the night of the attack; I guess you could say she was not herself."

"Wasn't herself?" Sarutobi questioned. "What do you mean wasn't herself?" He watched as Naruto's eyes glazed over for a moment. _He must be speaking with the Kyuubi, _the old Hokage reasoned.

"She said it's ok to tell you. During her attack on Konoha, someone had cast a high level genjutsu that even she couldn't break out of and controlled her." Naruto shrugged, "I don't know who since she won't tell me, but apparently that attack wasn't really her fault. Kyuubi is of the belief that slaughtering a village of humans is a task that is beneath her, something that she would not do simply because she is a being of higher power and not one who would give into their baser instincts."

_What he says would make sense, _Sarutobi's hand twitched as he wished for his pipe. _I have always wondered what had happened that night. With Minato there, there should have been no issue with the Kyuubi breaking free. Which means someone had to have released the Kyuubi, and I doubt they would have done that unless they were sure they could control it… her. Still this new information of Kyuubi being a female and not evil, or at least as evil as we were all led to believe is a contradiction to what I had been told. Mito-sama always said the Kyuubi was a hateful creature. Then again, I can't really imagine a being like Kyuubi attacking for no reason, especially if what Naruto says about 'her' general countenance towards humans is true._

He looked over at Naruto, _In any event Naruto does not seem to be under any influence from the Kyuubi and Jiraiya said the seal was working perfectly when he checked it yesterday. In the end I will need to trust Naruto's judgment in this matter, since there is really nothing else I can do._

"Ojisan, are you alright?" Naruto asked, waving a hand in front of the Hokage's face, "You're still there right?"

"Huh? Oh yes Naruto-kun. I apologize, I was thinking for a moment," Sarutobi said.

"Riiiight." Naruto drawled out as he gave the venerable old man a smirk, "You do know that spacing out like that is a sign of old age? You might want to be careful."

"This coming from the one who continuously calls me old man, I would think that it wouldn't matter since you'll just call me out on being old anyways,"Sarutobi shot back.

"Touché." Naruto grinned, "So can I go now. I really want to get back to my shitty ass apartment so I can lie in my own crap bed, rather than the hospital ones."

"I doubt I could keep you here even if I tried," Sarutobi replied in an amused tone. "Go on, you're free to leave. Oh! Before I forget!" Naruto stopped to changing into the clothes that had been set out for him to look at Sarutobi, "You will be facing Hyuuga Neji in the first round of the finals."

Naruto looked at Sarutobi and grinned, "Well that's nice. I wanted to kick that fate loving prick's ass anyway. I'll need to get in some good training then. Do you know where Kakashi-sensei is?"

Sarutobi shook his head, "I believe he went off to train Sasuke for the finals. However he did tell me to give you this." The Hokage took out a scroll from his robe and tossed it to him.

Naruto caught the scroll and looked at it for a second, before pocketing it, "Is there anything else I should know?"

The Sandaime Hokage smiled at him, "Yes there is. You had several visitors come to see you."

"Really? Who?" Naruto asked as he put on a large white shirt several sizes too large for him.

"Higarashi Tenten was one of them," Sarutobi rubbed his chin. "Most of the rookies who fought in the Preliminaries came to see you, and surprisingly you had a visitor from Kumo, a blond kunoichi by the name of Nii Yugito who made it to the finals." The old Hokage frowned thoughtfully at that, he could not help but wonder what Kumo's Jinchuuriki would want with Naruto, given that village's attempted kidnapping of Hyuuga Hinata during the treaty signing he was feeling weary of letting that woman near the whiskered blond.

Naruto smiled at hearing all the people in his class had come to see him; however he was confused as to why Yugito had come.

_Well she is a Jinchuuriki, so maybe she just wanted to talk, _he shrugged the thought off for now. "Thanks for telling me Ojisan. Since I'm still kind of sore, I'll visit them today rather than start training."

"I think that's a good idea Naruto-kun." Sarutobi agreed, "Also you might want to check out the hot springs on one of your days off. I believe it would prove to be beneficial for you."

Naruto blinked for a moment as he sensed some kind of hidden meaning there, but shrugged it off quickly enough, "Thanks for the advice, maybe I will pay it a visit."

Sarutobi watched the blond go and shook his head, _The things you get into Naruto-kun…I swear you're giving me more gray hairs than my grandson._

* * *

Walking into the Higarashi weapons store, Naruto plastered a grin on face. He looked around to see that Kaito was manning the shop today, meaning Tenten was probably out training. "Ohoyo Kaito-san!" he greeted.

Kaito looked up from the weapon designs his daughter had been making and smiled when he saw Naruto. "Ohoyo Naruto-san, I was wondering when you'd come into my shop," As the boy walked over he got a better look at him. "I guess Tenten wasn't exaggerating when she said you had quite the transformation, you look quite different."

"Yeah…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "As you can see I'm in need of some new clothes, my old ones no longer fit."

"So I noticed," Kaito said dryly as Naruto made a clone and had it start grabbing clothes. "You know, my daughter was awfully worried about you. She said you injured yourself pretty badly when you fought in the Preliminaries." Kaito watched the clone grab a bunch of clothes for Naruto to try on, "She's pretty mad at you too."

Naruto shivered a bit as his clone brought him some clothes, "I'll try to find some peace offering to appease her then. Maybe a really expensive kunai set."

Kaito laughed as Naruto made his way to the changing room, sighing the blond looked at the clothes he had set down and began to try on different kinds. Eventually he decided to go with a pair of black pants with white wrap around bandages, a black long sleeve shirt, a new pair black shinobi sandals and a black cloak like the one he had before, except this one had dark red flames lining the bottom. As he walked back out Naruto spotted something else he felt might be interesting to add to his attire and grabbed it as well.

He grabbed several more pairs of clothing before bringing them to the register, "Hey Kaito-san, I was wondering if you had any fingerless gloves in the color orange?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow at the odd request before nodding, "We do have a few…" He went into the back of the store before coming out with a box. "I had another customer who seemed to have the same fetish for orange as you, so I used to have these custom made for her."

Naruto looked at the orange fingerless gloves. They had a metal plate on the back as a guard, however, where most of the plates had a Konoha symbol, these ones didn't. Instead they had the swirl that was shown on the Chunin and Joninflak jackets. He picked one up before putting it on, clenching and un-clenching his fist to get a feel for the gloves.

"They're perfect," Naruto grinned as he squeezed and flexed his hand.

"I thought you might like them," Kaito smiled at the blond staring at the gloves in fascination and joy.

_Your mother loved them after all; _He shook the errant thought away as he rang Naruto up. "Your total comes to 5,000 yen."

Naruto unsealed Gama-chan and took out the necessary money, "Thanks for the clothes. If you see Tenten tell her I'm out of the hospital."

"Got it!" Kaito gave Naruto a wave as he left the store.

* * *

After getting a clone to send his clothes back home Naruto went to pick up some Ichiraku's where he had an interesting encounter with Ayame, who he had caught drooling when she was looking at him. When he finished the blond left and wandered around town trying to figure out what to do today, all the while dutifully ignoring the stares sent his way.

_I can't train today since I'm still kind of sore, I suppose I could visit Tenten but I kind of want to hold off on her trying to turn me into a human pincushion for as long as I can._Naruto sighed, _What to do, what to do…_

'**Naruto, why don't you go visit that Yugito girl,' **Kyuubi suggested her vessel.

'_You mean the Kumo Jinchuuriki?' _Naruto asked. _'I suppose I could, though I have no clue where she is,' _He sighed. That meant he would have to ask around.

He walked into an alley and created a few clones which immediately Henge'd into random villagers. Already knowing what Naruto wanted, they immediately set off and began searching the area. Hopping onto the roof, the blond took off towards his apartment where he could rest until his clones told him where Yugito was.

* * *

While Naruto was out searching for Kumo's Jinchuuriki, things were nowhere near as pleasant with one Rock Lee who was being used as target practice by a very angry weapons user.

"Tenten-san! Must you be so angry and un-youthful!" Lee squeaked out as he dodged more kunai that the bun haired girl sent at him.

It had been like this since the end to the preliminaries. After Naruto's battle with Gaara, Tenten had been doing one of two things, visiting Naruto at the hospital or using Lee and Neji for target practice.

"Grrr! That jerk! Does he even know how worried I was!" Tenten showered the area Lee was in with kunai and shuriken, forcing the bowl cut boy to dodge and run even more. "He keeps taking so many risks! Does he know how much it freaked me out when he lost that arm! Stupid men, and their pig headedness!"

"Tenten-san I know you *Dodges several dozen shuriken* are upset with our *back flips several times to avoid a dozen kunai* most youthful comrade Naruto. But *Ducks a kitchen sink that Tenten picked up from somewhere* if you keep up this un-youthful act then your flames of youth will diminish!"

Lee was forced to hide behind a rock as Tenten pulled out two of her scrolls and used her Soushouryuu (Twin Rising Dragons) to launch Kami-only knew how many weapons at Lee.

Over on the sidelines Neji watched Lee being used for target practice with a frown. His mind was on the battle Naruto had with Gaara and that strange chakra he had used. That was definitely not normal chakra the blond had used, he had seen it originate from the blonde's stomach, definitely not where normal chakra comes from._ But then, I wonder what it was?_

"Tenten-san you must cease this action before your flames of youth die out!"

Neji sighed as he stood up. He was fighting Naruto in the finals first, even if he did not want to admit it, he needed to start training.

* * *

Naruto walked down the hall of the hotel that he had heard Yugito was staying in, stopping at room 209 where he knocked on the door. He heard some feet shuffling as well as a bang and a muffled curse, causing him to snicker a bit. The door opened and Yugito stepped out wearing nothing but a set of robes, with her hair still wet from having obviously just come out of the shower a few minutes ago.

The two stared at each other for a second, and Naruto let his eyes wander up and down her form for a moment. Following the perfect curves and contours of Yugito's body that was lithe with a thin waist and toned stomach, yet managed to retain the full form of a woman, which was easily noticeable by her nice sized and firm hips as well as her C to D cup chest. Naruto was beginning to get the feeling that this body type was something all high level kunoichi possessed. It was then that he realized what he was doing, making him blush and look away, "I-is this a bad time?"

Yugito blinked before she recognized who was in the doorway. She noticed his eyes wandering her body and looked down to see she that her robe did little to hide her figure, yet to Naruto's surprise she just smiled and gestured for him to come in. "Not at all Naruto-kun, why don't you come on in. I was just about to make some tea."

_Naruto-kun?_ The spiky haired blond asked himself in confusion, _Didn't I like just meet her in the exams? Hell I don't even think I've spoken with her except that one time during the first test…_ Shaking the thought off the spiky haired blond walked into the hotel room and took a look around.

It was a standard two bed room living space, with a kitchen/living room combo and a single door leading to the bedroom. It was fairly bland but Naruto did not expect it to really have any kinds of home furnishings, since she did not really live there.

"Why don't you go sit on the couch while I finished getting dressed and make us some tea?" Yugito suggested, not at all bothered by the fact that she was in nothing more than a robe.

_A robe that does so little to hide her figure…_Naruto gulped as he responded with, "Y-yeah, ok."

He walked further into the apartment and sat down on the leather sofa while Yugito left to get dressed. He closed his eyes for a while and attempted to work on some breathing exercises while he waited, in the hopes that it would help keep away his hormone induced thoughts.

"Here you go."

Naruto opened his eyes several minutes later to see Yugito wearing a pair of loose fitting pants and a shirt, holding a cup of hot tea out to him with a small smile. He gave her a smile in return as he accepted the drink, "Thank you." He took a sip of the tea, knowing that even if it was poisoned it wouldn't work on him.

"So how are you feeling?" Yugito asked as she sat down on the sofa next to him, surprising Naruto when she sat close enough that their arms were lightly touching. "You were pretty injured from your battle with Gaara."

Naruto grinned as he set the cup down, "It will take far more then something like that to bring me down!" He paused for a moment and grimaced, "Though I really hope I don't lose an arm like that again…" He paused when he heard Yugito giggle, "I heard you visited me in the hospital."

Yugito blushed a tad but nodded, "Hai, I did. After seeing your battle I wanted to make sure you were alright, especially after you helped my friend Ayako after her battle. Had you not, that Hyuga Genin would have probably killed her."

"There's no need to thank me for something like that," Naruto gave an off handed shrug. "I could never really stand Neji, or his attitude, or those ten foot metal poles he has shoved up his ass." He grinned when Yugito let out a soft giggle, "And seeing him willing to go so far to injure another person in what should be a friendly competition really set me off. I could never stand people who were willing to hold some kind of prejudice against others just because they come from another village, even if it's one that we had been enemies with at one point."

Yugito smiled at him, "Well I thank you all the same. You strike me as a very kind person."

"I guess…" Naruto shrugged, he had never really thought himself as kind. He just did what he thought was right. He looked at her for a moment, "So was that the only reason you visited me? Because I helped your friend?"

Yugito shook her head as her smile widened, "Not at all. Actually I wanted to get to know you better, especially after seeing your fight with Gaara."

Naruto blinked for a few seconds as he processed what she was saying, "You want to get to know me?" At her nod he said, "I don't think you'll find anything very interesting about me. And I've never been that good with people."

"That wasn't the first impression I got of you," Yugito gave him an amused grin. "Not many people I know are willing to make an enemy out of everyone by threatening to beat them up in the first stage of such an important exam. Nor would they so blatantly insult one of said exam's proctors."

"Hehehe," Naruto scratched the back of his head as he grinned, "I suppose that's true. But…"

Yugito shook her head, "You know, despite that over confident attitude of yours, you're actually very modest. I can tell just from your battle with Gaara that you're fairly strong, especially for your age. Not only that but you're a very kind person, not many people would protect a complete stranger from another village like you did just because it's the right thing to do. Plus the fact that you're a Jinchuuriki makes you even more interesting. I think it's only natural that I want to get to know you better."

Naruto chuckled, "I should have figured you'd know I was a Jinchuuriki, seeing as you hold the Nibi." He noticed Yugito grin, "So…what did you want to know?"

"I really just want to know more about you," Yugito replied with a soft smile. "It's never easy growing up as a Jinchuuriki. Even in Kumo where we're now held in reverence as guardians it has been and in some ways still is hard."

Naruto's smile faded a bit as he tilted his head at the blond woman, "That's true. I suppose I can tell you a bit about myself." A mischievous smile came to his face, "However you have to tell me about yourself as well."

Yugito returned his grin with a smile, "I was planning on it."

Naruto had spent nearly the rest of the day with Yugito, just sitting and conversing with her about their lives. Turned out his original assumption was correct, Yugito was four years older than he was. Naruto was pleasantly surprised to find out that Yugito could relate to him on some levels. Like him she had not been trusted very much in Kumo until Kirabi, the other Jinchuuriki who also happened to be the current Raikage's younger brother, had managed to earn the village's trust. It was after that, that Kirabi and by proxy her, started to become looked upon as Kumo's protectors; the village had even gone so far as to give Kirabi the title of 'Guardian of Kumo.'

It also helped that Yugito held onto the firm belief that loyalty towards your friends and village were the most important things for a ninja to have. She was also supremely confident in her own abilities, not in an arrogant way that most of the genin in exams had been, but in the kind gained from hard work and experience.

He also could not help but smile when Yugito told him not to give up on the village, believing that he could change the people's minds and hearts about him the same way Kirabi did. It was rather heartfelt and kind of reminded him of when Haku had told him she believed he could do it.

He felt it odd that, even though being with Yugito actually reminded him a bit about his time with Haku, that he did not feel the small flash of pain that normally accompanied the times he would speak with women. Sometimes when he was with Tenten and even Anko he had felt kind of like he was betraying Haku. He did not act on those feelings of course, he was _trying_to move on, but he still could not help but feel that way. That he did not feel like this with Yugito, whom he had just met and only spoke with on one occasion not counting today was odd, though he chalked it up to the similarities the blond woman had to him.

"So you were a prankster when you were younger?" Yugito asked, amused but not too surprised to hear that bit of information. Jinchuuriki lived fairly lonely existences, it was natural they would find a coping mechanism, lest they become like that Gaara character and go insane. Kirabi had found his in his rapping, and she had found hers in her work and a few other hobbies; so hearing another found them in pranks and goofing off was not a surprise.

Naruto chuckled, "I wasn't just a prankster Yugito, I was an absolute horror and complete menace to society. I remember causing so many problems around the village, most of the time I would prank the people who would deny me at their stores, or overcharge me for food. Which, to be honest, is like ninety nine percent of the stores, shops and restaurants in the village. I would do things like put scents that attracted cockroaches into the restaurants, or dye a clothing store's entire stock hot pink or bright orange. And then when the ANBU came running to find out what the cause was I would reveal myself and take them on a merry little chase all around the village, running down areas that I had loaded with traps beforehand. I guess it was my way of trying to gain the villagers' attention, because even bad attention is better than none at all."

Yugito smiled and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You'll get their acknowledgement soon Naruto-kun. You just have to believe you can do it." She looked at Naruto for a few seconds before speaking again, "Kirabi had it pretty rough too. I wasn't even around when it was really bad for him, but I remember him telling me about some of it. How he could not buy in stores without being overpriced, how people would often insult and spit at him as he passed. I even remember hearing about an incident where his best friend tried to kill him. He got through all of that and is now Kumo most loved individual." The blond woman gave Naruto a grin, "and trust me, if he can do it than I'm positive you can."

"Thanks…" Naruto said, he was not one hundred percent sure if he believed that, but he knew it was something he would never stop striving for, if for no other reason than to spite those who did not believe he could. "Its kind odd to hear someone I just met encouraging me, but it really does make me feel better, especially since you can relate."

"Your most welcome," Yugito replied, her smile never leaving her face. "And you don't need to thank me, I'm always willing to help someone as cute as you."

Naruto sputtered a bit as he blushed, "I-I'm not cute! New born puppies are cute. Kittens are cute. I'm a guy, guys are not cute!"

Yugito just gave him a feral grin, "Oh, don't be like that. It was a compliment."

Naruto crossed his arms and gave her a petulant pout, "It would be a compliment if I wasn't a dude. Can't you say I'm sexy or devilishly handsome, or perhaps make a comment on my charm and roguish good looks? Anything along those lines would be fine, just not cute."

"Well I could…" Yugito shrugged as she continued to smile at him, "But then I'd be lying."

Naruto sniffed as he wiped a fake tear out of his eyes, "That's harsh Yugi-chan, very harsh."

Yugito's smile just increased; pleased to hear the new nickname she had received so soon after meeting Naruto, especially since she doubted he even realized he had given her the nickname. She had a feeling that he would bond with her quickly. Naruto, she had realized was not only a nice person, but was also lonely and so he would always want to make new friends. It also helped that they were both Jinchuuriki and she could understand him better than most people.

Naruto looked over at the clock and saw that it was getting late, "Looks like I'd better go." He stood up and Yugito followed suit, walking him towards the door.

Looking over at the blond woman Naruto gave her a smile, "You know I had pretty good time tonight."

"Likewise," Yugito smiled softly at him, "If you would like, perhaps when we have a break from our respective training we can do something a little more active."

Naruto blushed as his mind immediately went down the gutter and held his nose to keep from passing out. Yugito noticed this and laughed, "I didn't mean it like that! Really Naruto-kun, you're such a pervert."

"I'm not a pervert." Naruto defended, "I just…have a healthy amount of…admiration for the female figure…" He sighed as he could tell she was not buying it, "I blame Anko…"

* * *

In a small dango stand Anko sneezed all over her dango, and began to swear and curse, promising to castrate who ever made her sneeze on her precious dango.

All of the men who were near the women began to back away in fear as they held onto their junk.

* * *

Naruto shivered as he felt the desire to run and hide in a corner somewhere.

"Anko? Wasn't that the proctor of the second stage for the Chunin Exams?" Yugito placed a face to the name, "You did seem awfully close to her. But I don't see how you can blame being a pervert on her?"

"You don't know her like I do," Naruto shuddered. "Besides, you should have figured out from her general lack of clothing that she's rather _open _about her sexuality. I remember she was the one who gave me the 'birds and the bees' talk."

Yugito raised an eyebrow as Naruto began shivering uncontrollably, "Was it really that bad?"

"You ever hear of the Icha Icha series?" asked Naruto, getting a nod from Yugito. "I remember when I mentioned that I didn't know about sex or reproduction she had taken it upon herself to teach me. Really all she did was kidnap me in the middle of the night, tie me to a chair, and then she read the first three books from the Icha Icha series as well as forced me to look at the picture illustrations…I haven't been able to look at women the same since."

Not entirely sure what to say to Naruto 'tragic' experience, Yugito felt it would be wiser to simply avoid the subject in the future.

"So you were saying something about spending some time together this month?" Naruto queried, deciding he had unintentionally gave away too much information about his life issues with women.

Yugito nodded as she switched mental gears due to the change in topic, "I usually take Sundays off from any training I do so that I can rest my body. I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with me this Sunday. You could meet me here sometime during the afternoon, or perhaps I could meet you at your place."

"That sounds fun actually," Naruto said, thinking for a minute. "I'll meet you here around 12:00. Is that alright?"

"Yes that's perfect," Yugito smiled at him.

Naruto could not help but return her smile, "So what are we gonna do?"

Yugito just gave him a wink, "That is a secret."

Naruto pouted for a moment, making Yugito giggle before relenting as he knew if she was anything like the other women in his life he would never get it out of her.

"Alright. See ya Yugi-chan," Naruto waved to her as he started walking down the hall.

Yugito smiled one last time before she closed the door.

'**See kitten, I told he was quite the catch.'**

'_Yes well, even you have to be right once in a blue moon,' _Yugito could almost feel Nibi pouting, though the pout on its face would probably be more terrifying than anything.

'**Now that's not very nice. When have I ever steered you wrong before?'**

'_How about that time you told me Jushiro was a nice catch?'_

'**Hey, I was just saying he was attractive!'**

'_What about the time you wanted me to be all over Taro?'_

'**I can't always know when someone's nothing more than a lecher."**

'_Ok then, what about the time you told me Kiza would be a nice match for me?'_

'**How was I supposed to know he had crabs!'**

Yugito rolled her eyes, _'Whatever, I believe I've made my point, your honor, I rest my case.'_

'**But that's not fair kitten, you can't blame me for everything!'**

'…'

'**Kitten? Kitten! Are you listening to me!'**

* * *

Once he had left the apartment complex, Naruto walked back home with a perplexed look on his face. _Did she just ask me out on a date? I don't think I've really been doing anything differently than what I used to do. In fact, now that I think about it, I may be even more obnoxious than I was before._Naruto huffed in frustration, ignoring the looks he received. _I just don't get it…_

It was the oddest thing to him. Before when he was at the academy he could never have gotten a date, with anyone. Now he had just had an extremely hot older blond ask him out this Sunday. Really it was the most perplexing thing.

Of course, he had only ever asked Sakura out, so maybe that had something to do with it. Though he was not sure any of the other girls would have gone out with him either, they had all been completely stuck on Sasuke even though he had never shown any interest in them. Maybe it was just the girls in Konoha who he could not get, after all he and Haku had gotten together pretty fast.

He winced a moment as he thought of Haku, and then this date he was going to be going on Sunday. For a brief moment he felt like he was betraying her. However he ruthlessly squashed the feeling before it could take hold. He knew for a fact that she would beat the crap out of him if he let her death get the best of him, so he would do his best move on; move on but never forget.

And perhaps going on a date with Yugito would actually help with that, after all she was nice, understood where he was coming from and she extremely attractive, easily drool worthy in his humble opinion.

'**You just haven't noticed how much you've changed Naruto,' **Kyuubi commented from within his mind as she brushed her tails. She saw the memory and the brief flash of pain from his memory and in the interested of keeping her vessel from becoming weak, felt it best if she steer his thoughts away from where they had been going.

'**Your personality might not have shifted too much from who you were originally, but you're a lot more mature now than you had been. You also don't go screaming about ramen and Hokage every chance you get, and can have a serious discussion when needed.' **Kyuubi paused for a second before adding another comment almost as an after thought, **'It also helps that you've become quite fetching.'**

Naruto paused in his thoughts as he heard Kyuubi, and had to resist laughing when he heard the word she had used, _'Did you just say fetching? Seriously? What kind ass backwards word is that?'_

'**Oh shut up!' **Kyuubi hmphed, blushing a bit as she used a word she had not heard in nearly a thousand years. A part of her could not believe she had actually used a word that had not been used in such a way in so long, **'So I sometimes talk old school…'**

'_You mean really old school. I don't think I've ever heard someone say someone else is 'fetching'. And considering that I've had to spend years listening to the ramblings of the Uchiha Sasuke fan club go on about how great the teme is all throughout the academy, that's quite the accomplishment.' _Naruto chuckled a bit, _'it's also kind of interesting since if didn't know any better, I would say you just called told me I'm handsome… or something like that.'_

Kyuubi took a long moment to register the blond's words, and when she did she felt pale as she realized she had just complimented him. However just because she may have said something like that does not mean he could get away with mentioning it, **'****Naruto, am I going to have to cut off the circulation to your male anatomy?'**

Naruto paled, _'N-no Kyuubi, s-sorry. I was just joking.'_ He still did not know if she could do that, but considering she lived inside of him… sort of, he did not want to take the chance that it was real.

'**Remember, think before you speak Naruto,' **Kyuubi admonished in a somewhat ominous tone.

Naruto sweatdropped, _'__Right…'_ the blond walked up the stairs to his apartment building and over to his room number, however when he found his door he also found a surprise waiting for him.

"Ten-chan?" Naruto questioned as he saw Tenten standing on his doorway, hands on her hips and what he had come to recognize as a bad look for any female to have, especially when it's directed at you. "Uhh…is there a problem Ten-chan?"

"Is there a problem?" Tenten asked with a sweet smile that screamed danger. "Oh no, there's no problem, only that you got your arm cut off and nearly killed!" She finished in a yell as she stalked towards him.

Naruto immediately began to back up in fear, "Damn it Naruto! Do you know how incredibly reckless that fight of yours was! I nearly had a heart attack from half the shit you pulled! Getting yourself smacked around like that! Not stopping the fight after your whole ARM IS RIPPED OFF! If you ever and I mean _ever _do something like that again I will nail you to a wall and shove a rusty kunai so far up your ass you won't be able to sit for a week!"

By this point Naruto was cowering from the bun haired girl who seemed to have fire surrounding her, and several demonic figures standing behind her, glowering at him. "T-Ten-chan, I-I couldn't just back down from a fight!"

"So you battle until you get your arm ripped off!" Tenten's eyes twitched, "Do you know how stupid that sounds! You nearly died!"

"Yeah but I didn't," Naruto defended himself. "Look, I know you were worried about me, and I am sorry for worrying you. But you can't just tell me to quit when shit hits the fan. I'm not the kind of person to do that."

"I know that but…" Tenten bit her lower lip, "I can't help but worry about you Naruto-kun. You were so reckless back there. The next time you might not be as lucky and just lose an arm, you could die."

"Wow you're calling losing an arm lucky," Naruto grinned as he tried to lighten the situation. It dropped a second later when he saw that she looked ready to actually follow through with her threat, "I doubt losing an arm could be considered lucky. I don't think anyone else would have been able to survive after something like that…at least not with their shinobi career still intact."

"That's definitely true." Tenten snorted, before looking at him curiously, "Just how did you re-grow your arm anyway?"

"Uh, uh, uh." Naruto wagged a finger back and forth chidingly, "That's a trade secret my dear. Can't have other shinobi taking my special techniques now can I?"

'**Not that they'd be able to even if they knew how it was done.' **Kyuubi piped up, **'And it's my technique not yours.'**

'_Yeah, but she doesn't know about you. You can't expect me to just come out and say 'well you see it's all because I have the most powerful demon sealed in my gut, you know, the one who nearly destroyed Konoha. But don't worry she's actually not half bad, in fact you might like her.' can you?'_

Kyuubi hmphed, **'Well I suppose you do have a valid point.'**

'_Of course I do.' _Then he remembered that Kyuubi was trying to get along with him and added,_ 'But don't worry, I know just how much you do for me, and you know I appreciate it.'_

Naruto felt an odd warmth originating from his seal, **'You're such a charmer Naruto-_kun_.'**

The odd thing about her statement was she was actually being somewhat honest, even if she spoke in the same flirty way she had used to enthrall other males. It was odd because they were so different from any thoughts she held previously about the blond or anyone else, and it was still taking some time for her to understand and come to terms with the changes she was feeling.

Feeling the desire to get the last word in Naruto said, _'__I aim to please.'_

Tenten pouted at not being told how he could grow an arm back like it was nothing. She was sure that not even Tsunade knew how to do that! Though it did not seem like a medical jutsu.

She shook her head, "Whatever, just promise me you'll be more careful?"

Naruto grinned, "I'll do my best." She narrowed her eyes at him and he immediately sought to placate her, "Look, I can't make that promise, sometimes risks have to be taken to accomplish goals or complete missions. However I promise to do my best not to take too many risks."

"I suppose that's all I can hope for…" Tenten sighed.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized, not liking seeing one of his precious people hurt, but knowing it was better than making a promise he could not keep. "I know it's not what you wanted," He gave her a smile. "Though I am grateful to know that you care about me so much."

Tenten blushed, "O-of course I care about you baka. If I didn't who would?"

"Of course," Naruto chuckled; he stopped and looked at her. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about…you know besides chewing my ass out for being a danger to myself and an in general ass for not taking the feelings of you and others into consideration."

Tenten glared at him for chewing out comment before shaking her head, "No…that's all I wanted to talk to you about…"

Naruto frowned for a moment before smiling, "Ok then, it's getting pretty late so I'll see you later 'kay Ten-chan?"

"…Ok." Tenten watched as Naruto unlocked the door to his apartment and bit her lip, "Wait!"

Naruto turned around to see Tenten staring at him, her face extremely red, "Yes? Are you ok Ten-chan? Your face is really red?" Tenten 'eeped' as Naruto leaned in to look at her face, coming so close their noses were almost touching.

"I-I'm fine," She backed away a bit.

"If you say so," Naruto shrugged after looking at her for a few moments, "So you had something else you wanted to say"

"Well I…I um…was just wondering if…" Naruto frowned as Tenten began to stutter, he had never seen her look so unsure of herself before.

"Are you sure you're ok? You seem really out of it," Naruto said as he looked at her with concern.

Tenten couldn't but squirm a bit under Naruto's gaze, "Yes, I'm fine. I-I just wanted to…to ask you something…"

"Oh, well ask away." Naruto gave the bun haired girl a smile, "You know you can always talk to me about stuff. So what did you want to ask me?"

"I wanted to ask…" Tenten sighed as she worked up her courage. She had never done what she was about to do before, so it was rather difficult. It also didn't help that she had first thought she would be asking Neji to do this with her, not someone she had met six months ago. Taking a deep breath she plunged on, "I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out to dinner with me?"

"Dinner? As in a date?" asked Naruto, blinking a few times as he tried to understand what she was saying.

"O-of course not. I-I mean, I-it doesn't have to be." Tenten hurried to say, "I mean it can just be a dinner between two friends! I mean dating is uh…uh…"

"Tenten," Naruto interrupted the girl. _Seriously how did this happen? This is like two dates in one night! Am I really that much more desirable now than I was in the academy? _

He frowned for a moment as he thought about what he should do. It's not that he didn't want to go on a date with her, but there were a few things that prevented him from outright accepting. The first excuse was Haku of course, but he could keep thoughts of her from interfering with his daily life and knew if it was just that he would not have a problem. No the main problem was that he was unsure if any of the restaurants would let him eat at their establishment.

However as he looked at her worried face he knew that he would not be able to turn her down. "I would be more than happy to take you out to dinner," He gave her a soft smile.

"Really?"Tenten's relief became obvious when she suddenly gave him a brilliant smile and all the tension seemed to melt away. "Ok then, does this Friday sound good to you?"

Naruto thought for a moment, it wouldn't really cut into his training since by that point he would really just meditate while his clones dispersed. He gave her a smile, "Friday would work perfectly, what time would you like me to pick you up? And do you have a specific place you would like to go?"

"7:00 is a good time for me, that way I can get washed up after my training. I know this small time restaurant that just opened up a little over a month ago that I wanted to check out."

"Well alright then! It's a date!" Naruto gave her a grin so large his eyes squinted, making him look like a fox.

"Ok…a date," Tenten smiled, before her eyes widened. "Oh No! I left the shop unmanned! Oh! Tou-san's gonna kill me! I'll see you later Naruto-kun!"

Naruto watched as the bunhairedgirl ran off. He shook his head a few times before he smiled, _Things are definitely getting interesting around here. Two dates in one day…what the fuck?_

Entering his house Naruto got ready for bed, brushing his teeth, getting out of the hospital clothes before finally passing out on his bed, knowing he would need all the rest he could get for the coming month.

* * *

**Omake: The Birds and the Bees with Anko**

Anko snickered as she picked the lock for Naruto's apartment, grinning in satisfaction when she heard it click open. Using the stealth skills only a kunoichi at her level had, she snuck into the blonde's bedroom.

Anko made her way over to the bed, where Naruto was sleeping, mumbling about swimming in a pool of ramen. The snake mistress shook her head; this kid had the oddest dreams. She leaned down to pick him up however Naruto must have heard her, because his eyes suddenly opened.

"What the…hel…" He couldn't finish his sentence since Anko hit him in the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious.

Grinning like a mad woman she hefted him over her shoulder and left the apartment.

* * *

Naruto awoke with a slight groan; smacking his lips he lifted his arms over his head to stretch the odd soreness out of his neck.

Or at least he tried to.

When he felt his arms being strained against something he snapped his eyes open, Naruto looked down and saw that he was tied to a chair. "No wonder I've got this friggin creak in my neck!" He looked around and noticed the unfamiliar room. "How the hell did I get here?"

His wonderings were cut off when the door to his left opened. "Good morning gaki!" Anko greeted with a cheerful smile as she walked in, munching on some dango with one hand while holding a small orange book in the other.

"Anko-nee-chan?" Naruto questioned, "What the hell! You're the one who tied me up!"

"Oh don't be like that gaki," Anko pouted a bit. "I'm only doing this to help you."

"How does tying me up help me!" Naruto shouted as he struggled and tried to escape.

Anko grinned as she pulled up a chair and sat next to him, "Well, I figured I would give you a special lesson today, and I don't want you running away from me."

Naruto stopped and looked at her wearily, anything that she called special was usually something to be avoided at all costs; it was simply safer that way…less painful too. "A special lesson?"

"That's right!" The Tokabetsu Jonin chirped, "Today you're going to learn about the Birds and the Bees, Anko-style!"

"Birds? Bees?" Naruto tilted his head to the side with a frown. "Why the hell would I want to learn about a couple of animals?"

Anko groaned, "You really are clueless gaki. I mean sex!"

"S-sex!" Naruto squeaked, his face taking on the hue of a tomato.

"Yup! Sex, I even brought a special book to help me! Well several…but we'll be going through this one first!" Ankoopened the book, which Naruto now recognized as the perverted literature that Kakashi and Sarutobi read. He immediately began to struggled, trying to free himself from his bonds. Anko noticed this and grinned as she stuffed his mouth with a sock so he could not speak, and then turned to her favorite scene.

"'Oh Nimako we can't do this! It's forbidden!' cried Kunisha.

'I know its forbidden Kunisha-chan, but that just makes me want you even more!' Nimako said as he pressed her against the wall. Kunisha tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but stopped when one of her breasts was snuggled firmly between Nimako's hands as he began to kneed her flesh. Soon her restraints crashed down and she began to moan as…'"

For the next ten hours, Naruto was subject to all of Anko's favorite sex scenes in the Icha Icha novels, irrevocably changing and corrupting Naruto's perspective on women.

It would be a month before he could look Anko in the eyes after that.

* * *

**There you go, my chapter is complete, I hope you all enjoyed it. Now before you all go and review... or not review, I have a question. Recently I'm sure some of you have noticed you've been getting random ass messages from me answering questions you asked in your reviews. I want an honest opinion on whether you think this is preferable to having a Review Q&A in the story, cuz I kind of don't want one thousand added words that is not a part of my story but if you all prefere that I will do that... or if you just prefere to read and not have me answer your questions thats cool too. Just be sure to let me know.**

**Next this is a message to Xpatron. First I do appreciate the apology, though since you gave me an honest opinion I'm not one hundred percent sure it is nessecary, escept for the American pig part. While I agree there are many pigs in America, I like to think I'm not one of them. An smart ass... maybe, maybe half an ass. Anyways, my point being thank you for the apology. Also, I don't know if you have a Pen name on this site, but if you do perhaps you could send me a message? You seem like an interesting personto talk to, and I'm always up for listening to people with different opinions and it would be kind of fun talking to someone who obviously does not live in the United States. Anyways, if not that's cool, I just wanted to let you know that we're cool and just like you don't seem to hold me in contempt, I also have no hard feelings towards you.**

**Now... off to bed.**


	21. Chapter 21

**First off a this is a thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, I'm getting a lot of reviews and have to admit its an awesome feeling to know so many people read my work. I have another thank you for those who noted all of the mistakes I made in my redone scenes for the previous chapters, it was the middle of the night and I was half dead but couldn't sleep because the changes I wanted to make were plaguing me and I was hardly even paying attention to how badly I was writing since I just wanted to get them done so I could sleep.**

**Another thank you goes to Senjuto for putting up with my crazy ass Shenanigans and continuing to beta my work.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. However, I do own some Naruto apparel; I think I have one of those headbands they wear…I'm not sure if it means anything but whatever.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 21: Problems in Paradise**

* * *

The next morning found Naruto up bright and early as he decided now was the time to start his training. Rather than going to his usual training ground forty three, he had decided to head into the Forest of Death so that the chances of people actually seeing his jutsu were nil. Using one of the many clearings he knew of that had a low probability of the Forest's creatures trying to kill him, Naruto set up a basic genjutsu/fuuinjutsu around the area, as well as a Security seal to alert him on the off chance that someone did actually enter his sanctuary.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared Naruto found himself with not his standard three hundred clones, but instead five hundred clones. He scratched the back of his head in confusion, _What the hell? I didn't use enough chakra to make five hundred clones. So why…?_

'**Did you forget Naruto?'** Kyuubi spoke up from within the seal.

Naruto scrunched up his face in confusion as the vixen's voice entered his mind, _'What do you mean Kyuubi? Am I forgetting something?'_

Kyuubi resisted the urge to sigh, **'****You're a Hanyou now. That means you are not using chakra but youki, or at least a variant of youki. Due to its potency, you do not need as much to get the same effect from one of your jutsu.'**

'_That's right! You said something about that…hehe, I guess I forgot!'_

Within the seal Kyuubi rolled her eyes, **'Obviously.'**

Naruto frowned as he looked at the extra Kage Bunshin, _'__So what do I do now? I mean, I don't need the extra two hundred clones…'_

'**Didn't Hatake give you a scroll?'** Kyuubi asked,** 'It may have something your clones can do in it.'**

Naruto blinked, _'__Oh right…' _he reached into his pouch where he had put the scroll yesterday. He looked at it for a moment before unrolling it and reading its contents.

_Naruto,_

_I made this for Hokage-sama to give to you when you woke up. First off, I would like to tell you how proud I am of you for beating an opponent as fearsome as Gaara. Though I would recommend you be less reckless next time it would save some of us a heart attack, that being said, good job._

It was here that both Naruto and Kyuubi sweatdropped as they saw a chibi drawing of Kakashi giving them an eye smile and holding up one of his hands in the peace sign. Shaking his head Naruto continued to read.

_Now I have started training Sasuke for this month because in all honesty I feel he needs it more than you do. However, I don't want you to be left out or think that I have forgotten about you. Which I why I have written down several jutsu on this scroll for you to learn, jutsu that you won't be able to get anywhere in Konoha due to the fact that I copied many of them during the war. I know that your elemental affinity is for wind, however that does not mean you can't learn jutsu from other elements, it will just take more chakra. There are four jutsu for each element, as well as a few non-elemental jutsu that I feel will prove useful to you._

_Good luck with your training and I hope to see how you do in the finals._

_Kakashi_

On the bottom of the scroll Naruto found a list of twenty four different jutsu ranging from E-rank to B-rank; four from each element, each giving an E, D, C and B-ranked jutsu, and then four non-elemental jutsu of the same ranking.

'_Well at least he didn't leave me high an' dry eh Kyuubi?' _Naruto chuckled a bit. He knew the real reason Kakashi had to train Sasuke, having finished his reading on shinobi politics several months ago he knew that the council would be on his sensei's back to train the Uchiha heir. And as Konoha's 'demon brat' they would raise hell if Kakashi took time to train him.

'**It's better than nothing,' **Kyuubi replied, she did not much care for jutsu but as they were what humans used they could be useful to Naruto.

_Well at least now I know what to have my extra clones do. _

Naruto looked up at his clones and began to give orders, "Alright guys, I want three hundred of you to separate and do our original routine! The rest of you are going to grab this scroll and work on some jutsu. I want you to choose one, and then work on it with fifteen clones at a time until they dispel. Rotate like that every time a group dispels or learns the jutsu! Start from D-rank and work your way up."

"Ossu!" The clones shouted as they went off to do their thing.

With the clones off to do their training Naruto decided to speak with Kyuubi about his own training, _'__Ok, so what are you going to be teaching me Kyuubi?'_

'**Teach you?' **Kyuubi asked and though Naruto could not see it, he could imagine the sly smirk on her face, **'Who ever said I would teach you?'**

'_Kyuubi…'_Naruto warned as he really did not want to deal with her when she was like this.

'**Alright fine…' **Kyuubi sighed, a part of her was angry that he wasn't letting her play. Before the chain of events that led her to being sealed inside of a human vessel, she had always played with words when using her charms and looks to 'woo' men as it were, though she had figured that Naruto may not appreciate her natural tendencies for the moment, so she decided to let it go.

'**The first thing I am going to teach you is the first technique I ever made. It's called a Youki whip. Essentially it's a whip made of youki that you use to slash or tie up objects. Depending on how good you get the power behind the attack can be low powered enough to leave only light bruises, or be so strong that it can cut through even the toughest metals.'**

'_And this is your first technique?' _Naruto asked incredulously, _'Remind me to never get on your bad side.'_

Kyuubi smirked, **'****I don't think it would work. You seem to get on my bad side no matter what I say.'**

'_Ouch,' _Naruto winced, _'that was harsh, though the same can be said for you.'_

'**Touch**___**é**_**.'**

'_Alright so this technique, how does it work?' _asked Naruto wanting to get started.

**'Right well the key to using this technique is rather simple. All you need to do is channel youki to one of your fingers and then will your energy to 'extend' outward. The length of the whip can vary depending on how long you want it and how much youki you put in it. The only difficulty that you may have is maintaining the shape. The shape of the whip needs to be perfectly smooth and of the same thickness everywhere, which will also be the same radius as your finger, yet it must also be completely flexible so that it's pliant enough to use like one would a normal whip. Now I want you to begin, use the trees to practice on.'**

'_Got it Kyuubi,' _Naruto channeled some of his youki into his left pointer finger, watching in fascination as the energy surrounded his finger. He had not noticed it before but it due to his energy now being a perfect blend of chakra and youki, the color of it had gone from a deep blue to a royal purple. He shook his head and refocused his thoughts on the forming a whip.

Several tendrils appeared and coalesced together around his finger before extending out to form a whip, which began to pool at Naruto's feet. The spiky haired blond lashed out at one of the trees, but was disappointed when it fizzled out before it hit.

Frowning he tried again, several tries later and he was no closer to getting the technique to work, _'What the hell? Why didn't it work?'_

Within the seal Kyuubi gave a thoughtful frown as she resisted the urge to laugh at Naruto and instead watched him work on the technique, **'It seems you don't have enough control over your youki to form the whip like this. Try using your index and pointer finger.'**

Naruto nodded and followed Kyuubi's advice, the purple energy formed again and the tendrils reformed before taking the shape of a whip. It was noticeably thicker this time, and when Naruto lashed out at the tree it left a small gash across the surface.

'**Hmmm, not bad for a first timer, especially since you've only just recently switched from using chakra to youki,' **Kyuubi complimented as she observed the damage done through Naruto's eyes. She paused for a moment as she thought of what to say next. Should she tell him what he did wrong? Or should she maybe she should just have him move on to another exercise since he could at least form the whip?

_**Damn it! This is harder than I thought, **_Kyuubi complained as she tried to think of how she should talk to the blond. Truth was she was still weary of his power; it was not as strong as hers of course. But it had still been very strong, and with this new mutation on the seal that held her she was limited in what she could actually do; were it to come down to a fight now Kyuubi was not sure if she would win.

'_Kyuubi?' _Naruto called as he waited for the red-head to elaborate.

'**Huh?' **Kyuubi snapped out of her thoughts before realizing that Naruto was calling her. **'Oh, erm… sorry, I was distracted by something.'**

Naruto frowned but decided not to question Kyuubi for the moment, _'It's alright, so do you have any advice for me?'_

'**Not at the moment no, it will just take practice to master,' **Kyuubi paused as she attempted to gather her thoughts, **'I think that's fine for the moment Naruto, I just wanted you to get an idea of the technique for now. I want you to continue your physical training instead, and come back to this later.'**

Naruto nodded and looked down at his weights. Since he no longer had to constantly have them on to keep in shape he had turned them off. Deciding on a weight Naruto began channeling youki through them.

He gave a surprised yelp as his entire body crashed into the ground, creating a crater where he impacted. _What the hell!_

For several seconds he tried to get back up only to find it impossible. _Fuck! I forgot I don't need as much youki as I do chakra!_

He heard a giggle in his mind and growled a bit while blushing from embarrassment. He looked at his left arm and groaned.

Six hundred pounds.

_Damn it! No wonder these are so heavy! _Naruto struggled to move one of his hands so he could drop the weights and restart. It took several minutes but he was eventually able to get the weights to a good setting of 180 lbs. for his arms, 200 lbs. for his legs.

Nodding his satisfaction he looked at his resistance training seals. Those had not been removed since he wanted to keep his true speed hidden unless needed. Right now they were still at level four. Since his body had already adapted thanks to his transformation he decided to change the seal to level five. When he was less experienced he probably would have changed it several settings higher so that he could faster, well, faster.

But having learned that everything was like a stepping stone when training Naruto made sure to master each level with and without the seal on, that way he could function without tunnel vision when he was no longer using it.

Satisfied with the amount of difficulty he had, Naruto began his workout.

For the rest of the week this was how Naruto's routine went. Having his clone work on their usual routines of chakra control, wind manipulation, which had become more of keeping himself in form since he had no more exercises he could do right now. Taijutsu and fuuinjutsu, which had now become his clones' brainstorming and attempting to make their own seals to use; he had several projects which were starting to bear fruit, and it was his hope he would be able to put them to use in combat.

His other two hundred clones continued working on the jutsu list he had, it was his hope that he would be able to get down at least a fourth of the jutsu in it before the month ended. Of course it was much harder to learn most of them because he did not have an affinity for some of them, but with the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu he was able to make steady progress.

Other than that he continued his physical exercises and worked on the chakra whip himself. He could have made clones of course, but for some reason he felt that Kyuubi's techniques should be learned by him and not a clone. Maybe it was something to do with his pride? He still managed to make good progress and had begun working on changing the density and power behind the whip.

He continued doing all of this until Friday, when he had his date with Tenten.

* * *

Naruto entered the Higarashi weapons store to pick up Tenten for their date. He had decided to wear civilian clothes for the occasion, which consisted of khaki colored pants, a white button up shirt with the Konoha insignia on the back, and a pair of black shoes. Even is head band was at home, letting his spiky hair hang freely to fall into his eyes.

"Naruto-san," Kaito said as he spotted the blond shinobi. "I assume you're here to pick up Tenten for her _date_?"

Naruto gulped when he sensed the warning tone in Kaito's voice, "Yes sir."

Kaito nodded, "Tenten! Get down, your date's here!"

"DAD!" The embarrassed shout came from upstairs.

Chuckling a bit Kaito looked back at Naruto before his expression turned serious, "Before you go on this date with my daughter I have a word of advice for you…treat her right, or I'll give a first-hand personal demonstration on how well my weapons work."

Naruto paled a bit at the implied threat, he had of course been threatened before, but something about the tone in Kaito's voice said he would really go through with it, and probably enjoy it too.

"You don't need to worry Kaito-san, I would never do anything bad to Ten-chan, or let anything bad happen to her." Naruto replied, mustering up his courage, which seemed to have fled during Kaito's threat.

"That's good to hear." Kaito laughed, causing Naruto to blink as the tension disappeared, "I rather like you, much more than that Neji boy she seemed so obsessed with before. So it would have been a shame to kill you."

Not sure whether Kaito was being honest with that last comment or not, Naruto decided it would be best to just nod and put it in the 'scares the shit out of me' category of his brain.

A few minutes later Tenten came down the stairs, "Sorry for taking so long Naruto-kun." She said as she came the rest of the way down the stairs and looked at Naruto. She blushed a bit, "You look really nice, I feel kind of underdressed with what you're wearing."

"Thanks," Naruto grinned as he looked down at his clothes, then back up at Tenten's. She wasn't wearing much different, the only difference being her shirt, which was still a Chinese-style shirt, but green with a gold dragon coiled around the left side and a little longer, going down to her mid-thigh. "Doesn't matter, you look beautiful the way you are."

Tenten's blush deepened a bit but a smile came onto her face as she looked away bashfully, not used to someone actually complimenting her on her looks.

Naruto chuckled, this was one of the few times he was somewhat grateful for the Icha Icha books and Anko's continuous teasing and her reading of said books to him. He held out his arm and smiled, "Shall we go?"

Tenten smiled as she encircled his arm with both of her own, "I'll see you later dad!"" Tenten called as she and Naruto left.

"Make sure you're back by 10:00!" Kaito yelled after them. He watched the door closed before sighing in worry. "Great, first she wants to be a ninja and now she wants to date…at this rate I'll probably die of a heart attack sometime in the next few years."

As the pair walked down the village Naruto made sure to engage Tenten in as much conversation as possible. Reason being? He did not want the bun haired girl to notice all of the hostile looks he was currently getting. When he had first gotten back from the preliminaries he had gotten looks of curiosity and even a few that reminded him of the kinds he got from the girls back in Nami No Kuni. However that had only lasted for a few days until people realized who he was, then it was right back to glaring.

And because he did not want to ruin Tenten's date with any negative connotations, and that she had not been with him in public, he made sure to keep her attention away from the civilian populace.

They entered the small restaurant and Tenten led Naruto over to one of the booths that lined the walls. Picking up a menu Naruto waited nervously for someone to take their order. Not because this could technically be considered a first date, no he had been pretty much desensitized to that thanks to a mixture of Anko and his time spent with Haku in Nami. He was sure that if it were just that, he would not be nervous at all.

What made him worry was the fact that he was not entirely sure the people here would sell him anything. He had only ever been able to eat at Ichiraku's, hence the reason it and by proxy, ramen, had become his all-time favorite food, aside from the fact that he loved the delectable noodles.

Naruto turned his head when he noticed a waitress come over to their table. He also noticed when she stiffened and turned a glare upon seeing him.

"Can I take you order miss?" the waitress asked in a stiff voice.

Tenten frowned as she heard the odd inflection in the woman's tone, but could not ascertain as to what it could be for, "Yes I would like Udon with chicken and a side of vegetables please."

The woman nodded, "Your order will be right up." She very swiftly turned around and began to walk away.

However Tenten immediately noticed a problem, "Excuse me, but you didn't get my friend's order."

The woman stopped for all but a moment before continuing on.

"Hey!" Tenten shouted as she stood up, and Naruto noticed she was quickly gathering attention to them. "Are you listening to me!"

"No I heard you." The woman said, turning around, "However, we don't serve…_his _kind here!" She hissed as she pointed at Naruto, spitting out the word _his_ like it was some kind of vile toxin.

Naruto winced as he noticed the attention that had now been turned onto him, which all became glares as soon as they realized who he was. Tenten had not yet noticed this however as she glared at the woman, "What do you mean his kind! Do you have some kind of problem with him!"

"Tenten," Naruto said in a low voice, hoping to get her to stop drawing attention to them.

However Tenten was not listening at the moment, being far too incensed that some bitch was being an ass to her friend, "Because if you do have a problem then I'll-"

"Tenten!" Naruto said a little firmer as he grabbed her hand. Said girl looked down at him to see him shake his head, "There's no need to cause a scene. Just let them give you your food and we can go somewhere else."

Tenten frowned as she looked at him, "But Naruto-ku-"

"Tenten please," Naruto said, his eyes no longer showing the confident borderline cocky person he had become. Right now they were pleading, "Please don't get worked up about this over me… I'm used to this."

That last statement, said in such desperation made Tenten grit her teeth, "No, if they're not going to treat you, then I don't want to waste my money with this establishment." She reversed their grip so she was no grabbing his hand and pulled the blond up, "C'mon we're leaving."

She did not leave any room for argument as she handily dragged Naruto away, slamming the door open on her way out.

"The nerve of those people!" Tenten huffed as she pulled the blond along, "I can't believe they would so blatantly refuse a customer! What kind of idiots are they!"

Naruto did not speak up until Tenten had finished her rant, "I'm sorry Ten-chan…"

Tenten looked at him with an odd expression in her eyes, "Why would you be sorry? None of this is your fault."

_Oh it is, you just don't know it. _Naruto did not voice this out lout and instead asked, "Maybe we should just head home."

"You want to cancel our date?" Tenten asked in surprise, "Nothing's been ruined, we just have to go to another establishment."

Naruto winced, "No…it wouldn't matter if we went to another establishment. They would do the same thing, some might not even let me in…"

"What do you mean?" asked Tenten, confused.

"I mean it's like this everywhere I go," Naruto spoke, keeping his head down so that his hair covered his eyes. "Haven't you ever wondered why the only place I ever took you was Ichiraku's? Or why I always meet you there instead of pick you up? Or why whenever we hung out after our spars I would just find a spot in the training field to sit at?"

Tenten frowned. Truthfully she had never thought of that, in fact, she had not even noticed. But now that he had brought it up it was easy to see he did do all those things. As she began to replay all the times she had spent together with the blond, she began to notice another thing.

The people around Naruto were giving them a wide berth. She cast a discreet glance towards one of the people who were passing and frowned at seeing them glaring at Naruto. Because her dad had never hated the blond, she had never been subject to the prejudice that had been raised against him. Oh she had noticed that he was not well liked in the academy, no matter what grade you were in everyone had heard of the prankster king from hell, Uzumaki Naruto. But she had always thought that the whispered mutterings when academy instructors would talk about him or when the civilians would occasionally talk about him were for a prank he would pull.

Naruto had not done any pranks since he graduated. And yet the people here were glaring at him, not just glaring at him, but glaring at him with enough hate that it made her shiver and it wasn't even being directed at her.

She looked over at Naruto who had not moved since he had spoken. He looked extremely vulnerable right now. She wanted to ask him why he was hated but decided a more private place would be better suited for a talk like this.

Grabbing his hand again she pulled him along until they were well enough from the more crowded streets. Sighing she stopped and turned around to face Naruto again.

"Naruto…what was all that about?" she asked, trying to get a look at his eyes. "Those people, why were they so…?" she wasn't even sure what to call it. Hateful? Vengeful? The emotion was too intense to really come up with an appropriate word.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered, "I can't tell you…"

"Why not?" Tenten asked with a frown, "I'm your friend aren't I? Don't I deserve to know these things about you?"

Naruto could not hold in the wince, "I…please don't make me tell you…"

"So you're not going to tell me? Do you not trust me?"

"No!" Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at her, "Of course I trust you!"

"Then why won't you tell me!" Tenten shouted, frustrated with how the blond was acting.

"Because I…" Naruto shook his head and began again, "There are things about me that you simply don't know… things that will change your opinion about me if you do know."

He saw her open her mouth but forestalled her with a hand, "Even if you accept what I say, it would still change your opinion. It may be a positive influence, but it may also be a negative influence. But no matter what happens it will change what you think and feel about me. I haven't told you this, but you were the very first friend my age that I made and I don't want to lose that friendship."

Tenten's eyes widened at the new knowledge. She had not realized that. Naruto seemed like such a likable person, sure he was kind of loud and tended to say more then he should, but he had toned it down since she had first met him when he wore that hideous orange jumpsuit into the store. To hear that he had no friends until her was both surprising and sad.

"I still think you should let me know," She said at last.

Naruto sighed, "I can't… not yet." She was about to protest but stilled her mouth when he said yet. "I promise I'll... I'll tell you after the Chunin Exams…I know it won't make that much difference but, but this isn't something I can just come out and tell someone."

"Why?"

"Because it's something I only just found out about six months ago," Naruto replied. "I'm still kind of trying to deal with this knowledge myself. It also happens to be an S-class village secret that will get anyone but me executed if they even talk about it."

Tenten had not thought she could be any more surprised than she had been before, but this new one threw her for a loop.

"So before I tell you, I want you to think about whether you feel it's really worth knowing. This will also give me the chance to…gather up my courage, so to speak." Naruto looked down at his feet, "I know it might not seem like it makes a difference, but I..."

"I doubt a month will change my desire to know, " Tenten said, interupting the blond with a shake of her head. When Naruto looked back up at her she smiled, "But if it will make you feel better, I'll wait,"

Naruto smiled, "Thank you, and… I'm sorry for ruining our date."

"Who said our date is ruined?" Tenten asked with a grin, grabbing his arm again and walking towards a specific part of town. "We may not be able to go to some restaurant, but I know this great ramen stand we can go to."

Naruto chuckled a bit as he felt relief that Tenten was willing to wait for him, and still wanted to go on this date despite the terrible start they had with it.

That decided they had gone out to Ichiraku's before Naruto had escorted Tenten back home. He was supremely grateful that Tenten's dad was somewhere in the back of the store when he and Tenten arrived, because he was sure the man would castrate him if he saw Tenten giving him a kiss, even if it was on the cheek.

If for no other reason than that, Naruto had decided that the date was a success. And so many people got to watch in shock and a small amount of fear as Naruto danced back to his house, laughing like a madman.

* * *

For the Saturday Naruto had continued his training until Sunday, the day he normally let his body rest and the day he had a date with Yugito. Learning what he could and working on his physical fitness and jutsu. There was only one issue that had come up and that was when the blond had noticed Kyuubi acting distant, well more distant than usual.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_(Saturday)_

_Naruto grinned in satisfaction as he watched the tree fall to the forest floor as it was sliced all the way through. It was one of the small trees that seemed to line the bottom of the forest, but it was still a decent size. _'Yes! I think I got this technique down Kyuubi. It's too bad I can't test it on steel, but I really don't know where I would get some for such a random purpose. So what's next?'

_He waited a few seconds but frowned when Kyuubi didn't answer him. _'Kyuubi?' _Naruto called her name several more times and when none of it got her to answer decided to travel into the seal._

_Naruto found himself standing outside of Kyuubi's small hut when he entered his mind. He walked up to the door and knocked on it a few times. When he still got know answer he knocked again, and frowned when he still got no answer._

_Despite his slight fear of getting on the red-head's bad side he opened the door and walked in. he spotted Kyuubi as soon as he entered. She was lying on her large velvety bed, facing away from him. He knew she already knew he was here and so didn't bother masking his presence as he walked up to the bed. He crawled onto the bed and sat next to the vixen's slowly breathing form._

"_Kyuubi, I know you're awake." Naruto said, watching her for any movement, "What's eating you? Normally you would have at the very least insulted me by now…"_

"_**Nothing," **__Kyuubi said, however Naruto noted that her voice was distant._

"_You can't lie to me. In fact you're the worst liar I've ever had the pleasure of meeting." Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and noticed it stiffen, "now why don't you tell me what's wrong."_

_However Kyuubi was unable to answer as her mind was focused on the hand Naruto had placed on her shoulder. There was an unusual warmth radiating from the hand that had spread from her shoulder and through the rest of Kyuubi's body. That, combined with her shock at someone actually touching her, having the gull to touch her, left her speechless._

"_Kyuubi?" Naruto continued to shake her, wondering what the hell was up with the woman, she had never acted like this before. "C'mon…tell me what's wrong; you know I can't really work on the stuff you want me to if you're not even around to critique me."_

_It took a few seconds, but after a moment Kyuubi seemed to relax and turned around to look at the blond, __**"Look, nothing's wrong I'm just… not feeling up to doing anything today."**_

"_Are you upset because of what happened yesterday?" asked Naruto, taking a shot in the dark. However when he saw Kyuubi look away he knew he had hit the nail on the head, "That's it isn't it? The way that waitress treated me bothers you doesn't it?"_

_Kyuubi scowled, __**"Of course not! Why would I care about how some foolish humans treat you? The only thing that I care about is that you allowed such trash to treat you like that!"**_

_Rather than get angry Naruto just smirked, "If that was what you were concerned about you wouldn't act so distant." His smirk widened as Kyuubi looked away, "I'm right aren't I? It bothered you to see how she treated me." The blond shook his head, "you know I'm surprised, you never seemed to care about me being hated before."_

_Kyuubi frowned for a moment and for an instant her eyes showed a small flash of emotion that was too quick for Naruto to catch. A second later she scowled at the blond and sat on the bed facing away from the blond, __**"I don't care about you, or how you're treated beyond how it reflects on me… now leave."**_

"_Fine," Naruto stood up and was about to leave before deciding to pass a parting comment. "You know, I don't blame you for what happened anymore. Sure I may still hold some resentment towards you, but you seem to be just as much a victim as me... and I guess everyone, even you deserve a second chance. Consider this yours."_

_Kyuubi's eyes widened and she turned around only to see Naruto had already left._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

After that little incident Naruto had left Kyuubi alone, and eventually she came back as if nothing had happened. Though even though they had tried to get back on track, both had noticed a small shift in their relationship, though neither could tell what it meant.

After that Sunday had rolled around, which was the date Naruto had a date with Yugito.

* * *

"This is really nice," Yugito commented as she and Naruto sat by one of the lakes that could be found in Konoha's many parks. "There's almost no vegetation in Kumo, so I don't often get to enjoy nature like this. It's really beautiful here."

Naruto smiled, "I suppose it is. I've lived here my whole life so I guess I've taken it for granted." The blond slurped up some of the noodle goodness that Yugito had brought for him, "Mmmmm. Ramen…"

Wanting to do something she had never gotten to do in Kumo, Yugito had decided that she wanted to go on a picnic. When Naruto had met up with her she had already gotten all of the food prepared, some of which included Naruto's favorite noodle dish.

"I don't know how you managed to guess my favorite food and I don't care," Naruto moaned in appreciation. "If you're trying to get on my good side, I'd say you succeeded the moment I smelled this delectable dish."

Yugito choked on her food a bit as she began laughing, "Actually it was no guess. It was rather easy to find out what you liked and buy it. After all, 'gathering accurate information is necessary for a shinobi' right?" she said in her best Naruto voice.

"Hardy har har," Naruto grunted in sarcasm, before slurping up more ramen. "You're just lucky I have this ramen so I can't stay mad at you."

"Aww. Are you saying you would be mad at me?" Yugito gave him the puppy dog eyes…kitten eyes, which on her exotic feline eyes looked incredible sexy, "I was only teasing."

Naruto blushed a bit but still favored her with a grin, "Well…I guess I wouldn't be too mad if I didn't have ramen."

Yugito matched his grin with her own before taking a bite out of her tekkadon, "We both know that you wouldn't be able to stay mad at all. I've only known for a little while but I know you're too sweet to stay mad at me."

"Don't look too into it. I just can't stand the thought of making such a pretty girl cry," Naruto huffed as he looked away, grinning when Yugito began to giggle "Hey Yugi-chan, I was wondering something?"

"Hmmm?" Yugito hummed around a mouthful of food.

"While I only saw a little bit of your ability, you strike me as someone who is way too skilled to be just a Genin."

Yugito smirked, "What makes you say that?"

"Well for one, your walk. It's the same kind of walk I've seen in many of the Jonin-senseis and a few other veteran ninja I know. You act more confident than the average Genin as well, and unlike the average Genin you don't hold any of their arrogance. There was also the speed you used in that battle with Kiba, the only person I know who is that fast besides myself is Lee, and I get the feeling you were holding back. That technique you used as well also looked like a very high level jutsu and complicated." Naruto listed off, "So I was just wondering, how are you still a Genin?"

Yugito debated on not telling him before shrugging, it didn't really matter in the end whether he knew or not, and the Raikage had not specifically told her not to tell anyone, "Truthfully I'm not. I was just never technically given Jonin status, or even Chunin status. Most of my younger life was spent training, and after that the Sandaime Raikage wanted me to gain more experience and had sent me out on solo missions…" There was a small pause and Naruto frowned as he saw a fleeting moment where pain had been evident in her eyes.

_I guess she wasn't always respected in Kumo, _Naruto thought to himself.

Not sure what to do he gave Yugito's hand a small squeeze, causing her to smile before turning back to what they were talking about, "I'm sure you know how important these exams are, and not just for the genin but for their village."

Naruto nodded, "I understand a bit of the politics and economics involved." He looked at her as he thought about what she was saying, "So you're here to basically showcase Kumo's power, and in turn, get more jobs for your village. Being held in Konoha is just a bonus since we were once enemies, this shows that your village's ninja can survive even under hostile conditions."

"Something like that." Yugito smiled, "You know, you don't like to act it often, but you're pretty smart."

"Meh, I studied hard. I actually don't pick this stuff up easily; I had to really work my ass off to learn anything, especially this kind of political crap." Naruto grimaced as he remembered all of the studying he had to do, "It took a while, but I'm pleased to say that for the dead last of his graduating class, I've done pretty damn well."

"You were a dead last?" Yugito asked, not believing it.

Naruto nodded, "Unlike in Kumo where you actually received ninja training, my training was stunted by bigots who didn't want the demon to become too powerful." He shrugged, "That was another part of the reason I did so many pranks you know? I figured if I'm not gonna get the chance to learn anything in class because of the teachers constantly sending me out on trumped up charges, I might as well do something that would actually get me in trouble to make it worth my while."

Yugito shook her head, sometimes human stupidity tended to amaze her, "Then that just shows how strong you really are, as well as how much potential you have. How long have you been a Genin?"

"Six months," Naruto answered.

"Six months…" Yugito whispered. Now that was shocking to her. She had him pegged at maybe a little under her in strength without her using the Nibi, and she was pretty damn good, on par with ninja of the level around Hatake Kakashi if not better. For him to grow this strong in six months was unbelievable. She smiled at him, "I guess you really do have potential."

Naruto beamed in pride, feeling pleased that someone else acknowledged him. Even if she was from another village, "Of course! After all, I am going to be Hokage one day."

For the next hour or so of their time at the lake the two blonds talked about anything and everything they could think of. Yugito even surprised Naruto by unsealing a shamisen and playing for him, he had to admit she was very good. After her performance he had asked her if she would be willing to teach him, after all he figured it would be nice to have a hobby. When she agreed Naruto had once again been surprised, shocked and embarrassed when she had decided to teach him with a more hands on approach.

Yugito had made him sit with his back against her chest while she used his hands to show him the keys. Of course he could not even think about what keys were what or what notes they made. The only thing that had been on his mind were the feel of her amazingly firm and rather sizable bust pressing into his back, and the feel of her deceptively soft hands over his. By the end of their picnic Naruto knew nothing about playing a shamisen. However he did know that it would be next to impossible for him to deny that he was not a pervert, or at least very close to one.

After their picnic Naruto had offered to walk his fellow blond to her apartment, which she accepted with a grateful smile.

"I had a lot of fun today Naruto-kun," Yugito said as she turned around to face him. "Perhaps if we have some more free time before the finals we can do this again?"

"Y-yeah," Naruto replied, the blush that had been on his face since his 'music lessons' had still not faded. "I would love to spend some more time with you."

Yugito smiled as she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, right on top of his whisker marks, making it feel like he was on fire. When Yugito moved away Naruto saw the smirk on her face and knew she was aware of what that did to him. How she knew that particular bit of information he did not know, but he secretly vowed to get her back somehow on their next date.

As he left the apartment he was unaware of Kyuubi watching what his date like a movie. _**'Some of those moves she put over him were pretty good.' **_

She did not want to admit it but that cat woman was pretty decent at seduction techniques, even if she was being… gentler with Naruto so as not to push him away.

'_**Maybe I could do something like that to get him to listen to me more,' **_she thought about that for a second before deciding it wouldn't work. _**'If I did that he would realize what I was doing, and I still don't know how this seal works so I have no clue if he can restrict my powers or not. Best not risk it…'**_

What she did not admit, even to herself, was that the thought of doing something that may make Naruto lose what little trust he had in her left her feeling sick to her stomach.

* * *

(The Next Day)

"299… 300 *Pant*… *Pant*." Naruto dropped onto the ground as he finished his physical training. With his demonic ability to regenerate any damage done he had taken to increasing his weights every time he trained, pushing his body far harder than he had before. Naruto grunted as he lifted himself into a sitting position and dropped the weight. He leaned back on his hands as he took a quick breather.

'**Time to get back to work Naruto,' **Kyuubi commented, smirking as she watched the blond work up a sweat.

Naruto grunted in acknowledgement as he stood up on somewhat wobbly legs, _'Am I going to be working on the youki whip?'_

'**No, you've actually got a fairly good grasp on it. It's not perfect, but you can continue working on it later. It's time to work on the next technique I want you to have. It's called ****Kitsune-bi (Fox Fire)****, it's a powerful flame I created that, at its strongest it can match those of ****Amaterasu****. And before you ask, yes, it is the one I made around your hands when you fought Gaara. To start, I want you to build a fire since it's easier manipulate then it is to create.'**

Naruto did as asked, making a small fire pit and creating a fire with a basic Katon jutsu. _'Ok, so what now?'_

'**Now I want you to send youki to your chest and mouth as you inhale. And then when you exhale, send all of your youki towards your mouth and into the flame.'**

Naruto did as instructed, channeling his youki into his chest and mouth. When he felt he had a decent amount he exhaled, sending the youki into the flame. Naruto watched with an odd fascination as the flames went from red and orange, to ghostly blue and dark blue.

"YATTA!" Naruto shouted as he jumped into the air, "I got it!"

'**No you didn't,' **Kyuubi decided to burst his bubble. **'You managed to increase the flames strength however that's all you did. First you need to maintain the flame, and then you need to increase its power. Remember I said at its hottest my flames could compete with the black flames of ****Amaterasu****, when you manage to master the ****Kitsune-bi**** the color of your flames will be white, the anti-thesis of the black flames. Now, try again and this time, maintain the fire.'**

Naruto blinked before his shoulders slumped, _'Fine…'_

'**You don't sound very enthusiastic Naruto. Should I take that as a sign you don't want to learn?'**

Naruto's eyes widened, _'N-no! I do!'_ The techniques he was learning were far too good for him to pass up, no matter who he learned them from.

Kyuubi snickered a bit, kami it was so fun to rile the blond up sometimes, **'Alright then, get to work.'**

For the next week this was his focus. He would do his morning workout, then he would work on the Kitsune-bi, afterwards he would work on the Youki whip some more, then cool down with his afternoon workout. His training had eventually started to become so intense that Naruto was forced to keep a Kage Bunshin on hand so it could drag him back to the apartment, since on most cases, Naruto was simply too tired to move, or had already lost consciousness.

* * *

(Six Days Later… Sunday)

It had been a full two weeks since the one month training period had started and Naruto had finally decided to follow Sarutobi's advice and head over to the hot springs. He was thankful when the person working the front desk was a female who looked to be around his age, meaning she did not know about his tenant and would not refuse him entrance.

He entered the hot spring area clad only in a towel. He gave a loud sigh of relief as he entered the hot water and leaned against a rock; having never been to a hot spring before it was definitely a novel experience.

_I'm soo going to have to come here again,_ He thought as he stretched himself out, feeling his muscles loosen under the hot waters.

Closing his eyes Naruto drifted off for a bit, letting the soothing warmth send him to sleep.

Only to be awakened several minutes later by the sound of giggling.

He opened his eyes and glanced in the direction the sound was coming from, where he saw a white haired man dressed in kabuki clothing with a large scroll strapped to his lower back, hiding in a small bush as he peeked through a crack into the women's side of the hot springs and scribbled furiously into a notepad.

Now having spent as much time as he had with Anko, Naruto did not particularly care about perverts. His belief was that if a female can be as perverted as Anko was, then it was perfectly acceptable for a male, after all, fair is fair. However because of his hyperactive senses, the blond shinobi found that all he could hear was that blasted perverted giggle and the man's pen furiously scribbling on his note pad. And it was beginning to fray on the last of Naruto's nerves.

'_Hey Kyuubi, wanna see a prank?'_ asked Naruto as an idea to deal with the pervert popped into his head.

'**A prank?' **Kyuubi perked up, while she was not really much of a prankster herself, a part of her had enjoyed watching Naruto do them; it had been one of the few things she had found amusing when the blond was younger, **'Sure…what do you have in mind?'**

Naruto snickered, _'You'll see.'_

Naruto went through a few hand signs before disappearing in a puff of smoke, before turning into Naruko. Standing up Naruko walked over to where the old white haired man was scribbling away, using all the stealth skills she had picked up from out running the ANBU in her youth.

She grinned as she felt Jiraiya stiffen in surprise when she slid her arms around his neck, and then shock when he felt the feminine assets smash up against his back.

"How would you like to see a woman up close, instead of peeking from a distance," Naruko said in a seductive voice.

"Hehehehe." The white haired man grinned, blood dribbling down his nose, "Oh yeah! Come to pappa! I knew one of you ladies would be unable to keep your hands off me!"

The old white haired man spun around, however as soon as the man was facing her, Naruko smashed a fist under his chin. The old pervert let out a yell as he was launched into the air and fell back down, on the other side of the hot springs.

"EEK! PERVERT!"

**SMASH!**

"TAKE THAT YOU PERVERT!"

**CRACK! BASH!**

"HOW DARE YOU!"

**BAM! POW! WAM!**

"LADIES! PLEASE! I'M SORRY! AAAIYYEEEE!"

Returning to his original form Naruto sat back down in the hot springs and smiled as the kabuki man flew back over the fence, hitting the ground hard where he began to occasionally twitch.

'**Not bad Naruto,'** Kyuubi said as she assessed the tactic,**'I think it was overall good, but you could have done the whole Kitsune seductress act better, maybe have made him fly into the females side through a nosebleed. I give it an 8/10.'**

'WHAT!_C'mon Kyuubi,'_ Naruto whined. _'I've only done this a few times. Besides you saw what he was doing. I doubt seeing a naked chick would faze him, even one as hot as me.'_

'**Then that just means it needs more work,' **Kyuubi said with some finality.

Naruto sighed; _I just can't get a break…_

'**What was that Naruto?'**

'_N-nothing.'_

"Ugh…" Naruto looked over to see the white haired man groaning as he sat up. "What hit me?"

"I believe it's called righteous female fists of fury," Naruto commented with a snicker. "Though from the looks of your wounds and that you're still conscious, it looks like you're used to getting this sort of punishment. And since it seems you're so used to this, I'd have to assume that your some kind of masochist and this is how you get your jollies."

The white haired man glared at Naruto, "Hey show some respect gaki! Do you know who I am?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Do I care?"

The man huffed however he quickly grinned. "Get ready gaki! From the east to the west…"

Naruto watched the man start hopping from foot to foot in a weird dance while he made some weird introduction. Sighing the whiskered blond did what he felt was the best thing to do at the time. He ignored him.

When the man was finished Naruto looked back at him with a bored expression, "I'm sorry did you say something?"

* * *

Kakashi suddenly looked away from Sasuke's training and pumped his fist into the air, "I knew I would get one of them one day!"

Sasuke just looked at his sensei like he was a complete idiot.

* * *

The white haired man immediately face faulted, "Were you even listening to me!"

Naruto picked at his ear, "Not really, no."

"You damn gaki! You need to learn to respect your elders! Especially one as great as me!" The man puffed up his chest.

"Respect is earned, not given," Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Besides, you don't seem to be much more than a pervert."

The man seemed to gain new life as he grinned at Naruto, "Ah! That's where you're wrong! I am not just a pervert! I am a SUPER PERVERT!"

"Did you girls hear that!"

"It's that pervert again! Let's get him!"

"Yeah!"

"Uh oh…" The man paled as he realized shouting that out in the hot springs may not have been the best. He looked back towards the blond, only to find him gone.

That was when he heard the fence to the other side of the hot springs get smashed open, and he turned to see the women, fully dressed in their clothes and holding bats.

And they were all wearing ANBU clothing.

The white haired man whimpered, "Mercy?"

* * *

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, making his way towards Ichiraku's after his trip to the hot springs was ruined by the arrival of the annoying white haired pervert. As he made his way to his favorite ramen stand he was stopped when a voice yelled out to him.

"Oi! Gaki!"

Naruto turned around to see the white haired man coming up to him, "What do you want?"

"You ruined my peeki- I mean research!" The man scowled at him.

"You mean peeking?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, "What's your point?"

"I expect you to apologize!"

Naruto blinked owlishly at the man before he started laughing, "Hahahah you can't…haha…you can't be serious! You expect _me_ to apologize to _you_!"

The man's right eye twitched, "That's exactly what I expect you damn gaki! It's the least you could do for ruining my research!"

Laughing some more the blond shook his head, "There is no way I'll be doing that anytime soon. It's your fault for peeking into the women's side of the hot springs. I didn't tell you to do that. The only way I would even consider apologizing was if you made me."

The white haired man smirked, "Well that's fine gaki, we can do it this way if you want."

Naruto shook his head, "You think you can beat me? I'd like to see you try you- WHAT THE HELL!" He shouted as he felt something latch around his waist. Naruto only had time to see something pink before he was being hauled into the air with the white haired man jumping after him.

It was some time later that whatever had grabbed Naruto deposited him in the middle of the Forest, with the white haired man.

Naruto stood up and growled at the man, "You stupid pervert! What the hell do you…?" He stopped and blinked when he noticed the large toad standing right next to him. He looked over at the man before turning his attention back to the toad, and then to the man again. Finally, it clicked.

"You're Jiraiya of the Sannin aren't you?" Naruto shouted in surprise.

"Ho ho, so you have heard of me eh gaki?" Jiraiya smirked, "Yes it is I, the great, the gallant Gama Sannin of Mount Myobokuzan! Jiraiya-Sama!"

Naruto sweat dropped, "I swear to Kami you Sannin are a bunch of freaks. First I run into that stupid pedophile Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, and now I find out that you're a 'super pervert'. What's next, the last Sannin is chronic gambler with an alcohol problem!"

Somewhere in Hi No Kuni a blond woman sneezed while playing a game of cards, and losing badly.

"So you ran into my old teammate eh?" Jiraiya knew this already of course, but appearance had to be kept. "That's pretty impressive that you survived."

"I guess." Naruto frowned, "Not like he couldn't have killed me at any time. He wanted our team to survive so he could give Sasuke and I some kind of gross hickey. Stupid pedo bit me!"

He brought a hand up to where his cursed seal had been. "I got lucky, since I h- am special, the cursed seal didn't get a chance to take effect."

"Kid I already know about the Kyuubi," Jiraiya stated, thinking that was why the cursed seal had not taken affect. "But that's not important, what is important is that you now know who I am, and so realizing and basking in the might of my greatness you must apologize for your atrocities against me and acknowledge me as Jiraiya-sama."

"Right," Naruto sweatdropped before an idea came to him. "How about you help train me, so that I can kick ass during the finals and maybe I'll acknowledge you, how's that sound Ero-sennin?"

"What did you just call me!" Jiraiya yelled out. "I am a Sannin and demand respect! I won't train some gaki who doesn't understand that," The Gamma Sannin smirked. "Besides what makes you think I'd want to train a little pre-pubescent brat like you?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man before a grin etched on his face, "Well, I just thought you would like to be able to say you trained a Hokage."

Jiraiya crossed his arms, "Been there, done that."

"What do you…oh yeah, I forgot you trained the Yondaime," Naruto mumbled. "Well wouldn't you want to be able to brag that you trained two Hokages?"

He noticed Jiraiya still didn't look convinced and sighed, "Well if that won't convince you, how about this? Oiroke No Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared it revealed Naruko, completely naked except the wisps of smoke covering her unmentionables.

She wink at the now nose bleeding Jiraiya, "Will you train me now Jiraiya-_sama?"_

Jiraiya nodded as he began to drool, "Yeah, I'll train you in anything you like, you pretty little thing…"

Naruko gave him a pout as she stuck a finger slightly in her mouth, "You promise?"

Jiraiya nodded dumbly as he grinned, "Of course! And you know that the great Jiraiya-sama's promise is worth its weight in gold!"

There was a puff of smoke and Naruto was back to normal, grinning like a loon. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow Ero-sennin!"

Naruto disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving Jiraiya to blink for a few minutes before smirking, "Kid's definitely interesting at least."

* * *

**There we are, the next chapter... ****god I'm so tired...**

**I feel like my brains been turned to mush.**


	22. Chapter 22

**This is a thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my story, I appreciate the support and critiques all of you have given me and will continue to do my best to ensure that you are entertained.**

**This thank you goes to Senjuto who continues to help me by betaing my stories.**

**Also, I apologize for the chapter being a bit late, my school is closed for the day so I had to find another means of getting online since my cheap ass ain't paying for internet.**

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**Disclaimer: Fishcake, I do own fishcake, you know, the stuff that goes on ramen. However I don't own Naruto, unless you're talking about fishcake.**

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**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 22: Perverts and Training**

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Naruto grinned as he stood in front of a disgruntled Jiraiya, who was looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. They were a little ways away from the hot springs the two had met at yesterday and it was obvious that the man would rather be peeking then helping him.

"So what am I gonna learn today Ero-sennin?" asked Naruto

"Damn it brat! What did I say about respect?" Jiraiya shouted. What was it with the youth of today being and being disrespectful to their elders?

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Fine oh great Ero-_sama_. Now what are you going to teach me?"

Jiraiya's eyes twitched a bit before he sighed, _I swear if he wasn't Minato's kid._ Biting his thumbs he went through a few hand seals and slammed it into the ground, "What I'm going to teach you is this! Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!"

There was a puff of smoked and when it cleared a large toad about three sizes larger than Naruto appeared. It opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue, setting the scroll it held on the ground.

"You're going to let me sign the toad contract?" asked Naruto, blinking in surprise.

He had not actually thought the perverted old man was going to teach him something like summoning. Not only was it considered a Jonin-level technique due to the chakra requirements, but summoning contracts were considered sacred by many ninja. Most summons were held within a specific family or clan, such as the Saru (Monkey) Summoning contract that was held by the Sarutobi clan and the blond knew for a fact that Kakashi's dog summons was a Hatake contract that the man's father had used before him. And while the Toad contract was not a clan-owned contract, it was easily one of the most prized. Along with the Slug contract, which was held by Senju Tsunade, one of Jiraiya's old teammates. It was this contract along with that one and the snake contract that had helped Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru earn their title of Sannin during the Second Great Shinobi War.

Needless to say, Naruto knew of the honor he was being presented with.

Jiraiya nodded, "Of course, I accepted you as my apprentice didn't I? That means you get the special privilege of being one of the few summoners for the Toad contract. Now just sign your name in blood and give your fingerprints."

Naruto grinned as he looked opened up the contract, he bit his thumb and signed the scroll. As he did he looked at the scroll and saw the name that was next to his, "Namikaze… Minato?"

Jiraiya looked over at the blond when he said that, "Yep, that's the Yondaime Hokage's signature. That just goes to show you how awesome this contract is, and how privileged a snot nosed brat like you are to sign it."

"Psht. Whatever, the only privilege I see is that it's signed by the Yondaime. However if an old lecher like you is its holder perhaps I would be better off finding another contract."

Naruto grinned when Jiraiya's eye twitched, "So what do I do now?"

"Now you have to sacrifice some blood each time you use this jutsu and then make these hand seals." Jiraiya showed Naruto a set of hand seals, "To summon. Now let's see what you can do."

Naruto nodded as he bit his thumb and went through several hand seals, "Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke as the spiky haired blond slammed his hands on the ground and a small summoning seal array appeared under it. When it cleared there was a small orange toad with black spots wearing a blue vest.

Said toad lifted up a webbed hand in a wave, "Yo! I'm Gamakichi, who are you?"

Naruto looked at the toad for a moment before he grinned, "Yo! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Nice to meet you!"

Gamakichi grinned, "Nice to meet you too. You got any candy?"

"Uh… sure. Hold on a moment," Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out a box of pocky. Hey he may be a ninja, but he was still a teenage kid. "Here you go, it's not quite candy but it's pretty damn good."

* * *

Somewhere within Hi No Kuni Uchiha Itachi stopped walking as he felt a strong urge to pump his fist in the air.

"Hey Itachi, is something wrong?" asked his Akatsuki partner.

Itachi looked over at his large counterpart for collecting the Bijuu, "No… let us continue moving, I want to be at the next village before nightfall."

* * *

"Hey cool!" Gamakichi took the box and grabbed one of the chocolate covered bread sticks.

"Mmm," He munched on them as he jumped on top of Naruto's head, "These are pretty good. You know something, you're alright. Mind if I stick around?"

"Sure." Naruto shrugged, before looking over at Jiraiya, "How was that Ero-sennin?"

"Not bad," Jiraiya said, not letting that he was impressed. He had only been able to summon tadpoles his first time, "How much chakra did you use?"

Naruto blinked as he looked up, "About as much as I would for eight Kage Bunshins."

Jiraiya nodded, "That's not bad, that means your control must be pretty decent. Normally summoning a toad of Gamakichi's size and status would be about four Kage Bunshin worth if you had perfect chakra control."

The large white haired man eyed Naruto speculatively, "Alright, why don't you use more chakra this time."

Going through the hand seals again Naruto summoned more chakra for the jutsu… a lot more chakra. So much in fact that Jiraiya actually began to sweat when he felt the amount being used.

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!" This time there was an enormous puff of smoke that covered nearly the whole clearing.

"**Jiraiya! Jiraiya you lousy perverted Lecher! Why did you summon me?"**

Jiraiya paled, "Out of all the toads he could summon, why did he have to summon him!"

The white haired Sannin immediately went to hide somewhere, no doubt the toad Naruto just summoned was still upset about his last escapade where he had used 'him' as a means to get away from a horde of angry women. _Still for Naruto to summon 'him' of all toads. That kid really is going to be something when he grows older._

The smoke had finally cleared and when it did it revealed a huge toad about the size of the Hokage Tower. In his mouth was a large pipe, he was wearing a blue coat and had a large blade strapped to his waist. Naruto easily recognized the Boss Toad Gamabunta from all the depictions of him from the books he had on the Yondaime.

"**Jiraiya! Where the hell are you! Answer me!"**

Naruto hopped down from the large toad's head, making the creature's eyes immediately focus on him, **"Who the hell are you gaki?"**

Normally Naruto would have scowled at being called that, but the fact that he just summoned the boss for a summoning contract made him feel he could withstand any insult. And so instead he gave Gamabunta a cheeky grin, "I'm the one who summoned you of course!"

Gamabunta's large eyes blinked for a moment, right before the large toad started laughing, **"BWAHAHAHA! You expect me to believe some snot nosed little gaki like you summoned me! Get real! Now where's that pervert Jiraiya!"**

This time Naruto did scowl, this toad was getting on his nerves, "Ero-sennin didn't summon you! I did!"

The large Toad Boss was about to send a retort when Gamakichi made himself known, "It's true pops, I watched this kid summon you."

"**Gamakichi?"**Gamabunta asked in surprise, **"What are you doing here?"**

"The kid summoned me, I thought he was cool so I decided to stick around," Gamikichi put another stick of pocky in his mouth. "Anyway this kid did summon you. I was right here watching him."

"**I see…"**Gamabunta looked at the blond, who stared back defiantly much like another spiky-golden haired blond gaki had a dozen years before, **"Well I know my son's not a liar so I'll believe you. However, don't think that just because you summoned me means you get to be one of my underlings. We still have to drink together to commemorate you becoming my summoner."**

"Well, that might take a while. I don't have any alcohol on me," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Besides, aren't I a little young."

"**You're a ninja aren't you? Old enough to kill, old enough to drink wasn't it?" **Gamabunta paused, **"Hmmm, tell you what, we'll hold off on the drink for later. Tell that perverted lecher I approve."**

"Got it!" Naruto shouted as Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke. The blond flipped over and landed on his feet.

"Nice job gaki!" Jiraiya said as he came over to Naruto, "I really didn't expect you to be able to summon Gamabunta out of all of the summons available."

Naruto smirked, "Still think teaching me will be a waste of your time?"

Jiraiya shook his head as he plastered a smirk on his face, "Don't get cocky gaki. You're still no one near strong enough to even lay a finger on me even when I have one arm tied behind my back."

"You wanna bet?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes at the man. He had come a long way since the academy, and was infinitely more patient and calm than he used to be… well calm so long as he was in battle situations and moments that may actually require him to use his brain. But if there was one way to anger Naruto, it was to underestimate him.

Jiraiya smirked as he looked at the blond, "If you think you can take me on then come and try gaki."

* * *

Like Naruto many of the other Genin who had made it to the finals were busy training themselves.

"489, 490, 491, 492..." Lee grunted as he continued doing hand stand push-ups… on his thumbs. Standing next to him was Maito Gai who was shouting out… youthful encouragement.

"That's it Lee! Sweat! Sweat and let your flames of youth explode!"

Rather than work on anything new, the pair had decided to simply up Lee's training regime, increasing his weights near daily; making him run around Konoha with boulders on his back; making him destroy said boulders with his fists and feet afterwards. Essentially trying to increase his strength and speed to epic proportions with an insane training method that only they could come up with.

"499, 500!" Lee pushed himself into a flip and landed on his feet, "Yosh! I finished!"

"Attay boy Lee!" Gai gave his student the nice guy pose, "Now that you have finished your youthful warm up. It is time to engage in a spar to fan your flames of youth! C'mon Lee!"

"YOSH!" Lee shouted as he charged at his sensei, disappearing in a burst of speed.

Gai grinned as he too disappeared. A few seconds later the sounds of fist hitting fist echoed throughout the training field as many trees were destroyed and the landscape became more crater and hill like then before.

* * *

Neji was sweating as he looked at the training dummy he was practicing on. Getting the technique he wanted to master was turning out to be quite difficult, more difficult than he had initially thought it would. The Jyuuken relied on being able to see a person's tenketsu points in order to close or destroy a person's chakra system.

By using a dummy he had to make an estimation on where the chakra system would be on a person, and go from there. That meant that in this case at least, the Byakugan was useless since he the dummy did not have any chakra coils. It was even more difficult because no two people had there tenketsu in the exact same spot, while all chakra systems were very similar to each other, the minute differences in where the tenketsu points were located meant all the world when dealing damage to them. If the hit was not one hundred percent accurate than the attack, while painful, would be useless in closing a person's chakra coils.

Still, he was determined to get this technique down. He knew that he was going to need a trump card in the finals. That Uzumaki boy had proven to be stronger than he had anticipated when the blond beat Gaara. Though he doubted he would need this for him, the blond was still the dead last of his class. But even so it was still wise to have just in case.

Besides that there was also the Uchiha to content with, another genius from a powerful clan, and the last of his clan to. He had not gone into town much, but many people were riding on the Uchiha to win it all.

Neji scoffed at the thought. The boy was good, no doubts there. But Neji was still certain he would win. After all, it was his fate to win.

* * *

**Woosh-Woosh-Woosh-Woosh-Woosh-Woosh!**

**Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk!**

Tenten brought her arm back in after throwing the kunai, like always she hit all of her intended targets. Her aim was perfect.

However even as she looked at her kunai the bun haired weapon user frowned as she thought of her opponent. She was up against that Suna kunoichi, Temari in the first round. From what she had seen of the girl in the final, she was a wind user. For a weapons user like her, that meant nothing but trouble. Any weapon she threw, Temari would just be able to blow away with that fan of hers.

That meant she would have to get in close. However there was still a problem with that course of action. Tenten would have to find some way to close the distance between them in order to use close range weapons. And while Tenten trained with weights, as well as with the speed demon that was known as Lee, she was not anywhere near as fast as him.

However that in no way implied that she was going to give up, not without least giving it her all in the fight. She would just have to train hard and do her best.

Looking at the training dummy she took aim, this time with shuriken.

* * *

At an unknown location far from Konoha Sasuke panted heavily. His entire body was laden with sweat and he felt as if someone had put him through a meat grinder. He was feeling pain in places he didn't even know existed.

Sasuke had always prided himself on being a good shinobi. In the academy he trained well above and beyond what was required, spending most of his nights training to the point of exhaustion. He would push himself till his muscles burned and his body ached, going far beyond his body's physical limitations.

Apparently he had not even begun to scratch the surface of understanding what hard training really felt like. Almost as soon as Kakashi had finished paying a visit to a still unconscious Naruto, he had taken Sasuke and left the village. It was here that he began to pick apart Sasuke's abilities and skills piece by piece. And he had started with the Sharingan.

"Activate your Sharingan," Kakashi demanded. Sasuke obeyed immediately and his eyes transformed to the familiar red with single tomoe in one eye and two in the other. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you, but for the sake of review I will anyways. These eyes will allow you to track and memorize any movement, not only slowing down the perception of time but allowing you to copy your opponent's movement. With a lot of training and practice you will eventually get to the point where you will actually be able to mimic your opponents so quickly, it will look like your moving before your opponent does."

Sasuke nodded, he already knew all of this.

"Now I'm going to punch several centimeters below your solar plexus. I want you to stop me."

It was here that things had become hard for the Uchiha. He had thought he had been prepared, he had his Sharingan, he could track Kakashi's movement and so stopping them should be easy. At least that was what he had thought.

It turned out the Sharingan had a large weakness. It did not matter how well he could track an opponent's moves, if said opponent was far faster than him. Kakashi had hit him, hard. Despite the fact that he had seen it coming, Sasuke had not been able to react in time. While his eyes may be able to keep up with Kakashi, his body had simply not been up to the task.

And so it was with that, that Kakashi had forced Sasuke to work on his speed. To do that Kakashi had Sasuke copy Lee's movements and then push his physical body to mimic those movements… while in combat with Kakashi.

Needless to say Sasuke felt like he was one large bruise at the end of each day.

"Alright Sasuke, break's over. Time to get back to work," Kakashi ordered, making Sasuke, who was lying on the ground panting groan.

* * *

Naruto was left panting on the ground as Jiraiya stood over him. It had been a week since they had met, and since Naruto had shown he was more than capable of summoning, the Sannin had decided to help him with his taijutsu...

... Which basically consisted of him beating the living shit out of Naruto every time they sparred.

When the man had said he would beat Naruto one handed he had not been kidding. The half-demon shinobi had known that the difference between himself and a Sannin was large, his defeat at the hands of Orochimaru in the Forest of death had proven that. However his spars with Jiraiya had really shown just how large the gap between their abilities truly were.

The difference between a Genin, even one as skilled as him, and a Kage-level shinobi was like the difference between a human fighting a Bijuu, it was less of a fight and more of a wholesale slaughter as the Toad Sennin continued to shove his foot off Naruto's ass. The only difference the blond had been able to discern between fighting one of the legendary Sannin and a Bijuu was that he could not seal Jiraiya into another person or object in order to win. It was a frustrating turn of events for the blond who was not really used to getting beaten so handily.

Every day after Naruto had made his clones to work on whatever he had set them to do, he would meet Jiraiya in that clearing and they would spar. And Naruto would lose…

…badly.

The worst part for Naruto was that Jiraiya still had yet to use more than one hand to defeat him.

"Not bad gaki, you managed to make me move from this circle," Jiraiya smirked as he indicated that he was out of the circle he had set up and stayed in while he pounded the crap out of his apprentice. "However, it looks like you're still a hundred years too soon to beat me."

Said blond tried to glare at the man as he lay on the ground, but considering how exhausted he truly was it was completely ineffective, "Shut up… Ero-sennin… just you wait… I'm gonna… kick your ass… eventually…"

"If some snot nosed little brat like you actually manages to beat me then that just means I've lost my game and deserve to get my ass kicked," Jiraiya replied as glibly as possible.

He would not admit it, for fear of Naruto's head getting too large, but he had been impressed with the blond. He had heard of his fight with Gaara, who if Jiraiya's reports were to be believed was an unstable Jinchuuriki, but hearing reports on how strong the boy was and actually seeing it were too different things.

Naruto's speed was easily Jonin-level, or what could be considered the standard for a lower level Jonin. Most if not all Chunin would have trouble just seeing Naruto at his full speed, though even a rookie Jonin like Kurenai would be able to keep pace with the blond. His strength was likewise impressive. Whenever Naruto had unleashed a full powered punch he could easily leave decent sized craters, about two times the size of the blonde's fist. What's more impressive was that it was not chakra enhanced like his teammate's punches, it was all muscle power. The kid also had a very powerful, though admittedly unusual fighting style, which seemed to be a mix of styles that he would just switch on the fly to suit the needs of combat at any given time.

He still had a ways to go before he could take on someone of Kakashi's level, and even longer before standing toe to toe with Jiraiya, but the boy was easily making leaps and bounds each time they sparred.

Naruto really had no come back for that, since it was essentially true anyways, "Shut up."

Jiraiya chuckled, "Alright, break times over; get up so I can kick your ass again."

Naruto muttered about 'abusing perverted senseis' as he got back up on wobbly legs and took his ass kicking like a man.

* * *

_Stupid Ero-sennin! Kami, it feels like someone chewed up, spat me out, stepped on me and then let their dog do it!_ Naruto winced as he moved his arm in a circular motion; just that base function seemed to hurt.

'**You know, you've been moaning and bitching after every spar you have with him,' **Kyuubi commented as she decided to tease her container, **'you're starting to sound like a that Hyuga boy. Maybe you should start talking about how its your fate to get your ass kicked'**

'_That's because I always end up as a giant bruise every time I fight him!' _Naruto scowled as he thought of the many ass kickings he had received at the hands of the perverted ninja, _'and I do not sound anything like that ass hole! Don't compare me to him!'_

Kyuubi smirked as she took secret enjoyment out of the blonde's suffering, **'Stop complaining, you'll be as good as new tomorrow. You know you're really lucky, anyone else would have felt even worse tomorrow, but you'll be right as rain.'**

Naruto sighed, _'I guess your right…'_

'**Of course I am Naruto-**_**kun**_**.'**

Naruto rolled his eyes as he heard Kyuubi add the new affectionate suffix to his name. After their little moment when the vixen had been… down in the dumps? Depressed? He was not quite sure what to call it and she vehemently denied having any feelings of sorrow for him beyond what it meant to her reputation. Really all Kyuubi was known for was nearly destroying Konoha so he did not know how the villagers hatred of him reflected on her, though he had long since realized that arguing with the vixen only made things worse. Whatever the case, after their talk Kyuubi had taken to adding the '-kun' suffix to his name when they spoke. He knew that she was teasing him and trying to goad him into saying something stupid she could capitulate on and tease him mercilessly. it was something he had found out during this month, Kyuubi had an instinctual urge to tease, mock and otherwise goad others, either to annoy them or to somehow further her own goals. It was so insitnctual that Naruto was sure Kyuubi did not even know she was doing it.

Thankfully Naruto was beginning to learn how to not let her get to him, mainly by responding to her words in kind if for no other reason then to not let her win. That was exactly was he was about to do now, however he was distracted when he heard a very loud and very familiar voice echoed from one of the stalls.

"And then…that…bas…tard…he said…NO!"

Naruto turned around to see himself staring at a familiar dango stand, and the only other place besides Ichiraku's he could eat, since Anko had threatened the shop owner with castration when the man refused to let him eat there. Sitting at the bar was Mitarashi Anko, currently drinking a bottle of sake, straight from the bottle. Next to her Naruto recognized the Jonin sensei for Team Eight, Yuhi Kurenai.

"Can you…believe that…that bastard!" Anko was saying to Kurenai, her voice slurring from all the alcohol she had drank, "I try…and practically throw myself on him! And he…he…"

Kurenai sighed as she patted her friends shoulder, "It's alright Anko-chan. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, besides; he really doesn't deserve you…"

"Anko-chan. Kurenai-sensei." Naruto greeted as he walked up to the pair.

The two turned their attention towards him, Anko's face literally lit up like a Christmas tree, "Gaki!" She greeted, trying to hug him, not realizing that the distance between them was too far, and almost falling on her face were it not for Kurenai catching her, "Just the…person I…I wanted to…see…"

Naruto looked at Anko for a moment before turning his attention to Kurenai with an expression that told the raven haired beauty that he had seen the currently wasted woman in this state often enough not to be bothered by it, "How much has she drank?"

Kurenai looked at the boy curiously for a moment before she sighed and pointed a trash can, one which Naruto was noticed was literally filled to overflowing with empty Sake bottles.

"I see…" Was all Naruto said; he had seen Anko drink plenty of times, in fact, whenever they went to get dango she always got at least slightly buzzed. However he had never seen her so drunk she could not even sit in a chair without swaying. "What exactly happened to her? I've never seen her this drunk before."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at the boy. She knew that he had been spending a lot of time with Anko, her purple-haired friend would talk about the boy every chance she got, telling her how fast he was learning and how fun he was to mess with. She was actually pleased to know that there was someone out there who genuinely seemed to care for Anko.

"It seems she had another run in with Kakashi," Kurenai said.

Beside her Anko mumbled as she lay her head on the table, "The bastard…"

"Apparently, Anko asked him out for a date… again. And got rebuffed… again."

Now that was surprising to Naruto, "I didn't even know she liked Kakashi-sensei."

"From what I know they at least slept together once," Kurenai replied, scowling a bit since she did not feel that Kakashi deserved to sleep with her friend. "I don't think she really likes him, at least I hope she doesn't," the woman scowled at the thought of Anko liking that open, smut reading pervert.

Naruto sighed as he looked at Anko, who was starting to make incoherent mumbling noises. "Well, whatever the case, I think she should probably head home. Last thing we need is her passing out here."

"Good luck with that," Kurenai snorted in a very un-lady like manner. "I've been trying to get her to move for half an hour, nothing seems to work."

"Maybe you're just not using the right motivation," Naruto suggested as he moved over to Anko, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Anko-nee-chan, I think it's about time we get you home."

"Wazzat? Home…" Anko looked at Naruto for a moment with squinted eyes. "Oh… hey gaki… what are you… doing here?"

Naruto sweatdropped, "I've been here for fifteen minutes nee-chan." He grabbed one of her arms and placed it over his shoulder as he lifted her off the stool, "Now c'mon, it's time for you to leave."

"Ugh… don't wanna," Anko protested, though she was so far gone there wasn't much she could actually do.

Naruto did the smart thing and ignored her, "Kurenai-sensei, can you help me get her home? I have no idea where she lives, and she's far too drunk to give me proper directions."

"Sure thing Naruto," Kurenai replied and stood up as well. "Just follow me."

Naruto nodded as he followed Kurenai while practically dragging a wasted Anko. They moved around the village causing many curious stares as they passed. When Kurenai finally got to the apartment she helped Naruto drag Anko up the stairs before getting out a set of spare keys. She opened the door and gestured for Naruto to enter.

"While I would like to stay and help you with her, I really need to be somewhere. I had an important meeting I was on my way to when I ran into Anko, so I'm already running fairly late," Kurenai said.

"Oh? Are you and Asuma-sensei going on a date?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

Almost immediately Kurenai turned bright crimson, causing Naruto to laugh, "W-What makes you say that?" she stuttered a bit, not used to actually being called out on something like that.

Naruto grinned, "I play shogi with Shikamaru and Asuma often, often enough to know that you have Asuma-sensei completely whipped."

Naruto laughed again when he saw Kurenai's shocked and embarrassed expression. Deciding he had done enough teasing, he thanked her for helping him and promised to take care of the rest.

Closing the door Naruto looked at Anko, she was still conscious, but barely and seemed to be mumbling about 'dango, snakes, gakis and perverts'. Sighing he hefted her up in a bridal carry, since it would be too difficult to maneuver around in her messy apartment. He didn't notice Anko snuggling against his chest as he made his way around the various obstacles of her apartment.

When he reached the door to her room Naruto was forced to make a clone to open it for him, as well as to pull the covers down so he could set Anko in the bed. The clone had dispelled himself just as Naruto placed Anko on the bed.

He was about to get back up and leave, when Anko seemed to notice the loss of warmth and immediately snatched onto him. Pulling him down onto her before she cuddled him like an overgrown plushy, smothering his head in between her breasts.

Naruto immediately turned bright red as he felt Anko's barely covered chest pressing against his face. Even if he had been in slightly similar situations before, the fact that he was in a bed with her and she was now rubbing herself against him was more than Naruto could take and despite the fact that he could only ever think of Anko as an older sister figure…

…He was also still a hot blooded male

Thus he ended up passing out from blood loss.

Within the seal Kyuubi saw her container's predicament and shook her head, **"Somehow, I'm really not surprised this has happened." **Even though she was irritated that the snake woman was touching her container she could not hold in a smirk as she thought of what the blonds reaction would be tomorrow, **"I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow when he wakes up."**

**

* * *

**

Waking up the next morning had definitely been one of the most awkward and embarrassing moment of Naruto's life. He had passed out from another nose bleed as soon as he woke up, and it didn't help that Anko began teasing him mercilessly about sleeping with older women. Of course when he had sufficiently recovered from his embarrassment, he had gotten her back by calling her out on her seeming desire to have fun with children, immediately after saying that he had been forced to hightail it out of her apartment when she began launching her snakes and sharp pointy objects at him.

After that most of the last week had been spent with Jiraiya beating the crap out of him. He would wake up in the morning, get ready, make five hundred clones to train in various ninja aspects, then he would go spar with Jiraiya and lose every time. Often times he would be in so much pain and so tired that Jiraiya had to carry him back to his home.

Not that that was the only thing they had done. Jiraiya had taken to helping Naruto with several seals the blond Hanyou had been working on, and had to admit to being impressed by the teens genius when it came to sealing. The white haired Sannin had been particularly impressed byt the Dayuaru Sou Fuja Hoin that he had come up with to try and help get rid of Anko's cursed seal.

They had also taken to studying. Naruto knew that if he wanted to not only win in the final exams, but excel in them he would need to know more about his opponents. That meant he had to study. And so Naruto had picked Jiraiya's brain on what the man knew of the people he would face. Admittedly it was not much, but the man had a lot of general knowledge that would benefit him. Information on the Hyuga clans taijutsu and Byakugan, or Gai's fighting style, the man even had some basic information on Yugito who Naruto had a feeling would be his biggest challenge. They had spent several lunch breaks trying to formulate strategies on the best way for Naruto to defeat these opponents.

That was how it stayed for the last week, and the only other thing he did that was not training was going on that second date with Yugito that he promised. Thankfully she had realized that he was not welcome in any restaurants except one, and so they had gone to Ichiraku's. After that Naruto had escorted her around Konoha, she had been in Konoha for a little over a month but had not really taken the time to see any of its sights. And so Naruto had shown her some of his old stomping grounds, as well as his favorite spot on the Hokage Monument, right on top of the Yondaime's head.

Soon enough the day had finally came for the final stage of the Chunin Exams.

* * *

(Day of the Chunin Exam Finals)

Sarutobi watched with an impassive expression, not letting any hint of his weariness show as the carriage bringing the Raikage of Kumogakure entered the village. While it was perfectly normal for an allied nation to attend the Chunin Exams to watch their shinobi progress, it was a rather rare and unusual event for a non-allied village's leader to do so.

Konohagakure and Kumogakure had not been allies since the First Shinobi War. The Village Hidden in the Clouds had in fact been one of their worst enemies during both the second and third war, second only to Iwa in the Third Great War. It did not help matters that Kumo had attempted to use the peace talks after the Third Shinobi War to make an attempt at stealing the Hyuuga heiress in order to gain the Byakugan. By all rights, Sarutobi should have denied the man a chance at coming to Konoha.

However there were a few reasons he had not. The first was that the Yondaime Raikage was fairly new, having only been in his position for a few years, after his father, the Sandaime Raikage had been ousted for the debacle he had created when attempting to steal the Byakugan. The Yondaime Raikage, who was simply known as A, did not seem to care for the Byakugan and had in fact, sent a formal letter of apology, though due to the body being destroyed when the Sandaime had been ousted, he had not been able to send the remains of Hyuuga Hizashi.

The second reason was Sarutobi's hope that having an extra Kage would serve as a deterrent for Orochimaru's planned invasion. Given the information provided by Jiraiya, Orochimaru's sudden appearance and subsequent marking and attempted marking of Sasuke and Naruto respectfully, as well as his own knowledge on his student, he knew that Orochimaru would not have shown himself unless he was planning to take action against his former home.

A beep on his desk alerted him to a call from a secretary. Pressing a button on the intercom he spoke, "What is it?"

"The Raikage of Kumogakure is here to see you sir."

"Very well, send him in," Sarutobi straightened in his chair and despite his age, presented himself with a strong image.

The door opened and in walked a very tall and muscular dark skinned man wearing the Kage robes and hat of Kumo and no shirt underneath. As the man stepped into the office he closed the door and removed his hat revealing yellowish white hair and eyebrows with a pointed Goatee.

"Hokage-dono," The man greeted in a gruff voice.

"Raikage-dono," Sarutobi greeted, his voice polite and not betraying any emotions. "Would you like to take a seat?"

"I am fine, thank you."

"I understand," Sarutobi looked at the man. "Though you may want to get a little more comfortable. I had not been able to send a message for fear it would be intercepted, however something has come to my attention that I feel you may wish to know before the Chunin Exams begin."

The Raikage raised an eyebrow, interested yet also weary of what the much older and experienced Kage wanted to tell him.

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sun was shining down upon the village; children were playing in the streets as they made their way to their classes, while a gentle breeze ruffled the many trees in the village. Over all of this the sounds of cheering could be heard as people from all over gathered at the Stadium for the Chunin Exams to begin. People from all stations of life, from shinobi, to civilians, nobles and Daimyos all had come to watch the Finals.

From his place in the arena Naruto watched as people cheered, crowed and placed bets on who they thought would win. Many he knew were here to cheer on his teammate to win, something that caused him to scowl a bit. Why people would think that just because Sasuke was the last of his clan made him invincible was incomprehensible to him.

He sighed to himself as he pulled the large straw hat he was wearing down further to hide his face in shadow, _I wonder where the teme is? It's not like him to miss this._

'**Who knows Naruto-kun' **Kyuubi piped up as looked at the crowd through Naruto's eyes. She was thankful that unlike the seals her previous containers had used to hold her in, this one actually let her see what was going on. **'Hatake is likely going to make the prick late. We both know how bad he is about being on time.'**

'_I guess. Still you'd think for something this important he would make sure the teme was on time,' _Naruto looked around at the other participants from under his hat. _'__I guess the teme feels confident that he won't be disqualified because of his heritage.'_

Kyuubi scoffed, **'Just another reason to dislike humans in my book. They always did place too much stock on clans and heritage. It was this way thousands of years ago as well, when the ninja world was just starting out.'**

'_That…actually sounds kind of interesting. Think you could tell me about it after I kick ass here?' _Naruto could almost feel Kyuubi's smirk through the seal.

**If you do well I might.'**

**

* * *

**

Up in the Kage booth Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking down at the contestants, frowning when he noticed that Uchiha Sasuke was missing, _I swear if Kakashi makes Sasuke late for an event such as this…_

"Sir, there is still no sign of Uchiha Sasuke," One of his Jonin bodyguards said. "We have a few squads searching for him, but so far no luck. Sir, do you think it's possible that Orochimaru already got to him?"

The Sandaime scowled at the thought, but before he could comment on it he caught sight of his two guests.

"Ah, Kazekage-dono, Raikage-dono, good to see you both," The elderly Hokage gave them a friendly smile.

"Yo," The Raikage greeted, taking his seat on Sarutobi's left.

"Good to see you Hokage-dono," Replied the Kazekage in a deceptively soft spoken voice as he took the seat on the Hokage's right.

"I hope the long journey wasn't too much trouble for either of you."

"It was a little boring, but there was no trouble," The Raikage replied.

"I had no problems getting here," The Kazekage offered. "Though it is a good thing these exams are being held here this year. You're starting to get up there in your years, Hokage-dono. I fear the trip may have been too much for you. Perhaps it's time for you to decide on who will take your place as Hokage."

The old Hokage let out a low chuckle, "Please, don't treat me like an old man. I still have plenty of years left in me. No, I feel I'll be doing this for some time yet."

Standing up Sarutobi made his towards the railing before giving his announcement, "Thank you for coming! I would like to welcome you all to Konoha's Chunin Selection Exams! We will now begin the main tournament between the ten participants who made it through the preliminaries!"

The crowd began to cheer as the Hokage finished his announcement; however a few people were staring at the arena floor. Two of which were the Raikage and the Kazekage, both whom looked over to Sarutobi.

"Forgive me if I am wrong Hokage-dono, but I only count eight participants," The Kazekage said.

"I think your eyesight might be getting worse in your old age, cuz that's all I can count as well," The Raikage put in.

Sarutobi ignored the two comments as he went back to his seat, waiting for the matches to get started.

* * *

"Alright you guys, take a look. This is the lineup for the main matches," Shiranui Genma held up a sheet of paper with the matches shown on it.

"As you can see there will be five matches in the first round. Now while the arena is different, the same rules from the preliminaries apply here. This basically means there are none. Matches will be fought one on one until someone dies, is knocked unconscious, or admits defeat. However, if at any time I deem that a fight is over I'll step in and end the match, is that understood?"

"Just one question," Naruto spoke up as he kept his face hidden behind his hat, "what happened to the sickly looking guy? I thought he was our proctor."

Out of all of the people there only Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru and Yugito noticed the man wince.

"His illness came at a bad time and I was forced to sub," Genma replied, "anymore questions?"

Every one there shook their heads and Genma decided to get the matches started.

"Will Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji please step forward? All other contestants go to the fighter's booth."

Naruto watched as the other participants left, leaving him with Neji.

* * *

"Man I can't believe Naruto of all people is in the finals," Ino said as she sat next to her pink haired rival for Sasuke's affections. "Especially since he had to go through that Gaara guy; that kid was a monster."

"I know what you mean," Sakura said as she looked at Naruto. "He's changed so much since the time when we were in the academy, sometimes I barely even recognize him anymore."

_He really has changed so much; _Sakura looked around for a moment before frowning and looking around the stadium,

_I wonder where Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun are._

_

* * *

_

"Man I can't believe how stupid these people are to place their bets on that Hyuuga kid," Anko said in her typical loud, uncaring and slightly childish voice.

Kurenai looked at her best friend and smiled, "So sure he's gonna win are you?"

Anko gave the red eyed beauty a grin, "Of course I am! Can you honestly picture the gaki losing?"

"Had you asked me that one month ago I would have said yes," Kurenai looked into the stadium where she saw the two contestants. She could not see Neji's face, but could very well picture the permanent sneer of arrogance the boy always wore.

Naruto on the other hand was in clear view but his face was hidden by his hat, yet she remembered the confident and slightly bloodthirsty smirk he had on his face, one reminiscent of Anko and could imagine him wearing it now. "However after seeing him take on that Gaara kid, well, let's just say I know who to place my bets on."

"Which is why I put all my bets on the kid," Asuma interrupted the conversation as he sat himself down next to Kurenai. "No way is he gonna lose," a smirk came onto the chain smoking Jonin's features, "he's not only strong but he's damn intelligent too, even if he doesn't like to act like it."

"Oh?" Kurenai raised a delicate eyebrow while Anko grinned.

"Yep," Asuma nodded, "that kid down there is the only person I know besides Shikaku who can defeat Shikamaru in shogi."

* * *

"Watch closely Hanabi," The Hyuuga clan head said to his youngest daughter. "Among the Hyuuga, there is no better prodigy than Neji."

"Yes Tou-sama," The little lavender eyed girl replied.

* * *

"It's surprising to see the Uzumaki kid is actually fighting in the finals," Kotetsu, one of the Chunin proctors said. "Who would have thought."

"Yeah it is pretty surprising, especially with all the rumors I've been hearing about the kid," Izumo said. "However, I fear it's all over for him now. He may have done well against other opponents, but that Hyuuga kid is supposed to be in a class all on his own."

* * *

Hinata looked at the blond boy whose face was hidden under his hat, a small look of longing passed by for a second.

"You alright Hinata-chan?" asked Kiba as he looked over at her.

Hinata looked away from Naruto and towards Kiba. She gave him a smile before taking his hand in her own, "I-I'm fine Kiba-kun, thank you."

Kiba gave the Hyuuga heiress a grin, "So who do you think is gonna win?"

"I hope Naruto-kun win..." Hinata said. "I believe he will win."

"From what you told me of his match with Gaara there's no way he could lose," Kiba reassured the girl. "Anyone who can beat that monster isn't someone I want to mess with."

* * *

"Yosh! Show us your flames of youth!" Lee cheered as he looked between his two rivals. Since he was not sure who to cheer for, he decided on both of them.

"Lee, can't you ever just tone it down a bit?" asked Tenten.

"But if I were to do that, my youth would diminish Tenten-san," Lee said. "I cannot allow that to happen. In order to show people how to stoke their flames of youth, I must continue with my youthful encouragement!"

Tenten sighed at her teammate before turning back to the arena floor. She knew who she wanted to cheer for, but because it felt like betraying her teammate she only said it in her mind, _Good luck Naruto-kun._

'**This looks like it's going to be an interesting match eh kitten?'**asked Nibi.

'_It does, though I doubt the so-called Hyuuga prodigy will be able to defeat Naruto-kun,' _Yugito commented as she turned her attention away from the loud shouts of Lee and back to the arena.

'**So sure of your man are you?'**

Yugito smirked, not really denying nor encouraging her tenant's claim, _'Of course he'll win. Naruto-kun is a lot stronger than he lets on.'_

* * *

"The Hyuuga genius versus Uzumaki," The Kazekage said. "This is bound to be an interesting match. Anyone who can take on my son Gaara and win is definitely a strong shinobi."

"That he is," Sarutobi chuckled. "The boy has surprised me time and time again, and I suspect he will surprise me even more before the day is done."

"I had not realized there were any Uzumakis left," The Raikage said, as he gave an intent stare towards the hat wearing Genin. Many had forgotten the famed Uzumaki clan, a clan that had originated from Uzushiogakure No Saito (Village Hidden in the Whirlpool), which was located in the Uzu No Kuni (Land of Whirlpools). However A had remembered from his battles with them in the beginning of the Third Great War, just how fearsome they were with their special chakra and their powerful Fuuinjutsu.

If the young Uzumaki male was anything like his predecessors this would make for an interesting battle.

Sarutobi sighed, "From what I suspect, he is the last of his clan."

The Raikage looked over at Sarutobi before giving a nod and turning his attention back to the arena.

"I get the feeling this will be quite the battle," The Raikage said as he got more comfortable in his chair.

"Indeed," The Kazekage agreed with some amusement.

_Show them what you can do Naruto-kun, _Sarutobi looked at the boy, even though he could not see Naruto's face, he could feel the boy's confidence. _Show the villagers how strong you've become and how wrong they are about you._

* * *

Genma looked up at Sarutobi to see the man nod. Nodding back he got started, "We will now start the first match! Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji… Hajime!"

Once the words were out, Neji activated his Byakugan and slid into the Jyuuken style taijutsu stance. Naruto smirked as he took off his hat and threw it towards the wall where a Kage Bunshin was already there to catch it. He then moved into his own stance. As the two stared each other down, the crowd grew silent and watched with looks of excitement and curiosity. Not many knew about the young Uzumaki, but everyone had heard of the Hyuuga genius and was expecting to see how strong he really was.

Naruto let a grin take over his face as he felt his blood begin pumping; he felt adrenaline racing through his veins at the thought of a fight. _'Looks like this party's about to begin, eh Kyuu-chan?'_

Within the seal Kyuubi smirked, summoning herself a bowl of…popcorn, how she was capable of creating food within the seal was something not even Naruto knew, which she began to munch on. **'So it does. I doubt you need it, but good luck Naruto-kun.'**

'_Thanks,' _Naruto felt his blood begin to boil with excitement due to the coming battle. He was really going to enjoy pounding this prick into the ground. _Time to get this party started..._

* * *

**Here you are, the beginning of the Chunin Exams Final. Hope you all enjoyed the chappy.**


	23. Chapter 23

**This is a thank you to all those who have read and reviewed this story, also I did correct Gamabunta's appearance and gve him a blue coat so for all those who mentioned it, I did fix it.**

**Another thanks goes to Senjuto for continuing to work with me and help me improve my writing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But sometimes I feel like Naruto, or at least the fan fictions of Naruto own me…**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 23: Battle of Fate**

* * *

The entire arena was oddly silent as the two contestants stared each other down, almost as if they could feel the tension that was beginning to rise as the two contestants glared at each other, each waiting to see who would make the first move.

"You should give up," Neji advised as he decided to give the blond a way out and save himself from the disgrace of losing. "You will not win here today; it is your fate to lose here."

Naruto blinked a few times as he tilted his head to the side, looking almost like he did not understand what the white-eyed prodigy was saying, "My fate?"

"Yes, that is right. It was your fate to lose to me, the moment I was made your opponent your fate was set." Neji said, an arrogant smirk on his face, "People are only as talented as fate allows them. A person's abilities are predetermined the moment they are born into this world."

_Kami what is it with this guy? _Asked Naruto who was starting to get sick of hearing Neji's spiel about fate. Shaking his head the whiskered blond gave a derrisive snort, "Wow, listen to you flapping that mouth of yours. You know, with the way you go on about fate, you sound like fate's little whore."

Neji scowled, "Don't mock me dead last!" The Hyuuga prodigy calmed down again and smirked, "It matters not what you say, fate has already made me the winner."

"You know, I think you would be better off as a priest than a shinobi with all this fate bullshit your spewing." Naruto grinned, "Or perhaps I should say priestess. What with that long hair and your kimono, you're really pushing the definition of a gender bender, aren't you?"

Enraged at the insult Neji charged towards Naruto, intent on wiping the smirk off of the blonde's face. However before he could even get there Naruto brought his hands into a ram seal.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Six clones phased next to the blond and charged at Neji, using their teamwork to keep the Hyuuga prodigy from being able to actually dispel one of them.

* * *

"Whoa! Who knew that kid knew a jutsu like the Kage Bunshin?" Kotetsu muttered.

"It is pretty impressive that he actually knows such a powerful Kinjutsu, and a B-ranked one at that." Izumo added, "I know some Jonin who have problems making that many clones."

Kotetsu smirked as he kept his eyes on the battle, "It looks like this battle just got interesting."

* * *

Neji grit his teeth as he blocked one of the clones punches, only to be forced to jump back as another clone came in with a kick on his left. Three of them charged in from the front in an arrow formation, while the other two came in from either side, _Wait there should be at least one more…_

He almost missed the clone that had come in directly behind him, where it managed to hit him in the back of the head and sent him to the ground. At the last second he managed to lash out with a hand and dispel the clone before he landed on the ground with a dull thud.

Neji was forced to his feet as the five others came at him. He blocked the first one coming in, then twisted his body to the right, dodging a kick from the clone on his left. The three clones in front came in one with a high kick, one who swerved to the side and tried to launch an attack into his torso, and the last one who came in hoping to take his legs out with a kick.

The Hyuuga prodigy managed to jump over the low kick, while flipping backwards to avoid the high kick, he then landed on the third Naruto's out stretched hand and managed to strike out with a chakra-enhanced knife edge and hit him in the face. He then leapt back and waited for the rest of the clones to attack.

It was to his surprise that all of the clones suddenly went up in a puff of smoke. Several shuriken came out of the smoke and towards Neji, who scoffed since he had seen them coming with his Byakugan. He blocked a few and dodged the last one that came out at him, letting it hit the ground a few feet away.

It was then that Naruto decided to get into the battle himself. He charged at Neji and came in with right hook. Neji moved in to block it but at the last second Naruto grabbed onto his wrist, the blond yanked on the Hyuuga prodigy and smashed a fist into his face. The crowd gaped as Neji skidded several feet back, holding a hand to his now split lip.

"You may think you've won some kind of victory with this hit, but I assure you it was only luck," Neji wiped the blood from his lip. "Fate has already declared me the winner of this match, and no matter what you do, you cannot hope to defy it."

"So says the gender confused priestess," Naruto shot back with a grin.

Neji sneered as he charged in to assault the blond. Grinning Naruto began to duck, dodge and wave through Neji's attacks, using the un-telegraphed and evasive moves of the Hebi-ken (Snake Fist) that he had picked up from his spars with Anko. Naruto was pleased to see all of the stretching he had done to be capable of the oddly angled and unpredictable movements had paid off, Neji seemed completely incapable of hitting him. The Hyuuga prodigy nearly growled in frustration at not being able to hit the blond, he increased the speed of his strikes, hoping at least one of them would wipe the blonde's smirk off his face.

Naruto noticed that Neji's moves were getting sloppier and he decided to wait until he saw a good opening, one that came several seconds later. When Neji came in with a palm strike aimed at his chest, Naruto bent himself so far back he had to plant his hands on the ground for support. He used a foot to kick Neji in the wrist, knocking his attack off course. Then he came in with his other foot and managed to smash it into the Hyuuga prodigy's chest. Neji let out a gasp of pain as he stumbled back a few steps, rubbing his chest to try and massage the pain out of it.

Naruto came at him again, this time getting in close and attempting to land a devastating number of strikes on the Hyuuga's torso. However Neji had gotten used to fighting Naruto by now, and was able to avoid all of the blows while trying to get in his own. Naruto was able to dodge the attacks, however he was forced to back off when a few of them got a little too close for comfort.

Jumping back Naruto held up the wrist that held his gauntlet and shot out several kunai in rapid succession, while at the same time was going through a set of one-handed seals with his other hand.

"Kunai Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" several kunai soon multiplied into several dozen kunai, all of which were flying towards Neji.

* * *

"What the-! One handed seals! Is he for real!" Yelled a shocked Temari.

"Now that's impressive," Yugito murmured, having never seen anyone use one handed seals before.

'**While it is impressive, I wonder why he hasn't used any other abilities yet?' **Nibi mused. **'Or Kyuubi.'**

'_Maybe he's trying to prove a point?' _Yugito commented as she watched the battle, _'Or maybe he doesn't need to, I doubt this Hyuuga child is much of a threat to Naruto-kun.'_

'**What could he possibly want to prove?'**

'_I don't know, I just saying it may be something like that. After all, Naruto-kundoesn't seem to get along with him.'_

The two of them not getting along was an understatement from what Yugito could tell. Naruto seemed to have an extreme dislike towards the so called Hyuuga prodigy, and from what she had gathered from some of her conversations withher fellow blond, it had started long before Neji's battle with Ayako during the preliminaries.

Of course it could have something to do with the boy's attitude. Neji seemed to have some odd belief that fate controlled everything, and that fate somehow owed him because, at least according to Neji, fate was on his side for just about everything.

At least that was the feeling Yugito got the few times she had listened to the Hyuuga prodigy.

* * *

Realizing there were too many to dodge or block, Neji began to pour chakra through his tenketsu points, forcing more and more chakra out of his body before he began to spin.

"Hakkuesho: Kaiten!" he yelled out as a light blue doe of spinning chakra formed around him, blocking all of the kunai and making them harmlessly bounce off the blue spherical shield.

* * *

Hanabi gasped as she looked up at her father, "Tou-sama that's…"

"Yes," Hiashisaid with a slight nod. "The Kaiten, a technique of the main branch family."

_For Neji to have learned something like this on his own. Such talent is wasted in the branch family._

* * *

Neji stopped spinning as the dome died down around him, he stood back up and smirked, "You should have known such simple tricks wouldn't work on me."

Naruto shrugged, "I merely wanted to force you to use one of your trump cards. And in case you haven't realized yet, you have yet to land a single hit on me, so don't act so superior."

Neji scowled before he charged back in, far faster than Naruto had expected since it was almost, but not quite as fast as Lee... when he had his weights _on_. It was because of this that Neji managed to get in close before Naruto snapped out of his stupor and blocked a strike that came in from the left. The blond winced a bit as he blocked a Jyuukens trike with his left hand, while the youki he was channeling through his body kept his tenketsu point from being closed, it still hurt.

Naruto back-pedaled as he tried to gain some distance, but that plan was put to a stop as Neji charged after him. The blond Hanyou was forced to duck and weave in between strikes that were coming far faster and more fluidly then before, and it was obvious to Naruto that his opponent had been holding back, obviously he had not been expecting Narutoto be such a fierce opponent. Not being able to see an opening this time, Naruto decided he had to take a strike in order to get one.

When Neji came in with an attack towards the blonde's chest, he moved himself ever so slightly so that it hit his shoulder instead. Naruto winced a bit but was able still able to launch a kick which hit Neji in the chest, and sent him flying backwards.

Neji landed on his back and skidded across the ground, grimacing as he held a hand to his chest. The blond kicked hard, maybe even as hard as Lee and that was saying something. He looked up in time to see Naruto coming in again, his fist striking out in a jab towards his face. The Hyuuga waited until the last second, timing an attack of his own while swatting Naruto's attack away with a Jyuuken strike. Naruto hissed a bit as he felt the sting from the attack. Thankfully it did not stop him from dodging the next strike from Neji, before jumping back a bit to gain distance.

He shot several senbon from his gauntlet, forcing Neji to deflect them rather than charge in. Naruto used that time to form a Youki whip, which he instantly used the lash out at Neji with. It was only thanks to the Hyuuga's Byakugan that he had been able to see it coming and dodge appropriately.

Seeing Neji dodge the first strike Naruto formed another whip in his other hand and began attacking the Hyuuga prodigy with both of them. Neji did his best to dodge andwhen he was incapable of that, tried to block. However he soon found a problem when he tried to block the attack. Even after setting a layer of chakra over his hands to protect him from the whip, he would still get injured. Whatever that whip was made out of, it was most certainly not chakra, or it was made out of a very strong chakra that he had yet to encounter. Strong enough that even being protected by his own chakra the Hyuuga branch member still felt the burn marks appearing on his hands as Naruto attacked.

Having had enough of the blonde's constant barrage with that odd purple whip of his, Neji charged in, using his Byakugan to its full advantage to dodge the attacks. When he closed in the Hyuuga launched a Jyuuken strike to Naruto's stomach. However the blond was able to swat the attack away before any damage could be dealt.

He retaliated by lashing out with a kick, but was surprised when Neji caught it . However before the Hyuuga prodigy could make an attempt at closing any of his tenketsu points, Naruto jumped into the air and spun around while launching a heel kick, forcing Neji to let go if his leg and jump back.

The two eyed each other wearily, using the small pause to catch their breath.

* * *

"Yosh! This fight is turning out to be such a youthful battle!" Lee shouted. "Those two are really in the springtime of their youth!"

Tenten's left eyebrow twitched a bit, "Lee, can you please tone it down! I'm trying to watch the battle!"

* * *

"You know, ever since I started training with Ten-chan and Bushy Brows, I've always wondered…" Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Hyuuga. "Why do you always go off on one of those fate rants of yours? You've gone on and on about fate to me ever since we met, but I've never heard you explain why you believe that."

"That is none of your business," Neji grit his teeth, both at the question and his seemingly inability to take the blond down.

"The hell it isn't!" Naruto growled at the Hyuuga prodigy, barring his elongated canines to him. "All I've ever heard from you is fate this and fate that. You keep on bitching like a little pussy from some soap opera! I saw how you reacted during Hinata's fight when she used the Kaiten. I saw how you reacted when I mentioned her when we first met. And I sure as hell saw how you nearly killed that Kumo kunoichi despite the fact that the proctor had called the match. Such unbridled hatred for others, those who have done no wrong to you. And even family! I don't know much about family, seeing as how I've never had one, but I do know that you're not supposed to hate family for no fucking reason!"

"No reason?" Neji narrowed his eyes, the bulging veins around them faded as he turned them off to conserve chakra, he was starting to run low he realized, and this small reprieve may allow him to gain some valuable energy. "You want to know? Very well, I'll tell you why fate is the only thing that exists. Perhaps then you will understand why fighting against fate is pointless."

"Within the Hyuuga's main house, there is a special ninjutsu that has been passed down through the generations. This jutsu is a cursed seal jutsu."

Naruto frowned at the words cursed seal as it sounded like what Orochimaru had attempted to place on him, "Cursed seal? You mean a fuuinjutsu?"

"Yes. This cursed seal represents an inescapable fate, that of a caged bird," Neji said, and though his face was calm Naruto could hear the barely restrained rage in his voice, even though it was covered up in layers of indifference and arrogance. The Hyuuga prodigy reached up and untied his head band, revealing to Naruto a seal located in the center of his forehead.

"On the day when I had turned four years old, I had this seal carved into my forehead using that cursed seal jutsu. That same day, a grand ceremony was taking place. One of the shinobi leaders from Kumo, which had been warring with Konoha for many years, had come to sign an alliance treaty to end the constant warfare. However, at this signing, which everyone from the Hokage down to the lowest Genin had gone to, one clan was missing. That was the Hyuuga clan, you see that day was an important day for us, it was the day the Hyuuga Heiress turned three. Hinata-sama's birthday."

"My father, Hyuuga Hizashi, and Hinata-sama's father, Hyuuga Hiashi-sama were twins. However, because Hiashi-sama was born first, he became a member of the main family, while my father who was born second, became a member of the branch family."

Neji paused as he remembered that day, the look his father had when Hiashi had taken him away to get that cursed seal put on his forehead, the rage on his father's face. With a shake of his head he banished the memories.

"When Hinata-sama turned three, I was turned into a caged bird with this cursed seal, as was my fate as a member of the branch family."

Naruto frowned. Wasn't family supposed to be one of the most important things in this world? He knew the basics of the Hyuga clan from what he had read in the library and what Jiraiya had told him, but this information confused the blond, "I don't understand. Why is something like that necessary? Is it something to distinguish the main house from the branch house?"

Neji gave a derisive snort, "Do not be foolish. This seal on my forehead is not just for decoration, something to tell the world of my lower status. This cursed seal is the absolute fear of death given to us by the members of the main house. With nothing but a simple hand seal a branch member's mind can be destroyed, and death is just as easy for the seal to attain. And this curse willo nly disappear after death, destroying the Byakugan's abilities when it leaves."

"The Hyuuga clan is one of the clans that holds an advanced Kekkei Genkai. There are many people who have gone after it, and so, with this seal the branch members are made to live only to serve and protect the main house. Any disobedience was dealt with harshly. It was a system created to eternally protect the Byakugan of the Hyuuga clan. All branch members are expected to give their lives to this system. And it was because of this that my father was killed."

"It was on the night just after the treaty was signed, Hinata-sama was kidnapped. However, he was discovered by Hiashi-sama before he could escape and was killed. It was dark and he was wearing a mask. Can you guess who it was?"

Naruto frowned for a moment before a look of understanding came to his eyes, "You mean it was…"

"Yes, it was the leader of the Kumo shinobi who had just signed the alliance treaty. It had been clear that he was after the secrets to the Byakugan from the beginning. But with their leader killed in the failed attempt, Kumo made a demand from Konoha for breaking the alliance. Of course Konoha argued with them, and it had almost come to war. However Konoha had made an under-the-radar deal with them in order to avoid that outcome."

Having grown a lot in the past six months, not just in body but in mind as well, Naruto was able to come to the conclusion about where this was going, "They killed your father didn't they?"

Neji set his mouth inthin line, "Yes they did. You see Kumo had always wanted the Byakugan after seeing its strength in the Third Shinobi War. They had demanded the corpse of Hiashi-sama and in order to avoid a war, Konoha agreed and the war had been diverted. But it was not Hiashi-sama that had been given to them that day, no, instead my father was killed to replace Hiashi-sama."

Everyone in the audience had gone silent as they tried to process this information. Hiashi had bowed his head in shame, Neji did not know the true story of what happened but it still brought immense sorrow to the Hyuuga head to see his nephew's suffering. The Raikage too looked rather ashamed. He had not agreed with the plan, and had in fact voiced his dissension over it, claiming they did not need the Byakugan and that to try and retrieve it was an act in pointlessness since Konoha would never willingly give up its secrets and had they gone to war it would have been more costly for them then for Konoha. However he had been the only one who had disagreed, at least, until the plan had failed and they lost both one of their shinobi and a chance at the Byakugan. He was glad that the Sandaime Raikage had been executed because of the debacle. While the man may have been his father, A had always been more loyal to his village then his old man. After all, it was his father who had ordered the Hachibi to be sealed into his brother and in a sense it was his fathers fault that his brother suffered as he had due to that desicion. More then that the man had become so obsessed with getting the Byakugan that he had willingly risked war with another village when neither of them could have survived a war.

Neither Neji nor Naruto noticed the varying reactions of the crowd as they stared at each other.

"They were twins, their strength was virtually the same, however their fate was decided the moment of their birth. Born first, born second, just by that, their fate had been sealed." Neji retied his head band as he looked at Naruto, "Now do you see? Because of this seal I will never be free. You have no idea what it's like to have a curse like this, a burden you can never get rid of."

Naruto closed his eyes as his hand went to his stomach, an act which caught the attention of many of the shinobi old enough to know what he held. Then the blonde's shoulders began to shake as a small chuckle came out, the chuckle soon turned into a laugh which then turned into full-blown raucous laughter.

"What's so funny!" Neji scowled, enraged that this boy was making light of his curse.

"You! You think I don't understand where your coming from," Naruto's laughter subsided as he shook his head, "I do know what that's like. To have a terrible burden placed on you from day one. To have the odds stacked against you simply because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

A bitter smile made its way onto Naruto's face, "So what? Who cares?"

"What?" Neji gasped, too shocked by the callous way Naruto dismissed his burden to even be angry.

"You stand here bitching and moaning about your fate, saying it's inescapable. That nothing you do and nothing you say will ever allow you to defy your fate."

"That's because nothing we do can change fate!"

Naruto shook his head and smiled, "That's where you're wrong Neji. And today, I will prove it to you by beating you into the ground."

"You can't prove anything," Neji turned his Byakugan back on and got in a stance. "Because you are within my field of divination. Hakke: Rokujuuyonsho (Eight Triagrams: Sixty Four Palms)!" the Hyuuga shouted before he rushed forward at speeds far higher than before.

"Hakke: two palms!"

Neji struck out at Naruto with two palms, his hands a blur. Naruto dodged them with relative ease.

"Four Palms!"

Neji launched out with four attacks, yet none of them hit as Naruto continued weaving around the attacks.

"Eight Palms!"

Getting frustrated Neji increased the speed of his attacks. Naruto still dodged them though he was forced to put in a little more effort.

"Sixteen Palms!"

Hands becoming nothing more than a blur, the Hyuga prodigy lashed out. Yet not a single one got Naruto.

"Thirty-Two Palms!"

Again Neji tried to strike Naruto, moving quicker than many of the Chunin and none of the Genin could see. Naruto was forced to increase his speed in order to dodge the attacks.

"Hakke: Sixty-Four Palms!"

Neji sent out his last attacks, increasing his speed to the point that only a few in the crowd could ever hope to follow. Naruto tried his best to dodge them; however one of the strikes had finally managed to get through and hit him…

**BOOM!**

However all that did was make Naruto explode in a shower of electricity.

The entire crowd became absolutely shocked at the turn of events as Neji flew backwards and landed on the ground with a thud several feet away, his body twitching as the lightning chakra disabled his nervous system and motor functions. He couldn't even feel anymore, much less move.

* * *

"Rai Bunshin (Lightning Clone)!" The Raikage shouted as he stood up, "How the hell could he possibly know the Rai Bunshin! That's a technique of Kumo!"

Sarutobi frowned, "I do not believe that was a Rai Bunshin Raikage-dono, let us watch and see what happens next."

The Raikage looked over at the old Hokage before nodding and sitting back down.

* * *

"What the hell just happened!" asked Tenten as she looked at the burnt and twitching Neji, "What kind of jutsu did Naruto-kun just use!"

_Naruto-kun? Does she know him as well? _Yugito asked herself. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised, Naruto had said none of the younger generation knew of his burden so it would stand to reason some of them may not hate him.

'**Kitten are you going to let that girl take your man?'**

Yugito sighed, _'First off he's not 'my man', I'll admit I like him, he's fun, nice, strong and sweet, not to mention cute. But we come from different villages; we both know a real relationship would be impossible between us.'_

'**Then what about all this time you spent with him kitten? I thought you were staking your claim.'**

Yugito frowned as she looked at Naruto while giving her explanation to her tenant, '_I never said I wasn't. I don't particularly care if a real relationship is possible or not. So long as when we do see each other, I can be with him.'_

'**Perhaps you can convince the Raikage to let you be an envoy to Konoha for him.'**

'_That does sounds likea good idea, but that's only if he wants an alliance. And we both know it will take a lot to get the Raikage to agree to such a thing. He always believed in relying on our own strength than having the help of others,' _Nibi went silent after that, knowing it was true.

* * *

"What's going on? Where's Naruto? And what was with that Bunshin?" asked Ino, not entirely sure what had happened.

"I… I don't know," Sakura said in confusion, she was not even sure what had happened. "I've never seen Naruto use anything like that Bunshin. The only clone technique I thought Naruto knew was the Kage Bunshin."

* * *

Several feet away from Neji, the shuriken Naruto had thrown burst into a puff of smoke before clearing to reveal Naruto standing there. A shocked crowd watched as the blond walked over to the disabled Neji, stopping just inside the Hyuuga member's vision.

"H…ow?" asked Neji, barely managing to move his jaw muscles due to the electricity messing with his motor functions.

"It's actually quite simple," Naruto said. "When we fought and I first summoned those clones, they were not meant to test your reflexes, or see how strong you are. I already had a fairly good idea of your strength from the few times I was around when you would actually spar with Lee..." Naruto kneeled down so no one else but Neji could hear what he said, "No, those clones were solely summoned to see if there was a blind spot in the Byakugan."

* * *

While most people in the crowd were wondering what the blond shinobi was saying, Hiashi who had mastered the art of reading lips gasped. He of course knew of the blind spot the Byakugan had, the size of the blind spot depended on the strength of the user's Byakugan. It had always been a closely held Hyuuga secret. For this boy to purposely find it was…

"Incredible…" Hiashi whispered.

Hanabi looked up at her Tou-san, noticing the look of shock on his face. She looked back down at the arena, _How could Neji-nii-san be beaten by some peasant?_

* * *

Naruto smirked as he noticed Neji's shocked look, "Yes, I always heard about how the Byakugan offers its users 360 degree vision. But then again I've never been one to listen to here say. I knew there had to be some kind of weakness to a doujutsu of that caliber." He held up a hand as he began ticking off what he knew of the Byakugan's abilities, "it can see through solid objects, chakra and even the tenketsu points and offers 360 degree vision. Nothing so powerful can exist without having some kind of weakness, and since the Byakugan relies on sight, I figured it had to have some kind of weakness that dealt with one's vision."

"That clone that hit you from behind, you didn't see even see it until its mass was about fifteen feet behind you, and exactly 180 degrees behind you. Your blind spot is located there and start soff with a five degree radius that slowly expands in a conical fashion, the further you get away from the Byakugan user, the larger the blindspot is. When my Kage Bunshin attacked you it had actually used the wall to push off the wall so that it was horizontal to the ground, letting me know how large your blind spot was and how close it had to be in order for you to see it."

Naruto stood back up, "After that I threw those shuriken, all I needed was for you to dodge one of them, then make sure I got you to move until that shuriken was Behind you. After that it was a simple matter of getting you to talk so I could prepare. After you attacked, I used the time I spent dodging to channel my chakra perfectly so that I could do a seal-less and smokeless Kawarimi, replacing myself with a clone and then replacing myself with the shuriken and combined it with a simultaneous henge to disguise myself."

Naruto rubbed his chin for a second before grinning, "The clone was actually a creation of my own. It was really just a standard Kage Bunshin with one major difference. I had it prepared before I had even gotten to the stadium and hid it far enough away that your Byakugan wouldn't be able to find it unless you were actively looking for it. The clone itself had a seal on it which I call Fuuin: Raiton: Kuuden Shokku (Sealing Art: Lightning Release: Static Shock), which basically took all its chakra and released it the moment the clone's chakra was disrupted."

Everyone who heard this was gaping like a fish. To have planned so many moves in advance was genius. Something that reminded many of the shinobi present of the way the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato had battled. Yet here was someone who had been considered the dead last of his graduating class, coming up with a strategy that was so advanced that only a Nara should have been able to come up with.

* * *

Asuma had dropped his cigarette as he listened to the explanation given, "Damn… I knew Naruto was good at strategy, given that he beat Shikamaru at shogi as often as he lost, but this is… damn."

"Who would have ever expected this from the dead last at the academy…" Kurenai mumbled, seemingly in agreement with Asuma.

Anko grinned as she looked at her best friend, "And thats why he's my favorite gaki." _He just continues getting better and better._

* * *

"Un-fucking-believable," Kotetsu said with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

"You can say that again," Izumo said, currently unsure what to think since his mind felt like it had been put into an oven and deep fried.

"Un-fucking-believable."

* * *

"Just so you know, I failed the academy a total of three times before I was able to graduate," If Neji could have gasped he would have. "Because every year, there was this one jutsu that I could never get down."

Naruto looked at Neji, "For some reason I was never able to do a Bunshin, it was the most basic technique in the entire academy and I could never do it. To be honest, I still can't do it. Apparently my chakra reserves are simply too large for me to have enough to control to use the jutsu properly with only the basic chakra control exercises they gave."

He decided to leave out the fact that he had never learned those control exercises until he left the academy, it would ruin his point after all.

"For years I struggled to do this one technique, and in the end I never could. After my third failure I was approached by one of my Chunin instructors and told that there was another test, a secret one that would allow me to pass. If I could steal the Forbidden scroll of sealing from the Hokage's office andlearn a single jutsu from that scroll, I would be allowed to become a ninja. It was a trick of course, but I didn't know that. In the academy we were always taught to trust our senseis, I had no idea he was tricking me. I should have, of course, I mean what kind of sensei asks their student to steal something with the word forbidden in it? But what can I say, I was an idiot."

Naruto sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I managed to sneak into the Hokage's office and steal the forbidden scroll. I was able to learn a jutsu, and even managed to beat the holy hell out of the traitor who had tricked me. Despite what had happened and the fact that there really was no secret graduation test, I was passed and allowed to become a ninja. And with the help of my grandfather figure, I was able to gain a powerful method that only I can use to become stronger."

Everyone who had not heard this story looked at the Genin in shock. Not only because of the story itself, but because he _had _actually succeeded in gaining strength. Neji himself just listened in shock as well, not sure what he would say even if he could talk.

"For the past six months, and with the help of some new people I met and made friends with, I was able to learn everything I had not at the academy and then some. I worked hard, pushing myself to the limits every day. I experienced pain, hardship and even learned what it felt like to lose someone important to me." It was here Naruto paused before deciding to press on, he had gone this far with his little story so he might as well go all the way, "On my first C-rank mission my team and I went up against foes far beyond my team's capacity to deal with, and on that same mission…"

Naruto grit his teeth a bit and swiped a tear that threatened to fall from his eye, "On that same mission I lost the only person who had ever truly professed her love for me."

Up in the stands the eyes of Tenten, Sakura, Ino, Yugito, Lee, Temari and several others had their eyes widen. Sakura finally realized why Naruto had been crying that day and was surprised to say the least.

"She was actually an enemy kunoichi who was working under an A-rank missing ninja from Kiri that we had been forced to fight in what should have been a simple C-rank protection detail. I had met her in the forest after I had passed out from exhaustion after an incident occurred withour client's grandchild. We talked for a while, and despite the fact that she knew I was her enemy agreed to meet me there again. And she did, the next day, and the next day and each day after that we would meet. We grew close, having both shared a burden similar to each other's we became far closer than most people do in that time frame. However both of us knew it wouldn't last. And in the end, she had sacrificed her life for her master, taking a jutsu that had been meant for him. A jutsu that my own sensei had delivered."

Several gasps came from the stadium. Shock rippled through the arena. No one knew how it felt to have your own sensei kill someone you fellin love with. Many wondered if the boy hated his sensei.

Naruto closed his eye and sighed, "So believe me, while I don't know what it's like to lose family, I do know what it's like to lose a loved one. And I do understand what it's like to bear a burden that you can never get rid of."

"Despite the pain I felt from her loss, I continued to persevere through everything, growing stronger from my experiences, gaining an understanding of the real world. And do you know what I learned?" Naruto smiled at Neji who was listening to every single word, along with the rest of the audience.

"I learned that fate doesn't exist. We choose our own paths. There is only one fate everyone shares, and that is death." _Well for most of us, _Naruto thought bitterly as he would never be given the choice to die unless someone killed him, but did not make that comment out loud.

Shaking his head he continued, "But how we die, and the purpose we die for… that is _our _choice. I had offered that kunoichiachance to come with me, back to Konoha and if she hads he would have lived. However that was not her choice. She chose to give her life for someone else, to protect her precious person. Likewise, I do not believe your father was killed, but that he chose to die not to protect the Byakugan, not to protect the main house..."

Naruto paused here and gave Neji a smile, "But to protect his brother, his family. He defied his fate by choosing to give his life for his brother. Just like what you're trying to do Neji," Said Hyuuga's eyes widened.

"Even if you don't realize it, you are trying to defy fate, in fact, I would say that you at least partially succeeded. While I do not know much about the Hyuuga clan in general, I do know that those two techniques you did are not techniques that a branch member is allowed to learn. If fate controlled everything, then fate would have made sure you did not know those techniques." Naruto's eyes hardened as he looked at the fallen Hyuuga.

"So don't give me any of this fate bullshit anymore. Fate doesn't exist. I know that life is sometimes hard, and I know that sometimes the burdens we are placed with feel like they're too much to bear. I still don't know a whole lot about this Main branch hatred you seem to have. But it doesn't matter, because if this burden of yours is too much to bear on your own, then I'll be there to help. When I become Hokage, I'll change the Hyuugas, and that's a promise."

There was a small glimmer of hope that flickered into Neji's eyes before they closed, and he slipped into unconsciousness with a smile on his face. Naruto sighed as he turned to look at Genma who was currently gaping at him, his senbon having long since fallen from his mouth, "It's over, even if he was conscious there is no way he could have done anything anyways."

Genma quickly shook himself out of his stupor and nodded before announcing, "Shousa! Uzumaki Naruto!"

For a moment there was nothing but silence, the whole stadium had gone quiet as they absorbed all that had transpired during the battle. Naruto had expected as much and began to walk away. Then it happened. Clapping could be heard coming from the Kage booth as both Sarutobi and A began clapping. It soon began to sweep throughout the stadium as everyone began to clap and cheer wildly.

* * *

"WAY TO GO NARUTO-KUN!" Both Tenten and Yugito shouted out at the same time. Hearing the other speak they both turned to look at the other.

"YOSH! What a youthful battle! And such a heart felt and youthful speech!" Lee covered his face with an arm as tears poured down his eyes like a waterfall.

Suddenly he lifted a fist to his face and shook it as a fire ignited in his eyes, "I WILL STRIVE TO BE LIKE NARUTO-KUN AND SPREAD MY FLAMES OF YOUTH! AND IF I CANNOT DO THAT THEN I WILL DO ONE MILLION LAPS AROUND KONOHA ON MY HANDS! AND IF I CANNOT DO THAT THEN I'LL…"

Everyone except Tenten, who was used to Lee's antics, backed away from the Genin who began shouting about 'youth' and making ridiculous challenges to himself that got more Ludicrous and more grandiose as time went on. Many of them wondered if he had lost his mind. Of course since he was wearing green spandex, they felt the answer to that was rather obvious.

Temari looked at the blond, replaying his speech in her head. She was not sure what to think about the blond shinobi, he was a lot different from other ninja she had known. But she had to admit, the battle and speech afterwards were most impressive and heartfelt, i_t's too bad he'll most likely be dead before the end of the day..._

* * *

"THAT'S SHOWING 'EM NARUTO!" Sakura shouted as cheered her teammate on.

"I can't believe how badly he beat Neji," Ino said as she clapped and whistled. "I don't even think Neji laid so much as a scratch on him."

"That's Naruto for you. He always comes up with some way to surprise you," Sakura agreed.

* * *

Asuma chuckled a bit as he clapped, "That was quite the speech, ne?"

"I have to admit, I never expected something like that," Kurenai replied. "Though to be honest, even after what I saw him do in the preliminaries, a part of me was not expecting him to win either."

"Hah! If anyone actually thought my gaki could lose to some white eye, they need to get there head checked," Anko took the time to say before she continued cheering.

Asuman and Kurenai looked at the woman, before turning an amused gaze on each other.

* * *

"Man! Did you see that!" Kiba shouted while Akamaru barked loudly. "He totally creamed your cousin Hinata-chan, I don't think I've ever seen someone lose so badly before!"

Hinata smiled as she clapped, _Naruto-kun, you truly are amazing._

* * *

"I'm not even sure what to say about this battle," Kotetsu commented.

"I'm not even sure I can call it a battle," Izumo replied amusedly, "That Hyuuga kid barely even got any licks in before he was defeated. Hell, I'm almost positive that Naruto had him beat from the beginning. That plan was easily Chunin if not Jonin-level strategy."

Kotetsu nodded as he grinned, "I can tell you one thing, I'm definitely putting his name on the list for Chunin."

Izumo chuckled, "Yeah, me too."

* * *

"That Genin of yours is most impressive Hokage-dono," The Raikage complimented. "I don't think I've ever seen such an impressive and efficient strategy, not since the great war anyways."

"He always has been one of my most surprising ninja," Sarutobic huckled. "When he was young he would actually come up with complex pranks similar to this, it never ceased to amuse me."

"You don't say," The Kazekage murmured as he stared at the blond Konoha shinobi down in the stadium. _Such an ability! Such strategy! And to think I had almost disregarded him… yes he will make an excellent weapon._

* * *

"I can't believe Neji-nii-san lost to some peasant," Hanabi muttered.

Hiashi frowned at his daughter before standing up, "Stay here Hanabi, I have something I need to take care of." _Maybe now, I can finally reveal the truth behind what happened that night. I only hope Neji can understand._

Hanabi watched her father leave, _I wonder what's so important that he has to leave._

* * *

For a moment Nauto stared out at the people in the arena in shock, he had not expected them to cheer for him. However he could not deny it felt good.

As he listened to the crowd cheer a part of him could not help but go back to what he had said during his little- er large speech. Mainly his talk of Haku and his A-ranked mission. Memories about his time with the black haired beauty came to him.

* * *

"_Hey, wake up. You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here." Haku said._

_Naruto stirred, stifling a groan he opened his eyes. And the first thing he saw was…_

"_Tenshi?" he asked as he saw a beautiful heart-shaped face with a set of chocolate brown eyes. His voice slightly groggy and his sleep addled mind was coming to what he obviously thought was the correct conclusion._

_Haku blushed at being called an angel. "I'm afraid not. If I was, you would have to be dead in order for us to meet."_

* * *

"_Naruto!"_

_Naruto turned around and grinned as he saw Haku walk into the clearing. "Hey Haku-chan! How are you… doing?" He blinked when he noticed that her chest was decidedly… larger then last time._

_Haku, noticing where he was looking blushed and, despite being fully clothed covered her chest. "You know, it's kind of embarrassing when you look at me like that._

"_Huh?" Naruto looked at her face before his eyes widened as his face took on the hue of a tomato. "Oh no! I was just…I was surprised because well…because of yesterday and all! And I! erm…"_

_Haku giggled as Narutogot completely flustered. "It's ok, I suppose it would be surprising. I usually wear chest bindings to hide them."_

"_Oh…" Naruto said in realization. "So…how about we start again?" he asked sheepishly. "How are you doing?"_

* * *

"_I know one thing you can give me." Haku said with a small blush._

_Naruto tilted his head to the side quizzically as he looked at her. "Really? What's th-"_

_Naruto was cut off and his eyes widened in shock when he felt a pair of warm, soft lips press against his own. His entire body froze in place, andit felt like someone had lit him up with the __Amaterasu__ flames._

_When she noticed Naruto was not responding she pulled back and gave him a pout. "You know when someone kisses you, your supposed to kiss back."_

"_I…well I…that is to say we…and you…kiss…and uh…" Naruto tried, the red on his face increasing several shades._

_Haku sighed, even she knew how to kiss. "Looks like this is something we're going to need to work on." With that she claimed his mouth with her own, and even after Naruto started to respond their lips had remained locked._

* * *

He remembered all of the times they had shared before the battle on the bridge. However unlike most times none of these memories brought any pain, and he smiled as he remembered the good times he had with Haku. He felt an odd sense of relief sweep through him, almost like a gentle breeze or a calming rain that was cleansing his soul.

Maybe there was something to all that talk about cleansing the soul by speaking about your past, though he doubted it meant telling the whole world about it. But hey, if you're going to do something you might as well go all the right? Why do anything half-assed, when you can go big.

Naruto shook the thoughts and feelings away as grinned at the crowd and held up an arm to wave at everyone cheering for him. As he waved he became surrounded by a swirl of leaves and disappeared, using Shunshin to appear in the fighter's box. When he did the first thing he saw was Yugito who had come up to him with a soft smile.

"You did an amazing job out there Naruto-kun," She leaned in and planted a small kiss on his cheek, making him blush red enough to rival Hinata.

No one noticed the glares coming from two of the other contestants.

Though Naruto did wonder where the killing intent that had just appeared was coming from.

"Hehehe, t-thanks Yugi-chan," Naruto said as turned away from her, not even able to look in her direction. His reaction caused Yugito smirk.

"Naruto-kun, who is this?"

Naruto turned to see Tenten giving him one of those sweet 'if I don't get an answer from you right now I'm gonna stick you full of kunai' smiles.

"Uhh… this is Yugi-chan," Naruto said, sweating nervously from the bun haired girls smile. "I met her during the one month hiatus and we sort of hit it off."

Tenten's eyes twitched but she held her smile in place, "Oh, so she's a _friend_?" she stressed the word friend.

"That's right," Naruto said, not understanding what her tone meant, "…is something wrong?"

"Nope, nothing's wrong!" Tenten chirped. She turned to Yugito and gave her a large smile as she held out her hand, "I'm Tenten! Naruto's _good friend_."

Yugito noticed the inflection in her voice and unlike Naruto who was still fairly oblivious, knew what it meant.

_So this girl wants to stake her claim on him huh? Good luck with that, _Yugito doubted that anyone could truly claim Naruto. Given what she knew of the boy, and what she had just learned from his speech, she doubted that Naruto would want a steady relationship anytime soon.

Still that was no reason to be rude to one of his friends, so she gave the girl a smile and shook her hand, "Nii Yugito, it's a pleasure to meet you Tenten-san."

Naruto sweat dropped, _'Kyuu-chan? Is something wrong with Ten-chan? She seems kind of… angry.'_

Kyuubi sighed, honestly for someone so intelligent he could really be dense. **'I have no idea Naruto-kun. Maybe you should ask her,'** well, she for one was not going to give him all the answers for his relationship problems, especially since none of these little girls were worthy of being with her container.

Instead she decided to focus on a different topic, **'You know you really did a good job out there. I was actually impressed with your performance.'**

Naruto felt a warm energy coming from the seal that he started associating with Kyuubi feeling positive emotions towards him, a rare occurrence if there ever was one. It had only started happening sometime last week and even then only two times before, but when he did something, or said something to Kyuubi that was nice or made her proud? Sometimes an odd but not unpleasant warmth would come out from the seal. He smiled even though she could not see it, _'Thanks Kyuubi, that means a lot coming from you.'_

Within her seal Kyuubi smiled for a second before it left. She closed her eyes for a moment before heaving a sigh, **"Are you proud of him?"**

There was a few moments of silence before the voice answered, _**'Of course, he truly is his father's son…'**_ there was a slight pause before the voice spoke again,___'a__**nd what about you?'**_

Kyuubi frowned, **"I don't know what you mean… I'm just glad that he has not proven to be a disappointment, I would have been rather upset if all that training I gave him went to waste."**

The voice gave off a laugh, _**"I think you do know what I mean, but I won't be the one to tell you. You'll have to figure it out on your own."**_

Kyuubi scowled as she listened to the voice, **"Do not be so full of yourself. You know nothing about me; do not presume to lecture me on how I might feel."**

However the voice had already left, leaving Kyuubi alone, much to her frustration.

* * *

Several miles outside of Konoha, Jiraiya just finished disposing of another group of shinob who were preparing a summoning seal, along with a hand full of ANBU. He knew that he would not be able to find all of the enemy shinobi and summoning seal arrays that his snake of a former teammate had placed, but every little bit they could find helped.

As he wiped the blood from a kunai he had used to slit the throat of one of the enemy ninja, he looked over at the stadium, _I wonder how the gaki's doing? His battle was first so it should be finishing up soon…_

"Jiraiya-sama," One of the ANBU walked up to him. "We have located another summoning seal array one mile east of here."

Sighing Jiraiya nodded, "Then let's head out, the more of these summoning seals we destroy the better off Konoha will be."

"Hai!" The ANBU all gather around Jiraiya as they took off through the trees.

* * *

A dozen miles away in a more secluded section of the forest, Gaara growled at anything and everything, especially the people who were taking his cage closer to Konoha. Had it not been for the seals on the cage that suppressed his chakra, he would have already killed everyone here so that he could find the one person who could prove his existence.

"WHERE IS HE! WHERE IS UZUMAKI! MOTHER MUST HAVE HIS BLOOD! I MUST PROVE MY EXISTANCE!"

* * *

Hakke: Rokujuuyonsho (Eight Triagrams: Sixty Four Palms): The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms is a maneuver of the Gentle Fist fighting style. It is reserved only for the Main branch of the Hyūga clan, though capable Branch members are able to reverse-engineer it. This technique is used to close off the flow of chakra through sixty-four chakra pointsof an opponent's Chakra Pathway System. This eliminates their ability to use chakra for quite some time and makes it difficult for them to move.

Once someone is within range of the user's field of divination, he or she assumes a Gentle Fist stance and begins to deliver the attack:

First, two consecutive strikes to make two. Second, another two consecutive strikes to make four. Third, four consecutive strikes to make eight. Fourth, eight consecutive strikes to make sixteen. Fifth, sixteen consecutive strikes to make thirty two. Sixth, another thirty two consecutive strikes in succession to make a total of sixty four strikes.

Each set of strikes is done at an exponentially increasing pace and strength. The attack not only disables the enemy but also knocks them back with every set of strikes. In the anime, a minor version of this technique is called the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms technique, and the doubled version of this technique is called the Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms technique

* * *

**Here you are, Naruto gives Neji the ass kicking of the century. I kind of figured that if canon Naruto can kick the fate lovers ass and still have enough energy to run around the stadium like a man hyped up on speed, then my Naruto can do the same without much trouble.**


	24. Chapter 24

**First things first, for those of you who commented on the many issues with word spacing in the previous chapter. I did notice those, in fact I went through the chapter 6 times before and after I gave it to my beta. It seemed that each time I came back to the chapter more problems were found in it, I'm actually thinking there might be something wrong with the editing mode for the website because I would fix the problems, save it, and then re-read it only to find not only more problems but some of the words that were stuck together either did not save or were just being retarded because I had to fix them again. I am however working on trying to rectify the situation.**

**A few people also were a little disappointed in the speech Naruto gave, claiming that a shinobi should not give away their secrets. This is true, however I would like to put what Naruto was trying to accomplish into perspective. I'm sure you all know the saying about first impressions, think of it like that. Naruto wanted his first battle to blow the crowd and chunin exam proctors away. The reason he explained his battle was for the benefit of the proctors so they would know just how far he went into planning his battle, this was so they would recognize that he has the skill and intelligence to plan out moves far in advance of actual combat, a talent required of a chunin. Remember that the Chunin Exams is essentially a place where a shinobi is 'supposed' to show off their skills, normally Naruto would never do this but for this case he made an exception. Also note that Naruto used a minimul amount of jutsu, Kage Bunshin, Kunai Kage Bunshin, Henge and a seal, this is not Naruto's usual fighting style, he's more of an on the fly planner and heavy hitter, so it did not reveal much about how he fights. However I do agree about him revealing the Byakugans secret so I will change it so that Naruto is only whispering that part to Neji.**

**The rest of the speech was actually just for Neji's benefit, but since they were in the chunin exams everyone heard it.**

**Anyways, I hope that at least explains my line of thinking.**

**A special thanks: This thank you goes out to all of the people who read and reviewed my story, I've gotten 73 reviews for this chapter which is totally cool and makes me pleased to know that you all like my story enough to leave a review.**

**This thank you goes to Senjuto for continuing to help me fix my crappy grammer.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: How do you know I don't own Naruto? For all you know I could be Kishimoto disguising myself as a fan fiction author…what's that? You say my works not good enough to be his? NOOOO!**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 24: Fight, Fight, Fight**

* * *

Naruto looked back and forth between the two women who were on either side of him. Yugito was smiling, looking content and nothing seemed to be bothering her…and this was in spite of the glares and slight killing intent Tenten was directing towards the blond woman. Naruto had no clue what was going on, even with all the time he had spent around members of the opposite sex, he had never been in a situation like this before.

However even though he was not sure why Tenten seemed so angry, he suspected that it had something to with that kiss Yugito gave him.

He looked over at Tenten who was shooting Yugito a heated glare. The moment his eyes made contact with hers however, she looked away. Naruto frowned for a moment before placing a hand on her and giving it a gentle squeeze. Even if he was not sure why she was so angry, the least he could do was let her know he was there for her. It seemed to work as Tenten's killing intent slowly vanished.

Sighing he looked over at Yugito who noticed his gaze and turned a grateful smile on him, causing him to smile back.

Naruto turned his gaze back to the arena where Lee was standing, waiting for Uchiha Sasuke to show up.

* * *

"Sir, Uchiha Sasuke still hasn't shown up," Raido whispered into his Hokage's ear. "The crowd is starting to get restless."

Sarutobi sighed in both disappointment and worry. Raido was right. The Hokage could hear boos being shouted out. People wanted action, especially after seeing such an incredible battle from the previous match.

"It seems we have no choice," Sarutobi said. "Uchiha Sasuke is hereby disqualified from the Chunin Exams for being late."

The Kazekage turned to look at him, "Hokage-Dono, I think you should reconsider. Many of the people here came to see the Uchiha heir; not showcasing him could cost you a lot of business."

On the other side of Sarutobi, the Raikage raised an eyebrow, "Why do you care if the Uchiha shows up so much? He's not your shinobi, if what you say is true then this would give you more business opportunities. Besides, even if he was your shinobi, being on time is a vital task for any ninja. How can you expect someone to react in a timely manner for something more serious like an S-rank mission where he needs to meet with an important contact, or assassinate someone who only becomes vulnerable at a certain time, if he cannot even be on time for something that is important to his own career."

He shook his head before looking back over to the arena floor, his point on the matter made clear. "No, I believe this Uchiha Sasuke should be disqualified, regardless of his clan. Unless the Hokage is into showing favoritism."

"You make a good point Raikage-dono," Sarutobi nodded his head in agreement, "It seems I have no choice but to disqualify him." He looked over at Raido, "Tell Genma." Raido nodded and prepared to disappear within a shunshin.

The Kazekage seethed, _Damn it! Starting my plan relied on Sasuke-kun and the Uzumaki to fight! Now I'll have to find another battle to be my signal. _He quickly calmed himself as he came up with a new plan.

"Hokage-dono, perhaps as a treat we can have Sasuke battle against whoever wins the Chunin Exams. At least that way, those who have placed a bet on the young Heir to win will not have their money go to waste."

"I did not know you were a betting man, Kazekage-dono," Sarutobi frowned, but did not allow any other feature on his face to change. He looked over at the Raikage with a questioning glance.

Understanding what the aging Hokage wanted the Raikage gave a grunt of assent, "I don't see why not. So long as Uchiha Sasuke is not technically eligible for Chunin I don't care."

Sarutobi nodded and looked over at Raido with a nod, prompting him to shunshin down to the arena floor.

* * *

Genma nodded as he listened to Raido. Looked up at the crowd as the man disappeared he shouted, "Due to Uchiha Sasuke not being on time, he is hereby disqualified from the Chunin Exams." Several angry shouts were heard as people who had bet a lot of money got angry. However Genma was quick to quell that anger.

"However, as a special treat for you all, the winner of the Chunin Exams will face Uchiha Sasuke after the exam has ended. But he will not be allowed to get a promotion!"

That seemed to satisfy most of the populace as they all quieted down.

* * *

"What the fuck!" Naruto shouted as his hands tightly gripped the railing, "Who the hell allowed that to happen?" he growled as he looked down at the arena floor, "I should have realized that teme would get some kind of special privilege, even if he didn't show up for his battle!"

"Calm down Naruto-kun," Yugito placed her hand on one of Naruto's own and began to rub the back of her hand with her thumb. "There's no sense in getting angry. And at least he's not going to be allowed to advance."

"That's not the point," Naruto grunted, though he loosened his grip on the railing all the same. "If it were anyone else they would have just been disqualified, but because he's 'the last Uchiha' he's still going to get to battle the winner, who by that point will likely be tired enough that they won't be able to put up as much of a fight. That damn teme has had everything fed to him on a silver platter, because people like those bastards on the council are so enamored with that damned monkey eye of his. We're looking at favoritism at its finest."

Honestly it was times like these where he could truly say he disliked Sasuke and the council. The raven-haired Genin was always receiving special privileges like this, even in the academy! Naruto could not recall the number of times Sasuke had been offered special training outside of school by instructors looking to gain favor, there had even been a rumor once that he was going to be allowed to graduate early, though that at least had proven to be just a rumor. Still the fact that the people of Konoha continued to show such blatant favoritism over what Naruto thought was a ridiculous and over rated doujutsu was just frustrating.

Not wanting to upstaged by the blond hussy from Kumo, Tenten grabbed his other hand and held it affectionately, "That may be true but Yugito-san is right Naruto-kun. There is no sense in getting worked up over it."

Naruto sighed, "I guess." He gave them both a smile, "Thanks."

"No problem!" they both said before looking at each other, one looking amused while the other was angry.

The three of them never noticed another set of jealous eyes on them.

"Will Tenten and Temari please come down to the Arena floor!"

"Looks like you're up Ten-chan."

Tenten grinned, "Looks like it, gonna wish me luck?"

Naruto chuckled before he pulled her into a hug, "Good luck." He said into her ear, unintentionally making the bun haired girl shiver and blush.

"T-Thanks!" a red faced Tenten said before making herself scarce and rushing down to the arena floor.

Temari glared after the girl before opening up her fan and jumping on it as she glided down to the Arena.

"So," Yugito drawled out as she looked over at Naruto. "That Tenten girl is close to you?"

"Of course," Naruto answered, not quite understanding where she was going with this. "She's probably my best friend out of everyone in Konoha. In fact, she was the first friend my age I ever made."

Yugito's eyes softened a bit as this as realization set in, she knew what that was like, she may have friends now but it had not always been like that. Jinchuuriki in most villages rarely ever had friends, so the few they did have meant more than anything else.

It didn't mean she wasn't still gonna tease him though.

She gave him a coy smile, "So just how close are you and that girl?"

Naruto just gave her an owlish blink and spoke with an eloquence that only he could accomplish, "Huh?"

Yugito chuckled, "I mean is she your…" She held up her pinky finger and wiggled it.

"Ah…no! Well, I don't think so. What I mean is…she and I erm…" Yugito grinned as Naruto turned bright red, mean while everyone else in the booth just stared at him.

"Aw! You're so cute blushing like that," Despite his blush, Naruto attempted to give the cat woman his best bastardized 'Uchiha' scowl. It didn't work as she giggled, "There's no need to be so worked up." Yugito leaned into his ear and in a seductive voice whispered, "But if she is your girlfriend, do you think she would be willing to share on occasion?"

Naruto actually had to cover his nose as it threatened to send him into blissful unconsciousness from a nosebleed. _What the fuck is going on! Girlfriend! SHARING! Is she fucking serious! _To say that Naruto was confused would be like saying Orochimaru had a small fetish for little boys, or Jiraiya was a 'little' pervert. Understatement simply didn't begin to cover it. Even with all the social interaction he had been getting recently, _nothing _could have prepared him for that statement.

**'****You know, this situation kind of reminds me of Chapter 12 from Icha Icha Tactics,'** Kyuubi commented, actually finding herself amused by her tenant's reaction. While she herself had never used seduction to actually tease a human, preferring to go straight in for the kill and bring them under her will, and did not much care for this woman flirting with her container; she could not say that watching her container getting so worked up wasn't at the very least mildly amusing.

_**Maybe I should try something like that to… **_she shook the thought off before it could finish forming. If she tried to manipulate the blond in anyway Naruto would no longer trust her, and then there was 'her.' Kyuubi had no doubt she would stop her from attempting anything.

Naruto blinked for a moment, _'You know it actually doe- wait a minute! How did you know that?'_

Kyuubi smirked, **'Weeeell, since I'm stuck here all day and you're sometimes busy, I decided to revisit some of your old memories. I must say, for an old lecher, that Jiraiya character writes some good stories.'**

_'__Kyuu-chan? You're not…a pervert are you?' _

Kyuubi paused for a moment as she wondered what she should say to push him over the edge. She shrugged for a moment before speaking, **'Naruto-kun, in this world you will learn that everyone is a pervert to some degree or another. It's just a matter on how perverted. But to answer your question, no I never really thought about having sex or being intimate with anyone. I never actually cared for any of the human males I manipulated with my skills in seduction, kitsune illusions and natural charm, and quite frankly, they were so far beneath me that I would never soil myself by sleeping with them. Being intimate with a human is the same as if I had just gone out into the woods and found some random fox to rut with, disgusting. No human could ever be considered worthy of being 'near' me, much less 'with' me.'**

Not really sure what that meant he asked again.

Kyuubi sighed; really sometimes the boy was so bright it was frightening even to one such as her. And other times he was as dense as a brick wall.** 'I may be a bit of a pervert…'** She grinned as a fun and potentially dangerous idea came to her. **'However, if I am, it's not for anyone except you **_**Naruto-sama…**_**'**

No matter what personal grudges he might still hold against Kyuubi, he would never deny that she was the epitome of sex appeal. The fact that they were on more cordial terms now only added to the woman's natural charm, and it was because of this that Naruto had no chance to defend himself against the nosebleed that launched him away and into a wall where he hit his head, knocking him out cold.

Everyone else looked over at him and sweatdropped.

"Man Naruto's so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered as he tried not to think about the now unconscious blond.

Yugito blinked before walking over to the passed out blond and attempting to wake him, _I wonder what that was about?_

* * *

"I want a clean match you two," Genma said to the two girls, having noticed the blond one leaking some killing intent at the other. He shook his head as he cleared any curiosity he felt and started the match, "Ready…Hajime!"

The moment the match start, Tenten leapt back and threw several Kunai at Temari. However a quick swing from her fan left the blond Suna kunoichi completely uninjured, _I'll show him I'm a better woman than this little girl and that other blond._

_I missed?_ Tenten looked at Temari in shock. _But I never miss! _She narrowed her eyes as she saw the blond smirk at her, and showing off her iron fan, which was now 1/3 of the way open to reveal a single orb.

"You see this orb on my fan? It's really a star, and the instant it reaches the third star its game over for you little girl," Temari's smirk increased when she saw the snarl on Tenten's face.

_I knew it; those wind type jutsu will make it impossible for me to defeat her from a distance. I need to get in close,_ with that thought in mind, Tenten unsealed a Katana and charged at Temari.

"That won't work!" Temari shouted as she swung her fan and unleashed a blast of wind, as well as revealed the second star.

However Tenten used a Kawarimi to switch places with a log and came at her from another angle. She was too close to Temari for the weapons user to use a Fuuton jutsu. Instead when Tenten swung her Katana, Temari brought her fan up and blocked the bun haired girl's attack.

Tenten glared as the two began to trade attacks, moving back and forth across the arena floor. Despite the fact that her fan was heavy, Temari was able to keep Tenten from getting in close, since her fan had the advantage in size. The bun haired girl tried to use several of her faster maneuvers to close the distance between them but none of them seemed to work.

Coming in with a diagonal slice from the top, only for Temari to move back. She would launch a horizontal slash from the left, but the blond merely stuck her fan out and blocked it. Glaring Tenten made several dazzling spin attacks to try and push Temari's large fan away, before thrusting her sword towards the blonde's chest.

However Temari ducked and used the tip of her fan to catch the blade, closing the fan to lock the blade into it. She pulled and yanked the sword out of Tenten's grip.

The bun haired girl jumped back and grit her teeth, while Temari smirked.

"What are you gonna do now_ little girl_?"

Tenten growled, "I'm going to turn you into a pincushion that's what!" She jumped into the air and pulled out two scrolls behind her back, unrolling them as she called out her jutsu. Since she did not have her weapon and knew Temari would not give her time to retrieve it this was her only option.

"Shoushouryuu!" Volley after volley of weapons rained down on Temari. However like the last time a projectile was sent her way a mere swipe of her fan blew them away, and the fan now revealed three stars.

"And look at that, three stars," Temari grinned.

"I'm not done yet!" Tenten shouted as she manipulated chakra strings on her fingers to lift the weapons in the air, and then launch them at Temari.

"You lose little girl! Kamaitachi No Jutsu (Wind Scythe Jutsu)!" Temari shouted as she unleashed her fans power on the helpless weapons user. The weapons were all caught in the tornado like winds with Tenten in the center and many of them ended up slicing at her skin. Tenten had never been defeated so badly in her life, it was humiliating as well as painful and now she wished it would simply end. It was an act of mercy for her when she blacked out. However that did not stop gravity from taking her back down, sending her back to earth where she would be in for a painful awakening.

Especially since Temari was feeling particularly vicious today, and had set her fan down under the weapons mistress, hoping to add injury to insult. Smiling she waited for the girl to fall on her fan and crack her back…

…It wasn't to be.

Having seen what Temari intended to do, Naruto used the same speed technique that he had saved Ayako with to get to the bun haired girl just in time to catch her. He ignored the feeling of his calf muscles tearing as he cradled the bun haired girl in a bridal style carry.

Temari gaped as Naruto just appeared on top of her fan and caught Tenten. One second the weapons user was all set to fall and the next the whiskered blond had just appeared on her fan. Her astonishment left her as Naruto turned a heated glare on her. It was a look of disgust and anger. He did not say anything, just looked at her before he hopped off the fan and left with the bun haired girl in his arms.

Temari seethed as she watched Naruto leave with Tenten, it angered her that he would get so angry for what she felt was no real reason. She did not even hear the announcement of 'Shousa! Sabaku No Temari!' as she stomped off.

Meanwhile Naruto had just set Tenten down onto the stretcher that the medics had provided for her. He was just about to walk away when a hand snatched his arm, turning around he saw Tenten who was looking at him with a slightly ashamed expression.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun," She whispered.

Naruto frowned, "What are you sorry for?"

"I…lost. She defeated me so easily, I never had a chance," Tenten looked like she was about to cry.

The blond Hanyou realized how difficult something like being so thoroughly defeated was for her. Tenten had always prided herself on being strong. Her life's goal was to be as powerful as Tsunade one day, to prove that women were just as powerful as men. For her to be so cleanly beaten, without even touching her opponent must be humiliating for her.

Naruto turned around and gently placed a hand on her cheek, "Ten-chan, you have nothing to be ashamed about. You had a serious disadvantage against her wind attacks. The fact that you stuck through with the battle to the end, even knowing you had a disadvantage was admirable. And if it really bothers you that much, take this as a lesson. Rather than just sticking with weapons, learn some jutsu. I'll even help you after the exams are over. K?"

Tenten smiled at him, feeling relieved that Naruto did not think she was weak. She closed her eyes as she let herself drift off again.

Naruto watched her go before sighing and disappearing in a Shunshin. He reappeared right next to Yugito just in time to hear Kankurou forfeit.

"Wow I didn't think you would give up so easily make up boy," Naruto commented.

Kankurou scowled, "How many times do I have to tell you its WAR PAINT!"

Naruto grinned, "You can tell me its war paint all you want, but if it looks like make up, and comes from your sister's make up drawer, then it's make up, no two ways around it."

Kankurou turned red; if this kid hadn't beaten Gaara during the preliminaries he would be as good as dead.

"Will Nii Yugito and Nara Shikamaru come down to the arena for the next match!"

"Finally, I was starting to get bored," Yugito grinned.

"Aw, you were getting bored even with me here Yugi-chan?" Naruto pouted a bit. "I'm hurt."

Yugito smiled, "I just meant I wanted a good fight Naruto-kun. You know I always have _fun _when you're around."

Actually catching the seductive purr when Yugito said fun, Naruto blushed a bit as he scratched the back of his head.

"So, do I get a hug for good luck like that Tenten girl?" Yugito asked, holding out her arms. Naruto looked somewhat embarrassed but gave her a hug anyway. Had he managed to catch Yugito's slight mischievous expression when she nuzzled into his neck he might not have gone along with it. However he had not noticed that, nor did he noticed the hand that was trailing down his backside, at least, not until it was too late.

"EEP!" Naruto looked absolutely mortified as one hand went to his mouth while the other went to his backside. The others still in the fighter's booth snickered, while Yugito grinned and gave him a wink as she jumped onto the arena floor. _Oh NO! Did I just eep!_

**'****Yep! You did! With a capital E! I might add!'** Kyuubi held her stomach as she laughed, finding the boy's reaction to that Yugito woman to be highly amusing, she had not seen anything this entertaining in a long time. Seriously if she had been able to see what her other containers had done, and seen them get into situations like this, she may not have been so bitter about getting sealed.

_**Of course they were both women so maybe they would not have gotten into these situations…**_ Actually the chances were good they would just have had to deal with some sexist pigs who thought with their other head. The vixen sighed at that thought; _**maybe it would not have been as fun to see through their eyes…**_

Shaking her head she got back on track to tease her container, **'That was quite unmanly Naruto-kun. I think your manliness dropped to a seven on the man scale when you did that.'**

Naruto scowled, _'It wasn't my fault! She pinched me in the ass! I've never been pinched there before! Not even Anko-nee-chan has done that!'_

**'****No, she just slept with you,' **that comment caused Naruto to blush.

Trying to ignore the vixen in his head who continued to tease him, the blond looked around before spotting Shikamaru still there, "What the hell are you doing Shikamaru! You need to get down there."

"Man this is too troublesome, I think I'm just going to quit," Shikamaru looked like he was about to raised his hand. However Naruto was having none of that as he smacked him in the back, hard.

"GO GET 'EM SHIKA!" Naruto shouted as the lazy Nara fell down to the arena floor.

Shikamaru looked up from where he was lying to see the blond giving him a large grin, "Damn that troublesome Naruto…"

As he refused to move people began to boo, some even going as far as to throw trash at him. However he did not listen to them as he looked up at the clouds, _Man, I wish I was just a cloud. All they ever have to do is go where the wind takes them._

Yugito tapped her foot impatiently as the lazy Nara continued to lie on the ground, "Hey! If you're not going to battle I'm going to come over there and fry you!"

Shikamaru sighed as he got up, and slowly made his way to the center of the arena, "This is really troublesome you know that? Why do I have to be in this stupid exam?"

"If you didn't want to be in the exam, then why did you enter in the first place?" Yugito asked, confused now.

"Because if I didn't than Ino would have thrown a fit, and then she would have told my mom, and then _she_ would have thrown a fit. It was simply less troublesome to enter, and then it was not to enter."

Both Genma and Yugito sweatdropped. How could any Genin ever be so lazy and get this far? However they shook themselves out of it and Genma was just about to announce the start of the match, when Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in between them in a swirl of leaves.

Sasuke had apparently changed his look. He was now clad in a black pair of pants and shirt, with white bandages along his arms, he had elbow pads on and black shinobi sandals.

"I'm sorry, are we late?" asked Kakashi as he rubbed the back of his head. Yugito's left eye began to develop a dangerous twitch while Genma sighed.

"Yes, you are. In fact you were so late that we had to disqualify Sasuke. Maybe next time you'll make sure he's on time."

Kakashi looked shocked; he had thought that Sasuke's Uchiha name would have given him a pass through the usual rules. Meanwhile Sasuke looked pissed, he was angry at how they were denying him the chance to fight in these exams. This was the surest way to test him in order to find out where he stood. How could he test his strength if he was not even given the chance to fight stronger opponents?

Thankfully before he could explode, Genma began speaking again, "He will still get to fight at least. As a treat Uchiha Sasuke will be allowed to fight the winner of the Exams, however he will not be eligible for Chunin."

Sasuke was pretty miffed about that, but at least he would get to fight the strongest opponent here. That would mean he would still get to test himself against the strongest Genin and see where he stood. He decided to keep his peace as Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder and Shunshin'ed them to the stands.

"Now that that's out of the way perhaps we can get to the fight," Yugito grumbled.

"Right…Hajime!"

Yugito burst into action, traveling faster than even Naruto had during his battle as she launched herself at Shikamaru. Having not seen any of her abilities however, the Nara genius had already started back pedaling, changing directions at random as he began hand sealing.

"Kage Mane No Jutsu!" Shikamaru shouted as his shadow extended along the ground. Having seen what his shadow could do before, Yugito began dodging the attack, using her incredible agility to keep out of its way. Shikamaru grit his teeth as he saw Yugito still moving towards him, dodging all of his attacks like they were nothing.

Suddenly Yugito was behind him, striking Shikamaru in the back with a claw swipe. Only for Shikamaru to turn into a log.

_Kawarimi! _Yugito jumped back and to the left as a shadow came from the tree line. As she dodged the shadow Yugito tracked where it came from before she threw several shuriken and began making hand seals.

"Raiton: Kaminari Shuriken (Lightning Release: Lightning Shuriken)!" lightning burst from the shuriken as they went into the trees reducing several branches to cinders, and forcing Shikamaru to jump out.

Yugito ran at him, dodging the shuriken that came her way, however she caught the last one by sticking her finger in the small center and then sent it back nearly three times as fast. Shikamaru tried to dodge but was cut in the arm. He winced and was about to make more hand seals when Yugito appeared in front of him, using a leg sweep to knock him off his feet.

As soon as he hit the ground Yugito placed a kunai against his neck.

"Yield," She commanded.

Shikamaru muttered a quick troublesome, "I yield."

"Shousa! Nii Yugito!" Genma shouted.

Yugito smiled as Shikamaru got back up and muttered another troublesome before walking off. Yugito used a Rai Shunshin (Lightning Shunshin) to get back to the fighter's booth.

The moment she did Naruto grabbed her, picking her up by the waist and twirling her around, getting an 'eep!' from the blond kunoichi. He grinned as he set her back down, causing her to growl as a small blush formed on her cheeks, the reaction being from both her making such a mouse like sound and from the feeling of being in Naruto's arms in such an unexpected manner.

However Naruto noticed none of this as he grinned at her, "Nice job. I mean, I doubt it was much of a fight for you, but good job anyways."

Yugito tried to glare at the blond, unfortunately his smile was infectious and she ended up grinning too, "Thanks."

The battle had been easy, she wasn't a Jonin-level kunoichi for nothing, but it was still nice to hear praise.

"For the start of the second stage, will Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee come down!"

"Yosh! It looks like this is our battle Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted as he pumped his fist into the air and jumped down to the arena floor.

Naruto chuckled at his enthusiasm before looking at Yugito with a grin. Deciding to get back at the blond kunoichi for what she had done earlier he spread out his arms and gestured for her, "How about a hug for good luck?"

Yugito smirked, "Nice try, but I'm not that naive. I do remember the stories you told me about all the pranks you committed after all."

"What?" Naruto pouted, "You don't think I would actually try to get you back for squeezing my ass in public do you."

Yugito smirked, "Yes."

Deciding it might be appropriate, or at the very least nice to get even with the blond Kumo kunoichi for all of the teasing she had done, Naruto took a page from Anko's book and snapped his fingers as he gazed at Yugito's derrière, "Damn! And it's such a fine looking ass too," Yugito blushed as Naruto jumped down to the arena floor.

Lee grinned as his rival made his way towards him, "I have been looking forward to this battle with you Naruto-kun! Today we shall truly test our flames of youth!"

While a lot of the spectators sweatdropped, Naruto just chuckled, "I have to be honest, this was one of the battles I was looking forward to the most."

"YOSH! I am pleased to hear that! I will strive to make this battle my most youthful yet!" Lee pumped his fist into the air. "And if I cannot do that then I will-"

"Let's just get the match started," Naruto interrupted as he got into his taijutsu stance and a more serious expression crossed his face. Lee was a tough opponent, tougher than Neji in his opinion, if Lee ever took off his weights during their spars, Naruto was sure that Neji would lose before he even knew what hit him.

"What do you think Izumo?" Kotetsu asked, "You think that Lee kid has a chance?"

Izumo frowned in thought, "You know, I don't know. With what Uzumaki has been showing us, I'd normally say not a chance in hell, but he's the dead last of his class like Naruto, and he was trained by Gai so…"

"I guess we'll just have to watch," Kotetsu turned his eyes back to the match.

Genma looked between the two opponents as he raised his hand, "Hajime!"

Lee shot off like a rocket, blasting towards Naruto and attempting to hit him with a right hook. However Naruto had been fighting Lee for a while now, and recently had been fighting Jiraiya. That combined with his recent demonic changes made it seem like Lee was moving much more slowly. As soon as Lee's fist shot out, Naruto was in motion, swatting the fist away and knocking Lee off balance as he leaned in and sent his own fist into Lee's ribs.

"OOF!" Lee stumbled back, holding onto his ribs, which felt like they had been compressed by the blow. "That was an excellent shot Naruto-kun, you have gotten much faster I see."

"That's right," Naruto said in a more serious voice. "Which means you can't afford to hold back on me Lee, release your weights."

Lee looked at Naruto in surprise before turning his eyes towards his sensei. However all he got for that was a punch to the face.

"Don't look away from your opponent Lee," Naruto said. "You can't go to Gai for answers when you're in the middle of a battle. In the middle of a battle your sensei won't be there to hold your hand, and it will be up to you to make the call on when you release your weights. You know that as you are, you won't be able to defeat me. With your weights on I'm simply faster than you."

Lee frowned for a moment, he had always been told to only unseal his weights when he had to protect many important people. It was the only reason he had not fought Neji without his weights. However Naruto made a valid point, Gai-sensei would not always be there so he would need to use his best judgment when in battle.

"You are very right Naruto-kun. Very well." Lee pulled up his orange leg warmers to reveal a set of weights with the kanji for guts and determination, the motto for the Goken style.

* * *

Up in the fighter's booth Kankurou snorted. "What does he think a little weight is gonna do. That blond beat Gaara, I hate to admit it, but I don't think any of us would stand a chance against the blond bastard."

**BOOM!**

A loud crash was heard as Lee threw his weights behind him and they destroyed an entire section of the arena wall.

* * *

"So Kakashi. What do you think the chances of your Genin are for winning this fight?" Gai asked as he saw Lee take off his weights.

Kakashi turned around from the battle for a second and looked at Gai, "I'm sorry Gai, did you say something?"

"Grrr! Curse you Kakashi and your hip attitude!" Gai muttered as he turned away from his 'eternal rival'.

* * *

Naruto smirked as he looked at the destruction, "You upped your weights didn't you?"

Lee grinned back at Naruto, "Yes I did. Now let us begin!"

This time both of them took off, their speed having increased past what they had been before. The two met in the middle and began to clash furiously; their bodies were merely a blur, untraceable to many even when they stayed grounded.

* * *

"Uh…Izumo are my eyes deceiving me?" Kotetsu asked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he was not seeing things.

"I don't know," Izumo stared entranced as he watched the two 'Genin' battle at near Jonin-level speeds. He could barely even see them, "What are you seeing?"

"Are they really moving that fast?"

"At least low Jonin-level speeds."

"…Damn."

* * *

The fight began to get even more furious as the two literally smashed into each other. Naruto got right into Lee's guard smashing a fist into his torso. However Lee merely grunted as he launched a devastating kick to the blonde's stomach, chest and then his face. Naruto was sent flying back and skid along the ground. He looked up to see Lee already in his face.

The blond cursed as he ducked under a punch, and attempted to launch an elbow into Lee's ribs. However Lee merely caught the elbow in between his arms, before kicking Naruto in the stomach. Wincing the whiskered blond realized that whatever Lee had done over the past month had made him even better and faster at taijutsu. Better than Naruto was anyway.

_Gah! This guy's fucking insane! And people call me a demon,_ Naruto thought as he ducked under kick and rolled to the left. Kipping back up on his feet the whiskered blond spun around with an axe kick, only for Lee to block it who grabbed onto the leg. With a grunt the bowl cut boy spun in a circle and tossed Naruto, sending him flying through the air before he landed on the arena wall and stuck to it using chakra. S_hit! If I hadn't taken off my resistance seals before this fight I would've been toast._

_Leave it to Lee to become even more ridiculously strong during the course of one month, _rather than waste time on pointless taijutsu when he knew he might not win that way, he began forming his hand seals.

"Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!" Naruto sent a fist shaped blast of wind towards his opponent who was currently running towards, however Lee continued his charge and smashed the wind fists away with a well-placed kick.

Unfortunately for Lee, that attack had slowed him down and Naruto was able to close the distance between them striking out with fists and elbows, making the green clad Genin stumble back. Naruto managed to get in several more good hits before Lee recovered and began to block them and make his own assault.

Naruto blocked a punch from the left, and then from the right, however he missed the kick that smashed into his stomach and sent him flying back. Flipping around the blond hit the ground, and looked up to see Lee charging him.

When the bow-cut Genin came in with a high kick, Naruto ducked under it, grabbed the extended leg, lifted the green clad genin up and then threw him into the ground. There was a loud crash as Lee's body created a decent sized crater. The blond shinobi then jumped into the air and attempted to smash an axe kick on Lee. But said boy just rolled out of the way, making Naruto foot smash into the ground, creating another smaller crater. Before he could get back up, Lee smashed a heel in the blonde's face, sending him sailing again.

As Naruto skidded across the ground he flipped through several hand seals, "Fuuton: Renkuudan!"

He smashed a fist on his stomach, blasting out a compressed ball of air. It went sailing towards Lee who tried to hit it away, however the Renkuudan was much stronger than his other jutsu, and it smashed into Lee and tossed him away and sending him sailing into a wall, which he crashed right through.

Naruto used that moment to catch a breather. He looked around to see a lot of craters from their battle.

_Man Lee and I are really tearing the place up,_ a loud crash alerted his attention to the fact that Lee was back in the game.

As Lee charged back in Naruto began more hand seals. "Fuuton: Renkuudan!" This time when the ball of air came at him, the spandex wearing Genin rolled to the side before getting back on his feet and shooting off. Cursing Naruto got back into a taijutsu stance, knowing he would not have enough time to use another jutsu.

As his opponent came in Naruto shifted his head to the left, feeling the air move past him as he dodged Lee's fist, he ducked under another punch before launching an elbow into the other Genin's stomach. Lee grunted and moved back a bit, but did not do much more then that before he was on Naruto again.

* * *

"Damn Hokage-dono! How much protein are you feeding these kids?" The Raikage asked, looking at the battle going on in shock. While they were moving in slow motion to him, and Yugito was much faster at her highest speed, the fact that 'Genin' could move this fast was ridiculous.

"You would have to ask their sensei's that," Sarutobi watched the battle with growing pride. _To think Naruto-kun would come this far, your parents would be proud of you._

The Kazekage did not comment, and instead just opted to watch the battle.

* * *

Naruto had to use a Kawarimi to get some breathing room as he appeared on the other end of the arena. Knowing it would not be long before Lee charged again, he began forming hand seals, "Raiton: Iakazuchi Hakai (Lightning Release: Lightning Current)!"

Smashing his hands on the ground Naruto shot several volts of lightning, which tore up the ground as they made their way towards Lee. However the green clad Genin merely jumped over the attack.

Unfortunately for Lee this was what Naruto wanted. Lee was fast and powerful, and while Naruto was as well, Lee was simply just that tad bit better that made a difference. However while Lee could fly across the ground, in the air he was vulnerable. Going through several hand seals the blond called out another jutsu.

"Suiton: Teppoudama (Water Release: Water Bullet)!" Naruto shot a canon sized bullet of water out of his mouth, and with Lee still in the air it connected, sending the boy even higher into the air.

At the apex of Lee's ascent Naruto appeared in a Shunshin, dropping down on the Genin with an axe kick. Lee was sent sailing back towards the ground where he smashed down and created a large cloud of dust. Naruto landed on the ground and dropped to one knee as he panted a bit. He was starting to get tired, using so many jutsu and fighting for so long was something even he barely had the stamina for. He looked into the large cloud of dust, trying to see where Lee would come out, since Naruto knew that would not put him down.

Before the dust even had a chance to clear Lee shot out, coming towards Naruto at insane speeds. Grunting Naruto stood up and just as Lee launched a punch, he sent his own. Naruto grunted as he and Lee were launched away from one another thanks to the force their punch generated.

As Naruto looked at himself he had never been so glad for his healing factor, if he did not have it he would probably look like Lee now. Said boy had bruises on nearly every part of his body, his face was slightly swollen and he had a broken nose that had blood trickling down from it.

Naruto had to hold in a grimaced. His clothes were almost gone now. His cloak had long since been ripped away, his shirt more revealing than Anko's fishnet, his pants had changed into shorts with one side going up to mid-thigh, and his beautiful orange gloves had been destroyed sometime during the last half hour. He was glad he had sealed his gauntlet or it would be destroyed too.

Many of the girls up in the stands blushed at seeing Naruto's toned, half nude body. A few even ended up passing out from nosebleeds. While others, namely Yugito licked their lips and grinned.

"You…really are…an incredible fighter Lee," Naruto fought to regain his breath as several of the bruises on his face healed. "Honestly had you ever taken those weights off when you fought against Neji in those spars of yours, you would have kicked his ass hands down."

Naruto was glad he had released all of his resistance seals before the fight or he would not have even had time to do so during the battle. No doubt he would have gotten his ass kicked if he had gone with that route.

Lee grinned, "Thank you Naruto-kun! You are a most youthful fighter yourself! Which is why I have declared you as my new eternal rival!"

Naruto sweat dropped. "Uh, thanks Lee, I guess."

"Yosh! You are most welcome my youthful comrade! Now come, let us unite our flames of youth!"

As Lee shot off again Naruto cursed, _I need to find some way to neutralize him! This is getting insane!_

Naruto made quick use of a Kawarimi to dodge Lee's attack, and needing some time to think Naruto put his hands in the ram sign, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

There was a large puff of smoke before several hundred clones appeared on the arena floor. Lee looked at all the clones and grinned, right before he disappeared and began destroying clones left in right.

However while Lee was busy with his Bunshin bashing, Naruto was busy coming up with a way to neutralize Lee's speed. Coming up with a quick plan the blond waited until Lee was finished with his clones.

As soon as the clones were gone Naruto launched several dozen shuriken, forcing Lee to dodge the attacks. However these were just a distraction and when Lee jumped into the air a clone of Naruto's jumped with him and threw a kunai attached with steel grade ninja wire, catching the green clad Genin in it and then kicking him to the ground.

Naruto sighed in relief as he saw Lee struggle with his bonds, "Looks like I win this one Lee. I had that ninja wire specifically designed for someone with your insane strength. You won't be getting out of those."

Lee looked up at Naruto before smiling, "This match still is not over Naruto-kun. Remember, the lotus of the leaf, blooms twice."

_I will not lose here. Gai-sensei acknowledges it. Now is the time I must prove and protect my nindo._

"Kaimon: Kai (Gate of Opening: Release)!" there was a massive surge of chakra at Lee's shout. Along with the surge in chakra, Lee seemed to gain a surge in strength, for he snapped the ninja wire with ease. Standing up Lee put his arms in a cross guard.

* * *

Kakashi whirled on Gai who was watching the battle with a very serious expression, "I can't believe you taught him how to open the gates."

"I wanted to help Lee achieve his dreams Kakashi," Gai said in a rare serious voice. "That boy is willing to risk everything for his dreams. And so I helped him. I do not regret it."

* * *

"Kyumon: Kai (Gate of Healing: Release)!" at Lee's exclamation a massive surge of chakra was released as the ground under him began to splinter.

"Seimon: Kai (Gate of Life: Release)!" Lee's skin began to turn red as more chakra started shooting around his body.

"Shomon: Kai (Gate of Pain: Release)!" Naruto almost cringed when even more chakra shot out of Lee. Not only was he now completely red, his eyes were now all white.

Naruto paled as he felt Lee's chakra match his own reserves and then pass them, _Oh Shit! Oh shit oh shit oh shit! 'Kyuubi!'_

Knowing what Naruto wanted Kyuubi immediately began channeling her youki through him, **'Naruto-kun I can't give you any more than one tail. You may be a Hanyou, but anything else right now would send you into an uncontrollable bloodlust.'**

'_That's fine, it should be enough,' _Naruto said as Kyuubi's youki entered his system. The red energy began oozing out, his eyes changed from their normal blue to red, his whisker marks thickened and his already long canines elongated some more. Then the youki began to take shape, forming two fox ears on top of his head, and one swishing fox tail behind him.

Upon seeing this many people who knew what it was gasped. Many people who didn't also gasped, especially because of the bloodlust and feeling of power it gave off.

* * *

"What the hell!" Kiba shouted, "What is that chakra!"

"It's the same as when he faced Gaara," Hinata whispered, trembling a bit at the power.

* * *

"I can't believe he can use that much of its chakra already!" Kakashi gaped. The other Jonin were silent, staring at the scene openmouthed and wide eyed, while the Genin stared between their sensei's and Naruto who was now hunched over.

Sasuke clinched his teeth as he watched Naruto and Lee go far beyond him in power. A part of him was confused; he had come to consider Naruto as something of a friend, or at least a begrudgingly respected rival. Yet at the same time, watching pure power pouring out of the blond Genin was frustrating. Ever since he had joined this team he had always felt inferior to Naruto, yet at the same time, it was Naruto who had helped him grow stronger several times in the past, tree climbing, trying to protect him against Orochimaru. Because the blond Genin was always helping him, at least, when he was not torturing him and Sakura, Sasuke did not know what to think.

But he could not deny he was jealous.

His curse seal pulsed before the seal Naruto had created did its job.

* * *

"He's using even more than before," Yugito whispered as she looked at the blond shinobi.

**'****I had not realized the boy could use that much of Kyuubi's youki.'**

'_Well obviously he can.'_

The others in the booth were also staring very intently at the blond, some wondering what the hell that feeling was, while others were already starting to guess.

* * *

"You never told me that boy was a Jinchuuriki Hokage-dono," The Raikage said.

Sarutobi watched Naruto intently, "The same could be said for you and the Kazekage with Yugito-san and Gaara-san."

The Raikage grunted as he conceded the point, "Yes, I suppose that is true."

* * *

"Tomon: Kai (Gate of Limit: Release)!" Cracks began to burst from the ground. Chakra was pouring in all directions from both Genin. Many of the people in the stadium gawked at the sight of 'Genin' being capable of releasing this much power!

Naruto and Lee looked at each other one last time.

Then they disappeared.

Explosions now began to sound all around the arena as the fighting reached an all-time high. The only ones now capable of even watching the battles were the Kage's, Yugito, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Anko and a few other Jonin.

Craters began forming in the landscape as the two destroyed everything in their path. Their strength was fairly even, and both of them pounded into each other with near reckless abandon then had their wounds heal right back up. However while the battle was even, there was a difference in power. Lee had opened the Hachimon gates, limiters placed on the body to keep a person's chakra from destroying them. His power, while amazing, was also completely human and had a limit for how long it would last before his body became incapable of handling that power. Naruto was using the power from Kyuubi, a near unlimited source of energy that, so long as it was not above the limit where he could no longer control himself, could potentially last him forever.

Lee's speed began to waver. His power began to fade, and his wounds began to ache. Finally, Lee collapsed, panting heavily from his efforts.

Naruto stopped, cutting the flow of Kyuubi's chakra and returned to normal near instantaneously. The feeling of power and bloodlust vanished as if it was never there.

Walking over Naruto kneeled down next to Lee, "Hey, you alright Lee?"

Lee looked over at Naruto and smiled, "O-of course, thank you…for your…con-cern."

Naruto gave Lee a smile, "You did an excellent job Lee. You are truly a splendid ninja."

Lee's smile widened even more. "T-Thank you," His eyes closed and then he fell asleep.

Naruto slumped to the ground, landing on his butt as he heaved a sigh, "Holy shit! That was utterly ridiculous! Man I'm spent…screw this test, now I just want to go back to my shitty ass apartment and sleep."

"Hey! You ok kid?" asked Genma, who had been forced to get the hell out of dodge while the two had destroyed the arena.

Naruto waved a hand, "Other than being sore as hell and feeling like someone dropped the Hokage Monument on my chest, I'm good!"

Genma chuckled in disbelief before announcing the winner, "Shousa! Uzumaki Naruto!"

* * *

"Holy shit!" Kotetsu said.

Izumi didn't even look at his partner, "You can say that again."

"These kids are getting ridiculous," Kotetsu said. "First they have Jonin-level speeds, that Lee kid can open five gates, FIVE GATES, a GENIN! Then the Uzumaki kid uses that chakra…"

"Things are getting rather intense. I think Gai decided to make a clone of himself and hopped him up on steroids. And let's not even go into Uzumaki's performance. Who would have expected this from a pair of dead lasts?" Izumo agreed.

"So what do you think?"

"Well, Lee is definitely good, really good. He could easily be a Jonin even without ninjutsu or genjutsu However he didn't win, he used a last ditch trump card, granted Uzumaki pulled out that chakra, but it was only after Lee started using the gates. Had this been a real battle Lee would have died."

Kotetsu looked at his partner, "So…a no go then?"

"We'll put him on the maybe list."

* * *

Naruto had taken to lying down on the arena field, ignoring the cheers that were coming. He was too tired to care. A shadow filtered across his vision, causing Naruto to look up, "Hey Yugi-chan."

Yugito looked at him in amusement, "Hey there. You alright? You look like shit."

"Thanks for that Yugi-chan, you always say such kind words to me," Naruto grunted. "And I look like shit because I feel like shit. I knew Lee was strong, but damn, who would have thought he would have actually been able to open five of the Hachimon gates. Ugh…I'm friggin exhausted, I need sleep."

"Well you can't sleep here, there's another match coming up," Yugito bent over and grabbed onto Naruto's arms, helping him stand. She slung his arm around her shoulder and secured hers around his waist before beginning the trek back to the fighter's booth. As they walked up the stairs Yugito could not help but cope a small feel of the blonde's body, she could not deny she rather liked the Adonis like body, the kid was only around thirteen, but he had muscles that most people twice his age did not possess.

Deciding to have some fun she grinned and she leaned into his ear while whispering, "You know you've been putting on quite a show for me and the other girls out there."

Naruto despite not really knowing what she was talking about blushed as her hot breath hit his ear, "Huh? What show? You mean the fight?"

Yugito rolled her eyes, "No I mean…" She let her eyes trailed up and down Naruto's body. He immediately got the hint and blushed bright red. Thankfully he had been dealing with her, Anko and Kyuubi, so by now he was not nearly as affected as he had been.

"Perv," he muttered.

Yugito grinned, "You're one to talk."

As the pair got into the fighter's booth only Kankurou still there, Shino and Temari were already on the field, and Shikamaru had decided it was too troublesome to stay.

"Yugi-chan can you set me down over there?" Naruto pointed over to the wall. Yugito nodded and moved him over to the wall and set him against it, "Thanks, could I ask another favor?"

Yugito smiled, "Sure."

"Wake me up when my turn is up," Naruto did not even wait for Yugito to agree before he passed out.

The blond Kumo kunoichi stared at Naruto for a second, giving him a once over. Her eyes then locked onto his face, or more specifically, the six whisker marks on it. She knew it was his symbol of being a Jinchuuriki, much like her feline eyes. Ever since she had seen them she wondered if they were like a scar of some kind, or if they were just perfectly smooth lines like tattoos. Reaching out a hand she lightly brushed her fingers along one of his whiskers; it had a slightly rough texture, showing they were more like scars then anything. As she continued to stroke them however, another thing caught her attention. Naruto was purring.

"Kawaii…" Yugito was tempted to squeal, but managed to force herself into a whisper, though she could not keep the giggle that escaped her as Naruto began to rub his face against her hand.

"Will Nii Yugito please come down to the arena floor for her match!"

Yugito looked up and noticed that Temari had just beaten that Shino kid. She sighed. Standing she cast one last look at the peacefully sleep Naruto before heading out.

The match between Temari and Yugito was fairly one-sided. Though lightning was weak against wind, Yugito also had loads of fire jutsu as well. She was faster and stronger then Temari, and had been trained since she was three to be a ninja.

And so while Temari was able to put up a decent fight, even managing to land a few hits on the blond kunoichi, she still lost in the end.

"Will Uzumaki Naruto come down so we can get the next match started!" Genma shouted as he looked over at the fighter's booth.

Yugito smirked as she looked up at the booth, "He's still asleep, I'll go get him." she made her way back towards the fighter's booth and over to where Naruto was still sleeping.

"Naruto-kun, wake up," Yugito gently shook his shoulder. "C'mon, our fights up, you need to get up."

Naruto mumbled a bit, saying something about a tub of ramen, but otherwise remained impassive.

Yugito sighed as she tried to think of a way to wake up Naruto. She thought about teasing him some to wake him up but in the end she just decided to hit him on the head.

"ITAI!" Naruto shouted as he grabbed onto his head.

"C'mon Naruto-kun, it's time to get up, our battle is supposed to start now," Naruto looked up at Yugito before grinning.

"Alright," Naruto stood up and stretched himself out, unknowingly giving Yugito and Temari, who had joined her brother, a good show. He looked over at Yugito and grinned. "I hope you're ready for me Yugi-chan."

Yugito gulped a bit at her fellow blond unknowingly using double entendre, especially since he was still wearing his nearly destroyed clothes. However she quickly shook it off and gave him a feral grin, "I think the real question should be, are you ready for me, Naruto-kun."

Naruto just looked at Yugito and smirked, "I'm ready for anything you can throw at me Neko-chan." He looked down at himself and blushed, "Just let me get into a change of clothes…"

Yugito laughed as Naruto rushed out of the booth, before making her way down to the arena.

* * *

Raiton: Kaminari Shuriken (Lightning Release: Lightning Shuriken) – C-rank elemental jutsu. Casts lightning onto thrown projectile weapons, normally shuriken, to add more power to the projectiles.

Raiton: Iakazuchi Hakai (Lightning Release: Lightning Current) - the user channels lightning chakra into the ground to create a current that travels towards an opponent and blasts them with a high concentration of lightning.

The eight Hachimon Gates - The **Eight Gates** are eight specific points on a person's Chakra Pathway System. They limit the overall flow of chakra within a person's body. The basis for the idea of the chakra gates comes from the body's limits on the functions within it. This makes the body much weaker, but it keeps the body from expiring too soon. By opening these gates, the user can surpass their own physical limits at the cost of extreme damage to their own bodies.

Rock Lee is able to open the first five gates. Might Guy, who taught Lee the skill, is able to open at least seven. Kakashi can open at least one gate, as shown during Kakashi's one-handed rock climbing where a shot of his brain shows the relevant point activating, as well as in his usage of the Front Lotus.

The state of having all Eight Gates open is known as Eight Gates Released Formation (八門遁甲の陣, _Hachimon Tonkō no Jin_; _English TV_ "Eight Inner Gates Formation"). Any shinobi who activates this state will temporarily gain powers greater than a Kage, but they will die because of the damage done to their body

The **Gate of Opening** (開門, _Kaimon_), located in the brain. This gate removes the restraints of the brain on the muscles so 100% of their strength can be used whereas normally, a person can only use 20% of their muscles' strength to keep them from disintegrating. Unlocking this gate allows the user to use the Front Lotus.

The **Gate of Healing** (休門, _Kyūmon_; _English TV_ "The Gate of Rest"), located in the brain. Forcibly increases one's physical strength and temporarily re-energizes the body.

The **Gate of Life** (生門, _Seimon_), located on the spinal cord. Allows the user to use the Reverse Lotus. The increased blood flow turns the skin red. In the video games, it allows the user to perform the Leaf Hot Wind.

The **Gate of Pain** (傷門, _Shōmon_), located on the spinal cord. Increases the user's speed and power. May cause muscle tissue to tear on use.

The **Gate of Limit** (杜門, _Tomon_; _English TV_ "The Gate of Closing"), per above. Located in the abdomen.

The **Gate of View** (景門, _Keimon_; _English TV_ "The Gate of Joy"), per above. Located in the stomach. Allows the user to perform the Morning Peacock. Opening of this gate releases such large amounts of chakra that it can cause nearby water bodies to form a vortex around the user.

The **Gate of Wonder** (驚門, _Kyōmon_; _English TV_ "The Gate of Shock"), per above. Located below the stomach. Allows the user to perform the Daytime Tiger. Those who open this gate pour glowing green sweat from every inch of their body, which immediately evaporates from their own heat energy, creating an aura which people would mistake as a green chakra coating. In the video games, allows the user to perform the Eternal Chaotic Dance. The aftereffects of opening the gate are that the user's muscle fibers are ripped to shreds, causing intense pain if anything or anyone touches him.

The **Gate of Death** (死門, _Shimon_), located at the heart. Releasing this gate uses up all of the body's energy. It makes the heart pump at maximum power and exceeds the power of every other gate. Opening this gate assures the user's death shortly after.

* * *

**There you go…battles galore.**


	25. Chapter 25

**This is a thank you to all those who continue to read my story, I'm pleased to know you find my work entertaining**

**And this thank you is for Senjuto for Betaing my work**

* * *

**Disclaimer: No matter what you tell, I will never believe that I don't own Naruto. And so long as I don't believe that then I do own Naruto.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 25: The Start of it All**

* * *

The two fighters eyed each other as Genma stood between them. Naruto was back in a spare set of clothes that he always kept on hand. A pair of blue pants, blue sleeveless formfitting shirt with Bandages wrapped around his ankles and arms. A bracer on his left arm and his gauntlet on his right with a set of black gloves covering his hands since his orange ones had met an unfortunate accident. He was not wearing a cloak for this battle, knowing it would most likely be destroyed.

"So, should we set any rules for this engagement?" asked Naruto as he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to keep them loose. While he was looking forward to this fight, he was feeling pretty tired and not at all sure how well he would do. Yugito was not only a Jinchurikki who had full control over her Bijuu, but technically a jonin level kunoichi even without its powers. And while Naruto himself was no slouch, he just wasn't at that level quite yet even when he was at his best.

Though he had no intention of giving up without a fight.

Yugito looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding, "no Jinchurikki powers for this battle. The last thing we need is to utterly destroy the stadium. Today it will all be about skill."

Naruto nodded, "Very well." He smiled. "I've actually been hoping we would get to fight."

"Oh?" Yugito gave him a racy grin. "Looking forward to fighting against someone as beautiful as me?"

Having talked with Yugito and dealt with her personality enough he now had an idea on how to respond, and so not missing a beat he said, "Well I was really just hoping that this spar would give me an excuse to get rid of your clothes." the spiky haired blond gave the female Jinchurikki a cheeky grin as she blushed, _Heh, I think I'm getting the hang of this whole flirting scene._ "With all the jutsu that will be flying around it would be rather easy to accidentally destroy them."

"And you called me a perv," Yugito shot back, giving a smirk after she had gotten her blush under control.

"I take it both fighters are ready?" Genma mumbled a bit, trying to get the pair back on track.

"You know I am," Yugito got into a taijutsu stance.

"I've been ready since I got here," Naruto slid into his own stance. "And maybe after this I can finally get some fucking sleep," he looked at Yugito and grinned, "care to join me when I do?"

Yugito smirked, "maybe if you win."

"Hajime!"

Almost as soon as the fight started Yugito shot towards Naruto, who had thrown several shuriken and began doing a set of hand seals. "Shuriken Kage Bushin No Jutsu!" the group of five shuriken multiplied into fifty, however Yugito used her cat like agility and reflexes to weave between them all without slowing down.

When she got within range of Naruto she lashed out with a claw swipe. Naruto went in to block the attack, however the moment the hit connected Yugito grabbed his fore arm and tossed him over her shoulder. Not one to be outdone so easily he began doing another set of hand seals as he flipped around. Landing on the ground he thrust out his hands, "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!"

Yugito merely grinned as she did her own hand seals, "Katon: Karyu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Missile)!" She took a deep breath before breathing out a stream of fire that overtook his wind jutsu, making the jutsu expand as it came towards Naruto.

"Oh fuck me," Naruto cursed as the flames made contact with him, expanding even more as it overtook him. Yugito looked up when the technique ended to see the burnt remains of a log. Knowing he was still around she went back into a stance and began to search the area wearily. However there was no sign of the younger blond, making her frown right before a pair of hands latched onto her leg.

Yugito's eyes widened as Naruto shot up from the ground, unable to move because of the clone holding onto her Yugito got hit. However the reaction one would expect of a person getting hit did not happen here, instead the blond female exploded in a burst of lightning as soon as Naruto's fist made contact, sending said genin rocketing back. Naruto grunted a bit as he hit the ground, forcing his body to move despite the electric current that was running through his body. Looking up he was forced to roll out of the way as Yugito came in and smashed into the spot where he had been standing.

Naruto pushed himself into a series of flips as he moved away from Yugito. Stopping several feet away Naruto reached into his left pouch and brought out a scroll, which he unrolled and channeled chakra into. A torrent of water shot out and Naruto began to make several hand seals. "Suiton: Suiryuu No Kiba (Water Release: Water Dragon Claw)!" A decent sized Dragon formed out of the water, roaring ferociously as it threw a clawed hand at Yugito. However right as it hit, said woman phased out of existence revealing it to have been nothing more than an after image.

She appeared right next to Naruto, smashing two fists into his ribs. The whiskered blond grunted as he got the wind knocked out of him, but still managed to block the next attack. The taijutsu battle that ensued afterwards was fast and furious. Yugito used a mixture of striking at weak points, as well as claw swipes and grappling techniques to go with her fluid movement and flexibility. Her strikes were almost too fast for Naruto to keep up with, and more often than not he had ended up getting hit.

Naruto back pedaled as Yugito took a swipe at his face, then moved in, hoping to catch an opening as she spun around. It was not to be as Yugito continued her spin and kicked him in the face, sending him stumbling back.

The stumble was turned into a back roll as Yugito came at him. Kipping up on his feet Naruto had his hand in a hand seal and his cheeks bulged. He hit his stomach, "Fuuton: Renkuudan!" The ball of compressed air shot at Yugito, however, even though the attack was almost launched at point blank range, the Kumo Kunoichi managed to bend herself so that the jutsu passed over her.

As she got back up Naruto managed to smash a foot in her chest, but before he could pull it back Yugito caught a hold of it. Grinning she spun his foot around, causing Naruto to land on his back, only to disappear in a puff of smoke.

Yugito's eyes widened in surprise, "Wha-"

Several Naruto suddenly burst from the ground and attempted to engage her in taijutsu. However even with their combined teamwork Yugito was able to move through the attacks fluidly, before lashing out with her own. In less than five seconds all the clones were dispelled.

However that was all the time Naruto needed as he appeared right next to her, "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!" He thrust his fist out and this time, he did hit Yugito. The attack smashed into her and sent the young woman flying back, where she crashed into the stadium wall.

Yugito pried herself out and shook her head. Looking back up at Naruto she smirked, "You know you really are pretty strong for someone so young. I don't even think I was that strong at your age."

Naruto grinned, "Thanks Yugi-chan. That means a lot hearing you say that."

"It also means I can stop holding back," The look on her face turned feral.

"Oh shi-" was all the time Naruto had to get out before Yugito was on him. He blocked a kick from the left, only for Yugito to push her leg off and use that momentum to smash her other foot into his face. Naruto stumbled back and shook the cobwebs out of his head.

He looked up to see Yugito already bearing down on him. He jumped back hoping to gain some distance, but Yugito wasn't giving him any and doggedly came after him. He continued trying to block and dodge her attacks, but they were too fast and too numerous, and more often than not Naruto ended up getting a fist, a foot or some other part of the cat womans body smashed into him.

Yugito made one last claw swipe at him, however this time Naruto exploded sending the kumo kunoichi flying back. She landed on her feet and skid across the ground. Once she stopped Naruto came up from the ground right under her and this time when he hit her, Yugito did not explode and was instead launched into the air.

Jumping up after her, Naruto appeared above Yugito and came down with an axe kick. The moment he did the blond knew something was wrong and only a quick Kariwimi saved him from being fried to a crisp as Yugito turned out to be another Rai Bunshin, having replaced herself a few seconds after she had been sent flying.

Appearing a safe distance away Naruto looked around for his query. Not finding her he sent a pulse of chakra throughout the stadium in the hopes of finding Yugito. When there was no trace of her he frowned, _There's no way she's out of the stadium since she would be disqualified. That means…!_

He jumped up at almost the same time that Yugito came up from under him. Naruto was just barely able to avoid the swipe that came his way. He could not however, dodge the kick that Yugito sent him. Grunting the blond shinobi flipped around before he landed on his feet, only to jump away seconds later as Yugito came down and hit the spot he had previously been.

"Raiton: Gian (Lightning Release: False Darkness)!" Naruto looked up just in time to see a bolt of lightning shoot out of Yugito's mouth. Cursing he used a Kariwimi to replace himself with a log. However much to his surprise, and shock, the bolt of the lightning veered away from the now destroyed log and began to chase after him! Naruto was forced to duck, dodge and jump around the lightning bolt as it followed him.

* * *

"Man is this battle getting intense!" Kotetsu said, watching the fight with a critical eye, "so do you think Naruto can win this one?"

"I'm not sure," Izumo shook his head. "That Kumo girl is good, too good to be a genin and we know next to nothing about her abilities. It was unfortunate that Naruto had to face Neji and Lee, those two forced him to reveal a lot of his abilities. They were also stronger then the ninja that Yugito girl faced, and while I'm not certain of it, I'm pretty sure she is stronger than Naruto even at his full strength. If he does win it will be on luck."

"There's no doubts there," Kotetsu said. "That girl is definitely jonin level. Her speed, taijutsu, strength, ninjutsu, tactics… it's obvious that she's only officially a genin. I guess we'll just have to see if Naruto has any other tricks to pull out of his sleeve, and knowing him he might still have some way to pull off a miracle."

* * *

Naruto grit his teeth as he dodged the lightning bolt again, however this time it managed to graze his arm, sending a shock through him. _Damn it! I need to find some way to get this thing to stop following me!_ He looked over at Yugito to see her holding a hand sign and realized what was happening, _Of course! She's controlling the jutsu in with hand seals! I need to do something that makes her drop the jutsu._

Naruto began channeling Yokai into his mouth, "Kitsune-Bi!" a light blue ball of flame shot out of his mouth, and headed for Yugito, forcing her to cancel her jutsu and jump away as the fox fire hit the ground where she had vacated and created a large explosion. Naruto dodged the Gian one last time before it hit a wall and dissipated in an explosion of electricity.

Knowing that taijutsu was out of the question, Naruto created a Kage Bunshin and both of them began doing hand seals.

"Fuuton: Atsugi (Wind Release: Severing Air Pressure)!"

"Katon: Gokyakou No Jutsu!"

The clone expelled a large fireball from its mouth, while Naruto shot a tornado at the fireball that compressed the fireball before releasing a white hot torrent of flame. The heat was so intense that Yugito felt her skin being singed as it came towards her. Luckily a quick Kariwimi allowed her to escape as the fire hit the ground with an explosion that rocked the entire stadium.

* * *

"Wow!" Ino breathed as the explosion ended, "What the hell was that!"

"That was what's known as a collaboration jutsu," Asuma said, not taking his eyes off the fight. "It's when two jutsu's combine to form a more powerful attack. Naruto used a Fuuton jutsu to fan the flames of the Katon jutsu, making the attack power double if not triple."

While the others gaped Sasuke looked at the blond in jealousy.

* * *

Naruto began panting heavily as the attack ended. He looked around before seeing Yugito standing a little ways away, a slight singe on her clothes the only indication she had not gotten off from that attack quite Scott free.

He looked himself over and sighed. His other two battles combined with this one had left him spent. While he had near kage level reserves, and had the much more potent Youki, launching out all of those jutsu and battling such talented opponents had left him drained.

"Yugi-chan, I think we both know there is no way I can continue this battle. I forfeit," Naruto said, shocking many of the people in the crowd.

Yugito grinned, "That's a wise choice. Still considering how much you've already fought, you battled extremely well."

Naruto returned her grin with his own fox-like one, "I know, that's what happens when your as awesome as me."

Yugito just shook her head and chuckled.

"Shousa! Nii Yugito!" Genma said.

For a few moments the crowd was silent as they digested what had happened. After that a few people began to cheer while others, the ones who had lost money on bet's boo'd.

* * *

"Oh man, I can't believe he lost!" Kiba said. "He was on fire!"

Hinata shook her head, "I-it's obvious he was e-exhausted from his previous battles. T-That K-kunoichi didn't have to fight as t-tough opponents."

"I guess that's true," Kiba sighed. "Do you think he would have won if he was at full strength?"

"I-I don't know."

* * *

"That was definitely an interesting battle," Izumo said as he clapped. "There were some really good fighters this year!"

"Yeah," Kotetsu agreed. "That Lee kid, Temari was decent, Yugito, Neji and Naruto. Who would have ever thought he would have been as good as he is now?"

"Definitely not me," Izumo shook his head. "Though out of the five of them I think only Yugito, Temari and Naruto should be given the position of Chunin."

"Agreed, the others showed Chunin and even Jonin level skills, but they simply didn't show the ability to properly use them."

* * *

"Aww! Naruto lost!" Ino whined. "After his other two fights I was so sure he would win!"

Kurenai shook her head, "While he has obviously gotten stronger, he was completely exhausted by his previous battles."

"Do you think he would have won if he wasn't so tired?" asked Tenten who had recovered from her battle with Temari.

"I don't think so," Kakashi said, causing the others to look at him. "That girl is obviously far above genin level, and while the same could be said for Naruto, I'm almost positive that girl is at least around the same strength as me." The other jonin nodded their heads, knowing it was true, as well as knowing that she was a Jinchurikki like Naruto himself.

"Still *Munch* it was a really good battle *Munch*," Choji spoke around a mouthful of chips.

"I have to agree," Asuma said, taking a drag of his cigarette. "He's come a long way since the academy."

* * *

The two fighters met in the center of the arena. Grinning Naruto held out a hand, "I've got to hand it to you, you really kicked my ass."

Yugito snickered as she took his hand, "I did didn't I?"

"Don't think it will be so easy the next time we spar," Naruto said. "When I see you again, we'll see who's stronger."

"You'll never be able to catch up to me," Yugito said jokingly.

Naruto smirked, "well if I can't at least my ass will be getting kicked by a hot woman like you."

Yugito blushed but was determined not to let her fellow blond win in a battle _she_ had started, "well I'm glad to know what gets you off."

"Ouch," Naruto winced but his grin held, "just for that the next time we meet I'm gonna show you what I would like to do to your ass instead of kicking it."

This time Yugito did blush, and Naruto could finally say he had chalked up at least one definite victory for himself, _I guess that pervert Jiraiya really was good for something other than his books and kicking my ass during our spars…_

"Are you two with your… verbal sparring?" asked Genma.

The two turned to look at the proctor as if just now realizing he was there, they looked back at each other then and turned to him again. "Sorry," they said in an eerie synchronized fashion.

Genma sighed before speaking up, "and now for the special treat battle! Uchiha Sasuke will get to face Nii Yugito!"

As soon as the announcement was made said Uchiha appeared in the arena, an arrogant smirk on his face. Despite having seen Naruto's battle, he was looking forward to this fight, especially after having seen how powerful this blond woman was. _She'll be perfect to test my strength against;_ he looked at the woman who would be his next stepping stone on his path to killing his brother.

Naruto placed a hand on Yugito's shoulder, "I'm not going to wish you luck, since you won't need it for him. But I would like to ask that you open a huge can of whoop-ass on the arrogant teme."

"I thought he was your teammate Naruto-kun?" Yugito said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh he is, but the teme can get pretty full of himself sometimes. Actually he's almost always arrogant," Naruto shrugged. "I find that nothing will bring the teme back down to earth like a good ol' fashion ass kicking."

Yugito grinned, "Well in that case…"

Naruto grinned before he used a Sunshin and appeared next to his sensei, "Yo, Kaka-sensei."

Kakashi blinked at his blond student, "Yo, Naruto, nice job on your battles. You've really come pretty far. And I also see you were able to learn quite a few of those jutsu I gave you."

"Yeah, I learned four of them," Naruto hummed for a moment. "I was hoping to get a few more than that, but four's pretty good considering I only had a month to train and Ero-Sennin was a slave driver with my taijutsu."

"Ero-Sennin?" Kakashi blinked, wondering who that was.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned around and saw Tenten standing next to him. He gave her a smile, "Hey Ten-chan! I'm glad to see you up and about. How are you feeling?"

Tenten blushed a bit but smiled at the concern she heard in his voice, "I'm doing good, thanks to you. I saw your battle with… Yugito-san… you did really well."

"You think so," Naruto rubbed the back of his head, grinning a bit despite the hesitance he heard when Tenten called Yugito by her name. "Thanks, she was a tough opponent, honestly I think she's probably the strongest person in this exam."

"From what I can tell your right," Kakashi said. "In fact I would have to say she is around my level if not stronger than me, so for you to battle her as long as you did was quite impressive."

Naruto blushed a bit at the praise, as well as some of the gawking stares other people in the stands were giving him, "Thanks Kaka-sensei."

Kakashi looked at him for a second as he heard the new apparent nickname. _Ugh, great, now he's giving me nicknames like Kushina-san did… at least it sounds a tad better then Kashi-kun._ "You're welcome Naruto."

"Hey you two, looks like the battle is about to start," Asuma said.

Naruto turned back towards the arena with a grin on his face, _Oh I can't wait to see the teme get his ass beat. Duck butt is in for a rude awakening._ While Naruto considered Sasuke to be something of a friend, the raven haired genin always remained aloof and arrogant. The only exception was during the second exam, but almost as soon as it had ended the boy went back to being a prick.

Inside his mind Kyuubi snickered**, 'It will be nice to see such an arrogant prick humbled.' **_**That boy has been starting to remind me of 'him' far too much… He would easily betray others if it meant getting power.**_

'_You said it Kyuu-chan.'_

* * *

Genma looked between the two opponents and held up his hand. "Hajime!" He brought it down before Sunshining away.

Sasuke smirked as he activated his Sharingan, showing that he now had three tomoe in each eye. With it he was easily able to track Yugito's speed as she flew towards him. When Yugito got in range and lashed out with a kick, Sasuke blocked it with his hand. However, Yugito pushed off his hand, and launched herself into the air, attacking with a heel kick that Sasuke managed to duck.

He launched a fist that caught Yugito's left shoulder, sending her spinning. The blond kunoichi went with the blow and used it to enhance her axe kick that she sent at Sasuke's head. Said Uchiha managed to jump away at the last second.

Yugito threw several shuriken at him, going through a few hand seals, "Raiton: Kaminari Shuriken!" Lightning burst from the shuriken and struck the ground near Sasuke, who was forced to dodge the attacks. He was able to, thanks to having seen the jutsu once already in Yugito's battle against Temari. However he had ended up focusing so much attention on the shuriken and lightning, that he missed Yugito.

Said blond managed to swipe at his face, leaving a decent sized and bloody scratch and getting Sasuke to cry out in pain and anger. He jumped back and glared at Yugito who merely gave him a smirk. Growling in anger Sasuke went through several hand seals before taking a deep breath, "Katon: Gokyakou No Jutsu!" a large fireball billowed out of Sasuke's mouth and headed for Yugito.

Yugito jumped into the air, dodging the fireball by a good margin before she sent several kunai towards Sasuke. Said Uchiha got out his own kunai and used his Sharingan to deflect the projectiles. When he had finished he saw Yugito closing in on him, lashing out with a kick. Sasuke dodged the attack before trying to punch Yugito, however the girl used the agility given to her by her Bijuu to dodge the attack. She got into Sasuke's face and before he could react, punched him in the stomach, hard.

Sasuke folded up like a cheap lawn chair, only to be thrown back when Yugito kneed him in the face. There was a loud crunch of breaking cartilage and a lot of people who had placed bets on the Uchiha to win gasped in shock at seeing his bloodied and broken nose. Yugito chuckled a bit at seeing the Uchiha's glare. Hoping to egg him on she made a come gesture.

It seemed to work as Sasuke charged forward, intent on beating her. However as the battle began to come up again it was clear that Yugito was superior in nearly every way. Sasuke was about as fast as Lee with his weights on, Yugito was just a little slower than Lee was when he had opened the Hachimon gates. And Sasuke was unable to utilize his speed to his full potential due to having only copied it, rather than mastered fighting with his new found speed. Even if his eyes negated any tunnel vision he might have received, his body and mind were still trying to work together with his new found speed.

Yugito had more experience, not just from the harsh training she had gone through as soon as she could form a sentence, but also from the many missions she had done. Sasuke's only experience was his fight against the Kiri chunin during his first C rank and his sparring with Kakashi.

In the end there was no contest.

Sasuke continued to be pushed back as Yugito began to increase her speed. Sasuke's Sharingan was able to follow her movement, however like when he had trained with Kakashi, he was unable to react in time. He received a kick to the face. Stumbling back he tried to block a claw swipe, only to find it was a feint and received a foot in the torso. He jumped back hoping to gain some distance, however Yugito merely followed him.

Getting thoroughly frustrated Sasuke used a Sunshin to get away, reappearing on the wall on the opposite side of Yugito. It would not give him much time, but it should be more than enough for what he wanted to do. He went through three hand seals and placed on hand pointed 'down' while the other held onto his arm to stabilize it.

"Chidori (One Thousand Birds)!" lightning sparked from his hand and soon, the sounds of birds chirping filled the air.

* * *

"Kakashi you didn't teach him that did you?" Gai asked in a serious voice. "I thought you would have known better then to teach that to a genin."

"So says the man who taught his genin how to open five of the Hachimon," Kakashi retorted. "I had promised him if he surpassed my expectations I would teach him a powerful jutsu."

"Sensei, isn't that the jutsu used in…" Naruto trailed off as he looked away, remembering seeing his sensei's hand sticking through Haku's chest.

Kakashi held in a wince, "Yes, it is…"

"That is Kakashi's only original technique," Gai said, not seeming to notice the tension between the two. "Because of its sound, like that of a thousand birds chirping, it's called Chidori."

"Chidori…" Naruto muttered as he looked at the jutsu with narrowed eyes.

Gai nodded, "It's an A ranked assassination jutsu. Kakashi had created it during the war and he was said to have been able to cut a lightning bolt in half with it."

Sakura looked at her sensei and Gai with a sweat drop, _Great, old men telling wives tales._

* * *

Sasuke ran down the wall, the lightning in his hand ripping through the concrete like paper. He jumped onto the ground and began to speed towards Yugito who was standing completely still.

_Is this kid serious? Using an assassination jutsu like that despite the fact that I'm faster than he is, _Yugito shook her head. That jutsu relied on being faster than your opponent, something that this kid certainly wasn't.

She would just have to teach him what it meant to fight someone better and faster than he was.

Yugito waited for Sasuke to come in range. When he did, the Uchiha thrust his fist out, hoping to impale the blond through the chest. It wasn't to be as Yugito Kawirimi'd with a Rai Bunshin. The clone exploded in a shower of sparks and electricity, shocking Sasuke and sending him sailing. The Uchiha genin hit the floor hard rolling around on the ground before coming to a stop, completely unconscious.

"Shousa! Nii Yugito!" Genma announced.

"Well, that was a totally obvious outcome." Naruto said, cracking his neck. "Dear kami I'm so tired. Hopefully now I can get some sleep…"

* * *

Before anyone else could say something, feathers began falling from the sky. And the same time a large explosion went up in the Hokage Booth, and two figures shot out.

"What the-" the people in the stadium began to fall asleep, dropping from their chairs one by one. All except the disguised Oto and Suna ninja, who were now getting up from their seats to attack the Konoha ninja. Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai and several other ninja who were in the stadium began to battle it out with the Oto ninja.

Kakashi had his Sharingan out and was using it to great effect, allowing it's predicting abilities to defeat the ninja that came his way. Asuma's trench knives were blazing with green wind chakra as he cut down any opponent that stood before him. Gai became a literal hurricane as he launched devastating kicks and punches at his enemies, each attack shattering bones. Kurenai used her talent with genjutsu to confuse and sneak up on opponents, slitting their throats before they knew what was happening.

Naruto and a few of the other genin realized it was a genjutsu, and quickly moved to dispel it, "Kai!" the feathers around them blew away, and the blond took the opportunity to look around. Ino, Choji and Kiba were all asleep from the genjutsu's effects. Meaning he and the others would have to protect them.

He noticed one of the Oto ninja that were not engaging Kakashi and the other jonin, coming for him and the other genin. Without thinking Naruto used his gauntlet and launched a kunai into the man's throat. Said man clutched at it as he gurgled and fell to the floor, dead.

"What the hell! Why are we under attack!" Naruto yelled. He did not get an answer, but he knew better then to actually expect one. Naruto grit his teeth as he summoned his Bo staff and began to fight several of the Oto ninja who were had appeared. Using a dazzling spinning combination to block several attacks that had been sent his way, spinning on his heels the blond Konoha shinobi twirled the staff around himself as he began smacking the Oto ninja away from his unconscious comrades.

"Sakura! Hinata!" Naruto shouted, getting the two frightened girls attention. "I need you to inject the genin who are still out of it with your chakra! We can't afford to have them asleep for this! Tenten, I need you to help me protect them!"

Despite being scared out of their mind the two rookie kunoichi did as told. As the two kunoichi began waking the other genin, Naruto continued defending them with Tenten joining in the fray.

He landed a powerful blow on the head of one of the Oto ninja who had gotten too close to Sakura. Naruto heard the sickening crunch of the man's neck snapping, since his battle in Nami he had refrained from killing, but with this battle he had now killed at least two enemy ninja. However he had spoken with Anko, Sarutobi, Kakashi, Jiraiya and Yugito a lot about killing, and had steeled his mind, knowing he would have to kill again. It still sickened him, but he did not slow down.

Beside him Tenten was launching kunai after kunai at the ninja who were too far away for Naruto to strike. Each one she threw was a head shot, showing just how accurate she was with her weapons.

As Naruto continued his assault the genin were woken up one by one. When they did the blond turned to them, "Hook up with your jonin sensei and get your orders from them!"

Many of the other genin were shocked by Naruto's calm and commanding presence. However due to his previous battles they did not question him, each nodding before taking off. The blond jabbed his staff into another ninja's face, not bothering to listen to it break with a sickening crunch as he turned to Sakura, "Follow me! We're going to Kakashi-sensei to get our orders!"

"But what about Sasuke-kun!" asked Sakura. Sasuke was down in the arena and probably still unconscious, he needed their help!

"Sasuke is with Yugito," Naruto resealed his staff and launched a wind blade at a Suna Kunoichi, nearly splitting the woman in half with the attack. "She'll protect him right now; we need to get to Kakashi however."

Naruto moved away, forcing Sakura to follow him for protection.

* * *

"Oh great," Yugito said in an annoyed voice as she found herself surrounded by several Suna and Oto ninja. "I so don't need this," She looked down at the still form of Sasuke and rolled her eyes, "And now I've got to baby sit too."

"Just hand over the Uchiha and we may let you walk out of here," One of the Oto Shinobi ordered. Orochimaru had said he wanted them to capture Sasuke sometime during the exams if possible, and right now seemed like the best time to get him.

Unfortunately they were facing off against Yugito, who not only had no intention of giving the raven haired genin to them, but was also skilled enough to pull such a thing off.

"Well, while I would personally love to give the arrogant brat to you, he's kind of a teammate and friend to this guy that I've taken a liking to. So, I'm gonna have to decline your offer."

She smirked as the ninja charged her, sliding into her stance she began to weave through the attacks her enemies sent. Dodging a kick to her side, she latched onto the leg and swung the Oto shinobi into a kunoichi from Suna. Bending herself backwards, she avoided a punch from a Suna shinobi, right before she came back up and with a kunai in hand and shoved it in his throat.

Yugito kicked the dying ninja away and into another one that had tried to rush her. Spinning on the balls of her feet, she lashed out with a kick that connected a the throat of the Oto shinobi she had thrown earlier, crushing his windpipe.

As the Oto ninja fell to the ground, clutching at his throat, Yugito ducked under a kunai swipe by a Suna kunoichi, before coming into said kunoichi's guard and stabbing her in the ribs with her own kunai, piercing the woman's heart. She grabbed the now dead Suna kunoichi by the arms and used her as a bat to smack another ninja away.

Getting back into a stance she looked at the ninja who were now eyeing her wearily and grinned, "You know compared to my battle with Naruto-kun, you guys are boring."

The ninja looked at each other before charging back in.

* * *

Several miles outside of Konoha several dozen Oto and Suna ninja sat around three summoning seal arrays. Always having been a meticulous planner, Orochimaru had made sure to set several decoy summoning arrays, so that, in case the invasion was found out and the Konoha ninja somehow managed to find his summoning arrays, he would still have several left in the wing.

The one dozen ninja began going through a set of hand signs before slamming them into the array, "Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

Three large puffs of smoke surrounded the area and when it cleared there were three large snakes. The two on the left were fairly average looking, albeit nearly the size of the Hokage tower, one had green scales, while the others was black. However, it was the one in the middle that looked caught everyone's attention, of course seeing how it had three heads that was understandable.

The snakes surged forward, the one in the middle in the lead. They crashed through one of the towering walls around Konoha and began to wreak havoc on the village.

* * *

Jiraiya and the Anbu looked up when they saw the giant snakes smashing into Konoha on the opposite side of where they were located.

"Damn it! It seems that damn Hebi set us up with decoys," Jiraiya muttered. He looked over at the Anbu, "I want you all to start with the operation. I'll take care of the summons."

"Hai Jiraiya-Sama!" the Anbu saluted and took off.

Jiraiya looked over at the stadium where Sarutobi and Naruto were probably fighting right now. "I hope those two are safe," He turned his attention back to the snakes and took off.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted as he redirected a punch sent his way, and then lashed out with his own. Sending an Oto ninja stumbling back before he snap kicked the shinobi in the head in such a way that it broke the man's neck. "What are our orders!"

Kakashi looked over at his two genin as he finished snapping a Suna kunoichi's neck, "I want you two to hook up with the other genin. Group together and start defending the village while we fight here."

"But sensei! What about Sasuke-kun!" asked Sakura as she hid behind Naruto.

"Don't worry about him," A new voice spoke up.

The trio turned to find Yugito standing there with a still unconscious Sasuke over her shoulder. She gave them a small smirk. "He'll be fine in a couple of hours, unfortunately he won't be able to move for a while, even after he regains consciousness."

Kakashi nodded as he threw a kunai into a nearby Suna shinobi's neck, "In that case I want him taken to the hospital where Hiashi is currently guarding the injured." He turned to look at the other jonin and their genin who were helping them fight.

With Asuma, Shikamaru was using his Kage Mane No Jutsu to hold down any ninja that got to close, while Choji smashed them by using his Bunbun Baika No Jutsu (Partial Multi-Expansion Jutsu). Meanwhile, Ino was using her Shintenshin No Jutsu to enter the minds of her enemies and use their bodies to kill her enemies and sow dissension among the ranks.

Over a little ways away Kiba and Akamaru were using the Gatsuuga to drill into enemy ninja left and right, there teamwork tearing through enemy ninja like butter. Hinata had her Byakugan blaring and had shown how much she had improved recently as she used the Jyuken style taijutsu to attack her enemies. At the same time Shino was using his bugs to take care of the enemies that were coming towards them before they got to close to his teammates.

Tenten despite being the only ninja in her squad who was there used all manner of ranged weapons to take out enemy shinobi as she fought alongside her sensei. Launching kunai and shuriken with great precision before most of the enemy ninja could even react.

"You guys mind if I borrow our genin!" Kakashi asked as he ducked under a fist. He came back up and flicked a kunai into his hand, right before he impaled the Oto shinobi through the throat.

Asuma grunted as he slashed apart another Oto ninja, "Sure! I think we've got things here!"

The other jonin voiced their agreements and Kakashi turned back to his team.

"Sakura, I want you to take Sasuke and go with Kiba, Shino and Hinata to the hospital, protect the ninja there." Sakura nodded and went over to Kurenai and her squad while Naruto made two clones to take Sasuke off of Yugito's hands. "Naruto, I want you to go with Tenten, and squad ten, help the village evacuate any civilians who have not left for the shelters."

"Got it sensei!" Naruto took off towards team ten.

Kakashi looked over at Yugito, "I can't order you to do anything, but if you can help out that would be appreciated."

"Don't worry." Yugito said, "Since this is Naruto-kun's home and my kage is currently here, I will lend you a hand."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the blonds use of an affectionate suffix for his student, he filed it away in the 'tease students' section of his mind before nodding and getting back to work.

* * *

Sarutobi looked around at what was going on impassively. He was currently being held with a kunai to his neck by Orochimaru, who he knew had disguised himself as the Kazekage. There was a large purple barrier surrounding them, preventing anyone from coming in to aid him, as evidenced by the dead Anbu that had run into it and been fried to a crisp.

Not that he wanted or needed help at the moment.

"I see you went through quite the bit of careful planning to get me alone… Orochimaru," Sarutobi pushed the kunai away and spun around with a kick.

Orochimaru jumped back and chortled a bit, "Kukuku, very good Sarutobi-sensei. I wonder, how did you know it was me?" a hand came up and pulled off the man's mask and face to reveal the pale skin and yellow eyes of Orochimaru, the Hebi Sannin.

"I have known about your plan for some time now, my foolish former student." Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, "I am curious however, you have never been the type to simply attack for just vengeance. So why try to destroy Konoha now? What do you hope to accomplish with this?"

"Kukuku, well I don't know if I have any grand goal that I wish to accomplish." Orochimaru smirked, "I suppose you could say I enjoy watching things in motion, life gets dull when things are standing still, don't you agree?" The pale man removed the kage hat and robes to reveal an off white Kimono with a purple bow. "A stopped windmill is so boring to watch you know… though sometimes it heightens the anticipation. Right now I just want to make that windmill spin again, and the crumbling of the leaf village will provide the wind."

Orochimaru took a few steps towards his old sensei, his eyes were a lit with excitement. Sarutobi only smirked at his student as he removed his robes and hat to reveal his battle attire. Near samurai style armor and helmet similar to the kind the Ni and Shodaime Hokage's wore.

"It seems you never change, do you, Orochimaru?"

* * *

"So how are we going to do this?" asked Shikamaru as he Choji, Ino, Tenten and Naruto jumped through Konoha. They had been given the job of helping locate and safely escort any civilians who had not yet evacuated to the Hokage Monument.

Naruto looked at him and noticed the others were also staring at him expectantly. He realized they were waiting for orders. This was not something he had expected. "Erm…" He shook his head, right now these four were expecting him to tell them what to do, and even though he did not want to be the leader right now, he had to think of something.

Several dozen plans went through his mind before he selected the one with the best chance at succeeding. He put his hand in the ram seal and called out his most used jutsu, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" There was a puff of smoke and two hundred clones suddenly appeared around them.

"Shikamaru and Ino, I want you two to take one hundred clones and head off the two west! These clones will provide distractions and support for you! Tenten and Choji, same thing except go to the eastern sections!"

"What about you Naruto-kun?" asked Tenten with some worry. He was giving them all the clones, and that had to have been taxing on him.

"Don't worry about me," Naruto gave her a reassuring smile. He did not have as much chakra as he would have liked, but this many clones wouldn't drain his reserves too much. "I have still have a lot more chakra left. Now go!"

The others looked at him for only a moment before shooting off with one hundred clones following them.

Naruto's eyes hardened again as he took off towards the ninja academy, his instincts were screaming at him to head there. After all, the best way to insure your enemy can not fight back in later years to come, is to get rid of the future ninja the opposing village has.

* * *

Iruka along with several dozen other Chunin had barricaded the academy entrances in an effort to protect the students there. The evacuation order had come to them too late. Orochimaru had already foreseen that the academy may be evacuated before the invasion took place. And so he had given the order to destroy the academy the minute they tried to leave.

The moment Iruka and the others had attempted to evacuate, they had been ambushed by several squads of Oto ninja. Many of the Chunin had already died in an attempt to protect the students as they made their way back into the academy, and many more students had died because there were simply not enough Chunin to protect them all.

Turning around the scarred Chunin looked towards one of his comrades, "How are things looking?"

The Chunin slowly shook his head, "Not too good. We've only got about a dozen of us, and six are too injured to fight. We lost nearly fifty students in that surprise attack, nearly a hundred are injured and there is no way or us to get to the shelters."

"Damn," Iruka muttered, things were not looking good. "Those Oto ninja had expected the evacuation, almost as soon as it began they managed to storm us."

"Things are starting to look hopeless," The other agreed.

A little ways away Konohamaru and his two friends heard what they had said and were looking both worried and afraid. Looking around the young Sarutobi saw that many of the other students were also afraid, even more so then he was. Standing up Konohamaru peeked out of the window he had been hiding near, when he did he saw something that began to bring hope back to him.

"It's the boss!" He shouted, causing everyone else to look over at him, "Naruto-nii's come to rescue us!"

The other students and even the teachers looked out of the second story window and saw the shocking sight of nearly one hundred copies of a spiky blond haired ninja plowing through the enemy shinobi that had decided to remain behind.

* * *

Naruto was crouched on a roof as he looked over at the academy, using his talent for remaining hidden to avoid enemy detection. He moved the binoculars as he did a thorough sweep of the academy grounds. There a lot of dead instructors and many more students, along with nearly forty shinobi who were surrounding the grounds.

Seeing all the dead students made his blood boil. Konoha had allowed these people to come in here and participate in the exams, and this what they do!

He shook the thought off for the moment, getting angry would not help him here. As he looked at the forty enemy ninja he wondered why they had not attempted to attack the academy yet. Were they expecting some kind of trap if they entered? Or did they just feel that there was no need to rush things?

_Whatever, I need to find a way to get rid of them,_ Naruto said to himself.

"Damn it, I wish I had not told Shikamaru and the others to go off," Naruto mumbled under his breath. In hindsight it might not have been the best idea. However there was simply too much ground to cover in Konoha, and his clones would dispel with on good hit, so they could not protect the population as well as Shikamaru and the others could.

"Well, I guess there's no helping it then," Not wasting a second Naruto came up with the best plan to defeat them. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" One hundred more Naruto clones puffed into existence, fifty of them jumped off and charged into the enemy ninja. They began to fight using fist, feet, knee's, elbows, head butts and kunai as they tore into the surprised Oto ranks. It took a while but soon the Oto ninja began fighting back, dispelling the clones faster than Naruto would have liked.

However there job was not just to fight against the enemy ninja, but to herd the enemies into a single spot so that they would be trapped for Naruto's planned jutsu. So in the end, it did not matter how many of them dispelled so long as there was enough clones to execute his plan.

The other fifty Naruto clones used as much stealth as they could to make it to the academy walls. A few were dispelled, but most managed to make it in front of the door, which by now was littered with dead Oto ninja. The clones took up a defensive perimeter around the academies main entrance.

Meanwhile Naruto had jumped in the air, using his wind chakra to boost his height so that he was above the Oto ninja and his currently fighting clones. He made another clone in midair and both began doing hand seals.

"Fuuton: Atsugai!"

"Katon: Gokyakou No Jutsu!"

The clone expelled a large fireball from its mouth, while Naruto shot a tornado at the fireball that compressed the fireball before releasing a white hot torrent of flame. The flames shot right into the midst of the enemy shinobi, incinerating them in seconds. An explosion soon lit up the area as Naruto landed on the ground.

The blond dropped to a knee while panting a bit. Grimacing he reached into one of his kunai pouches and pulled out a chakra pill. Normally he would never eat one, in fact, Naruto had never had to eat any kind of supplemental pill in his life, since he had such large reserves and Kyuubi healed everything before it became a serious problem. However he had been fighting in a tournament since this morning, and had now made three hundred clones and had pumped in more Youki into those tow jutsu on top of the amount he had already used during the Exams. So he did not have much of a choice right now. He popped the pill in his mouth and chewed.

After swallowing the bitter tasting pill he sighed in relief as he felt it do its job and help Kyuubi restore his youki. He was nowhere near full but it should be enough for this. Turning around he made his way towards the academy entrance.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto-nii/Boss!"

The door opened to reveal Iruka, Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon had come near the door with the many academy students and Chunin instructors behind them.

"I'm glad to see you guys are alright," Naruto said, smiling in relief.

"Did Hokage-Sama send you?" asked Iruka.

Naruto shook his head, "Kakashi-sensei ordered me and a few other genin to help assist in the evacuation. I decided to come here just in case, and it looks like my instincts paid off." He looked at Iruka with a rare serious expression on his face, "Are there any injured?"

Iruka looked somewhat taken back by the serious expression on Naruto's face, but gave a nod, "Half of our Chunin instructors are and about one hundred students."

Naruto grimaced, "Can they walk or do they need assistance?"

"Most of them can walk, however several will need help," Iruka answered.

Nodding Naruto came up with a decision on what to do. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" around fifty clones popped into existence. Naruto winced as he felt half of his reserves leave him, but knew it was necessary, "These twenty five will help carry any of the injured, while the other twenty five will protect you as you make your way to the shelters in the Hokage Monument."

"What about you?" asked Iruka with a frown.

"There's an enemy that has been dispelling quite a few of my clones for a while now. None of them have been able to touch this one, I have to deal with him personally."

Iruka gave his former student a concerned look, "Are you sure that's wise?"

Naruto shrugged, "Maybe not, but if I don't deal with him he'll attack and kill more Villagers and I can't let that happen."

Knowing better then to try and change Naruto's decision Iruka nodded, "well, good luck then."

"Thanks," Naruto ran off, jumping over the fence and leaving the academy students and instructors staring after him.

* * *

Shikamaru caught another shinobi in his shadow, allowing one of the Naruto clones to kill him by slicing his neck open with a kunai. They had been fighting for quite a while, Shikamaru would use his shadows to possess them and a Naruto clone would kill them. Ino was hidden along the walls, using her mind possessing ability to cause chaos amongst the enemies ranks while several clones hid themselves around her for protection.

"Man this is so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, catching another three ninja in his shadow. Three Naruto clones converged on the enemies, slitting their throats before disappearing.

_Were lucky a lot of these ninja appear to only be genin,_ Shikamaru thought to himself as he watched a Naruto clone kill another enemy ninja. _Their elite forces must all be at the arena…_

* * *

"Shoushouryuu!" Tenten shouted as hundreds of weapons left the scrolls she was weaving through the air. Each and every weapon managed to hit one of the Oto or Suna ninja below, making the groups that had been storming Konoha scream out in pain as they were impaled or bludgeoned.

After exhausting her weapons, Tenten landed on the roof some distance away and used chakra strings to lift the weapons back up and send them to attack more ninja who had just gotten there.

In another street just a little ways away, Choji was rolling over every enemy ninja he came across. Smashing them like pancakes, while the Naruto clones were either fighting their own battles, rescuing the civilians that were in the area, or herding the enemy shinobi towards Choji.

* * *

Within a sector of Konoha that looked near abandoned, a cage opened and Gaara stepped out. The left side of his face was covered in sand that held the form of a tanuki. His teeth on that side was likewise fanged, while the other side held normal teeth. Drool was seeping down his mouth and his left eye no longer held the same green as his right, instead it was yellow in color with a star-like pupil in the center.

The sand seemed to stop at his torso, covering his arm as well and allowing it to take the form of a giant claw with three fingers.

His head swished around as if looking for pray, the drool flying everywhere as he glared at not seeing anything here. With nothing here to kill he bounded off, "UZUAMKI! WHERE ARE YOU UZUMAKI! COME AND LET ME PROVE MY EXISTANCE!"

* * *

The battle between Orochimaru and Sarutobi had become more and more intense as the two launched jutsu after jutsu, as sword clashed against staff and the two battled all across the enclosed space. The Sandaime, despite being old seemed able to keep up with Orochimaru for the most part.

Everything changed however when Orochimaru used a jutsu that the Nidaime had created, and brought two of Konoha's most powerful shinobi back to life. The aging Hokage had never imagined that his former student would stoop so low as to use this jutsu, a jutsu that he had tried to hide from everyone after he had become Hokage due to how truly despicable it was.

Sarutobi was only glad he had been able to stop the Yondaime from surfacing or this battle would have been so far ou of his favor it would have been considered ridiculious.

"Little Sarutobi is that you?" asked the man on the right. He had long black hair and was wearing red battle armor, "You've gotten old."

"It must have been a long time since we have been dead, eh old monkey?" asked the one on the left. A man with white hair and blue battle armor.

"I would have never thought we would meet again like this, Shodaime-Sama, Nidaime-Sama," Sarutobi spoke with a slight choke, both happy to see his old friends again, and appalled at the way he had to see them. "I suggest you prepare yourselves."

Outside of the barrier several of the Anbu gasped, all of them staring at the two armor clad ninja in surprise, shock, awe and no small amount of fear. Before, Sarutobi had stood a chance of winning. Even though he was old, the man wise and was crafty in the ways of war, and despite his age was still very strong and had taken down opponents far worse than Orochimaru. Now however, he was being forced to face two of the strongest shinobi that Konoha had ever produced, two of the villages founders. The Anbu were no longer sure if their leader could win, not against a Sannin and two former Hokage's.

The Nidaime glanced over his shoulder to see Orochimaru closing in with a set of specially designed kunai. He was easily able to realize what was going on, "I see, so this is the one who was able to perform Eido Tensei (Ressurection of the Impure World), that's pretty impressive."

The Shodaime looked over at the Sandaime Hokage, "If this is true, then I would assume we are here to battle you little-Saru. I am correct?"

"Yes it is. Now if you three old fools are done reminiscing let's get started," Orochimaru stated as he put the two specially tagged kuna into the backs of the Nidaime's and Shodaime's heads. "I want to watch the leaf burn."

The Shodaime sighed, "It seems no matter how much the times change, there will always be battle."

"Yes, but you like the idea don't you?" Orochimaru chuckled.

"Using the dead as tools, Orochimaru, you have lowered yourself even more then I thought possible," Sarutobi clenched his fists.

Orochimaru smirked, "Say what you want, but the times have changed and I've waited too long to watch this village burn to the ground. But don't worry sensei, I'll give you the privilege to watch your beloved village get razed before I end your life."

However much to Orochimaru's surprise, Sarutobi merely smirked, "That will not be happening today my foolish student. Since you plan on using two kage's to fight one, I believe it's time I even up the odds."

Pulling out two scrolls from his pouch, Sarutobi threw them into the air before going through a set of hand signs. The two scrolls fell back down but Sarutobi caught them, and set them on the ground where he unrolled them. It was then that Orochimaru saw just what was on the two scrolls and felt his eyes widen.

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

There were two puffs of smoke and when it cleared Orochimaru could not hold in the curse, as the tides once again turned and possibly, not in his favor this time.

"Orochimaru I don't believe you were properly introduced before. I would like you to meet A, the Raikage of Kumogakure and his brother, Kirabi."

"Yo, yo, I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, that because I'm the Eight tails Jinchurikki!"

Sarutobi, A, the Anbu, Orochimaru and even the puppet Kage's all sweat dropped at the man's rapping.

A coughed, "Well now that Bee has gotten that out of his system, why don't we start this battle."

"I couldn't agree more," Orochimaru said, deciding to ignore the man's rapping, since even he thought it was weird. It did not matter if Sarutobi had help, he would make the leaf burn.

* * *

Katon: Karyu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Missile) - The user kneads chakra into flames, which are then manipulated into a genuine-looking dragon. Since the art of having the flames obey the user's will is outrageously difficult, its mastery is restricted to a limited number of skillful shinobi. The spat out flames are divided to launch a left side, right side, and frontal assault in all three directions at once, turning the enemy into ash in a matter of seconds.

Fuuton: Atsugi (Wind Release: Severing Air Pressure) - powerful wind technique which is released by Kakuzu's wind-element mask. A tornado-like mass is compressed until it has a very high density and is then released. The wind pressure is raised to its highest limit, and once the technique hits the target, the resulting blast sweeps everyone off their feet.

If the technique is used by someone who has mastered wind nature transformation, the blast can hit a vast range, inflicting massive damage on both the target and their surroundings.

This technique can be combined with the Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work, to increase the flame's potency in a great scale, causing a massive firestorm.

Eido Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Resurrection) - The **Summoning: Impure World Resurrection** is a forbidden technique used to revive the dead. It was originally developed by Tobirama Senju, and later completed by Orochimaru.[2] Kabuto now claims to have mastered it to a degree even higher than them. Kabuto also claims this jutsu to be the "greatest, most powerful technique in the shinobi universe",[2] as it poses no risk at all to the user.[3]

To perform this technique, the user must first acquire some of the DNA of the person they intend to revive. Kabuto remarks that this basically amounts to grave-robbing, although blood stains or organs salvaged after the target's death also work. The soul of the intended revived must also reside in the pure world (浄土, _jōdo_); those whose soul has been consumed by the Death God, for example, cannot be resurrected. Next, a living sacrifice is required for the soul of the resurrected to use as a vessel.[2]

The seal for the ritual.

Added by Simant

Once all prerequisites for the technique have been met, the physical remains acquired are smeared on a special scroll and once the scroll is activated, the remains spread out in the form of a special symbol with the living sacrifice in the center of the symbol. Then dust and ash encases the sacrifice's body, giving them the same appearance that the revived had at the time of their death. The person is then revived and the end product is usually stored in a casket until summoned by the user. The user can theoretically revive a limitless number of people in this way, so long as they have enough sacrifices, chakra and DNA to perform the technique.[2]

When first summoned, the body of the resurrected is stored in a coffin; their body will appear grey and in a state of minor decay, marred by cracks and other imperfections, and the individual will also appear to be asleep. Upon awakening they retain their personality, memories, and all abilities they had in life, including kekkei genkai and kekkei tōta, but it does not seem to be able to recreate unique weapons such as Samehada. The summoned can be recalled at will by the user, causing an empty coffin to emerge and reclaim the individual, and the summoner can also use revived individuals to remotely summon coffins containing additional reinforcements.[4]

After the individual has been summoned and awakened, the summoner can bind the individual to his or her will by using a special talisman, which is attached to the end of a kunai and implanted in the brain. Upon implanting the talisman, the resurrected individual will regenerate further, eliminating any remaining imperfections and restoring colour to their bodies and clothing. The summoner either remotely controls or tracks the summoned individuals using pebbles he manipulates on a simple grid, which acts as a map.[5]

Different talismans can be used to enact different degrees of control. Orochimaru's talismans completely eliminated the personalities of the summoned, turning them into mindless killing machines under his command. Kabuto prefers to use a weaker binding talisman on certain individuals, allowing them to retain some degree of their own personality. The latter method is useful for psychological warfare,[6] and can also allow the summoned individual to tap into their own emotions, memories, or creativity to enhance their effectiveness in combat,[7] but also carries a host of drawbacks; it takes more effort to retain control with the weaker binding which can make it possible for the hearts of the summoned to be swayed by strong emotions, which can result in the soul breaking free and returning to the Pure World.[4]

Even so, Kabuto can completely remove their personalities if needed, and may elect to if they resist his command too strongly. After gaining more experience with the technique, and absorbing Orochimaru's chakra from Anko Mitarashi, Kabuto exerts greater control over the summoned and can even overwrite his own talismans, greatly increasing the power of the binding.[4]

The revived are impossible to kill by normal means. Any damage they receive will regenerate, be it lost limbs or complete disintegration. Not even killing the summoner will get rid of them.[8] There are only three known methods to end the technique:

Seal away the soul of the revived individual.

Have the summoner end the technique. As they are unlikely to do this voluntarily, using a genjutsu to trick them into canceling the technique is ideal. The sequence of hand seals for canceling the technique is Dog → Horse → Tiger and saying "release" (解, _kai_).

The revived individual is affected in some emotional way that gives them closure;[9] Kankurō notes that human emotions are not so easily restrained.[10] However, this method cannot work if the summoner destroys the personality of the revived individual before their soul is freed of its bonds.[4]

Once any of these methods is accomplished, the bodies will crumble into dust, with the bodies of the sacrificed individual lying among the ashes.

Besides the three mentioned methods, the technique can also be partially combated by immobilizing the bodies in a way that it cannot move or act. Although this does not truly defeat the summoning, it is effective at preventing the bodies from becoming a threat in battle.

**Well, there you have it.**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Also, I'm pretty sure everyone is wondering about the power levels of the people in the story. Here is a basic ranking classification system based on their skills, power and experience. **

**Naruto – B **

**Naruto using Kyuubi's youki – lower A **

**Yugito – A**

**Yugito using Nibi's youki – lower to mid S**

**Neji – C to B**

**Sasuke – C to B**

**Lee – B**

**Lee when he opens the Hachimon – lower A**

**Look up my ranking system so you can see how powerful they are.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Special thanks to all those who have read my story, I appreciate the support.**

**Thank you also to my Beta Senjuto for helping me with my work.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It belongs to this guy named Kishimoto, God I hate that guy…why does he get to own Naruto and I don't?**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 26: Kage Level Battles**

* * *

Orochimaru looked in anger at the two ninja that had appeared from the sealing scrolls. Truth be told he had not even expected the pair to help, they were under no obligation to assist Konoha and Kumo had been with Konoha for a long time. That had been part of the reason he had continued with his plan to attack regardless.

Now his two greatest tools would be taken away to battle against The Raikage and his younger brother. A most frustrating turn of events as it meant the mental warfare he had planned on his sensei was no longer valid _and_ he had lost two powerful shinobi to help him. It still did not mean anything to him however. His plans remained unchanged and he was sure that this battle would still be his in the end.

"I did not expect the Yondaime Raikage to actually come to your aid sensei," Orochimaru said in amusement. "Still, this changes nothing; the Leaf village will burn by the end of this battle."

"I think you are overestimating your chances Orochimaru," Sarutobi shot back.

"The old monkey is right yo, this battle is no longer in your favor since me and big bro have come onto this show!"

A sighed at his brother's rap and resisted the urge to face palm, thankfully having been dealing with it as long as he had, A was able to ignore it, "I believe my brother is right. This battle will no longer be as easy as you think."

"Kukuku, perhaps," Orochimaru chortled. "Though I am curious…you are not allies with Konoha, so why side with them in this fight? You would greatly benefit from its destruction."

The Raikage shook his head, "That's only a possibility; their destruction does not guarantee my village more missions. In any case, when I heard I would get to get rid of a certain snake; one who has caused quite an uproar in my village when he had his right hand man kidnap several children with Kekkei Genkai from Kumo, I was more than happy to help him in this battle."

"I see, I suppose you would still be upset by that," Orochimaru hummed, not seeming to be bothered with admitting he to the particular atrocity he had committed. "Well, it doesn't matter in the end."

"Hokage-san, I will take on the Shodai, since I get the feeling you wish to battle your old student," The Raikage said.

"Thank you Raikage-san." Sarutobi replied, "You are correct; I so wish to finish what I started so many years ago."

"Yo yo yo, the Shodai is the man in red, or am I getting mixed up with the two who are dead?" asked Kirabi.

"No, you are correct," Sarutobi did his best to ignore the man's raps by imagining it was no different from the times when Naruto would say Dattebayo.

"Then I guess that means I get the one in blue, he looks like he would be fun to fight to."

"Let's just get this battle started," The Raikage commented as he saw the two former Hokage's charging in.

He and Kirabi immediately leapt in front of the pair and with a twin shout of 'Lariat!' kicked two of the strongest ninja ever produced in the village away. As they ran after the pair of reanimated Kages, Sarutobi continued glaring at his former student.

Sarutobi watched the pair move off to fight his two former senseis. He was now very glad he had decided to tell the Yondaime Raikage about Orochimaru's planned invasion. A had refused to tell him why he had agreed to help Sarutobi in this fight, but hearing about what his former student had done made him realize it was a matter of village security. It disgusted and pleased him at the same time that Orochimaru had managed to get on A's bad side or he would have been forced to face his former teachers and friends. He knew that his age was catching up with him, the fact that his battle with his former student had lasted as long as it had was proof enough. Had it been even a few years prior, Sarutobi would have been able to kill his former student with only minor troubles.

"I am curious Orochimaru. What do you hope to gain in attacking Konoha after all this time?" asked Sarutobi, hoping to get more information out the Snake Sannin and stall him.

"Hmmm…" Orochimaru hummed as a smirk adorned his face. "I suppose I could tell you. The reason I postponed this village's destruction is really quite simple. I wanted something that would help me accomplish my ambitions of learning every jutsu in the world. What I want are the eyes that can turn even the great Kyuubi No Kitsune into nothing more than an obedient pet. The eyes that will allow me to copy jutsu with a single glance that can break the will of others with by merely looking at them, that can bring forth black flames that will burn for seven days without end."

"So, you want Uchiha Sasuke then," Sarutobi had already suspected this. Naruto had mentioned it during the debriefing and Jiraiya had agreed that it was what the snake would want.

"Yes." Orochimaru said with a hiss, "I want the boy with the Sharingan. He will be a great asset to me as my next host."

Sarutobi frowned as a bad feeling came over him, "Next host?"

"Kukuku." Orochimaru laughed as he reached a hand to his face in a manner similar to what he had done in the Forest of Death and when he had pulled away his Kazekage disguise. He peeled away the flesh of his skin to reveal what lay underneath, causing Sarutobi to gasp.

"W-What is this!" Sarutobi shouted in horror and disgust, "Who are you!"

"Kukuku." Came the now feminine laugh. The person standing before him no longer looked like his former student. Instead it was a woman, though her skin was as pale as Orochimaru's and she still contained yellow eyes and that unnaturally long tongue. However everything else about this person was different. The woman gave Sarutobi a sick grin, "Why don't you recognize me sensei? It's me, Orochimaru."

"You!" Sarutobi growled out in anger at seeing how far his student had now stooped to. "To have fallen so low, you're a fiend Orochimaru!"

"Kukuku, do not be so angry sensei. That look really doesn't suit you." Orochimaru chortled, "You are old sensei, and just by looking at you I can see that age has caught up to you. We both know, had you been younger; you might have been able to defeat me. Age has made you weak. But I…I have gained the power of immortality. No sacrifice is too small for that power. I will never end up like you. Too weak and fragile to stand up against those I should have beaten."

Sarutobi shook in a mixture of rage, regret and sorrow. To see his prized student fall so low, all for the desire of gaining immortality. This man was no longer worthy of being called his student. He was now a monster, someone who held no remorse or regret for the deaths he had needlessly caused in his quest for immortality.

What made it worse was that Sarutobi knew he could have ended this man years ago, when he had first found out about his student's experiments on the people of Konoha. However he had let his love for his student get in the way of the decision he could have made, the one he should have made. There were only a few things he had ever come to truly regret in his life. The first was how he had been unable to give Naruto the life he should have had for bearing the burden of the Kyuubi. The second was not being able to help Minato and Kushina when they had decided to make their son a Jinchuuriki, not being able to sacrifice his own life so that they could have raised Naruto as he should have been.

And the third was standing right in front of him. However he would no longer run away from this decision. Today, he would either end his foolish former student, or die in the attempt.

"Orochimaru!" Sarutobi snarled as he bit his thumb, smearing the blood along his other hand and beginning a sequence of hand seals. "It was a mistake to let you live all those years ago. However today, I will rectify that mistake. This is the day I end your ambitions, my foolish former student. Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

Sarutobi slammed his hand into the ground, an array of seals appearing under it. There was a puff of smoke to signify the Hokage summoning something. When the smoke cleared, it was to reveal a large white ape with ninja attire and a Konoha head band secured around his forehead. The ape observed his new surroundings briefly, before his eyes locked onto the gold slitted eyes of Orochimaru.

"So…it has come to this after all," The old ape ground out, turning his attention to Sarutobi. "You're a pathetic fool for letting that man live Saru. Had you just killed him the last time you had met, none of this would have happened."

"I know I was foolish back then Enma, however, rest assured that I will not be letting this monster live beyond today." Sarutobi replied, knowing his summon had never been happy with his decision to let the Snake Sannin go.

"This wouldn't have happened had you just finished him the first time you had the chance!"

"Enma, use that so we can rid ourselves of this snake once and for all!"

"Very well." The old ape said before forming a hand seal. "Henge: Kongōnyoi (Adamantine staff)!"

A puff of smoke later, a long black staff with golden ended tips appeared in Enma's place. Sarutobi grasped the staff in his hand, twirling the weapon around expertly despite not having used it in battle for a few years. He settled himself into a stance and glared at his opponent.

Smirking at his sensei, Orochimaru opened his mouth and allowed a snake to slither out of it. Said serpent hissed as it opened its jaws to reveal the hilt of a blade. Orochimaru grabbed onto the hilt and pulled it out of the snake, letting it retreat back into its master.

"The Kusanagi…" The Enma transformed staff spoke, "I may be tough, but that will injure me after awhile."

"I will be sure to end it before that happens," Sarutobi replied.

Orochimaru grinned as he swung the sword a few times, "Well, shall we begin sensei?"

"Of course my foolish former student," Sarutobi rushed forward. "Let us begin!"

* * *

The Raikage held in a smirk as he looked at the Shodai Hokage, "You know, I have always wanted to fight against an opponent of your caliber."

His smirk turned into a frown when he did not receive an answer. Though in hindsight it was to be expected, after all, what did he expect a dead man under the control of a madman to say? "Well, I suppose we should just get started…" He mumbled.

The dark skinned man took off his robe and hat, throwing them away where they made a loud crashing sound to reveal they were weighted. Having never been patient enough for his opponents to make the first move, A charged at the Shodai.

He sent a fist at the man, not at all bothered when it was blocked and a fist was sent his way in return. He blocked the fist easily enough and pulled the man into a knee, however the Shodai merely flipped over the man, spinning in mid air to launch a kick at A. the Raikage managed to duck under the kick, grabbing the Shodai by the foot the Raikage managed to toss the armored ninja away.

The Shodai flipped himself over, landing on his feet and looked up to see A charging towards him. Hashirama placed his hands on the ground, causing several tree branches to sprout out and attempt to grab onto A. The Raikage tried to jump away from the attack, but a vine managed to wrap itself around his ankle.

A grunted as he used his strength to rip the vine and continued his charge towards the Shodai; in response Hashirama went through several hand seals, afterwards he slammed them into the ground, causing multiple bamboo spikes to shoot out. Despite his size, the Raikage moved between the bamboo shafts with relative ease, and swatted away those few that he could not dodge.

Finally closing the distance A lashed out with a kick. However, Hashirama managed to jump over it; landing on the dark skinned mans bulky shoulder. He attempted to kick A, but the Raikage threw him off before it could happen.

He landed on the ground some distance away, and went through more hand seals. Slamming his hands in the ground caused multiple large wooden pillars to shoot out and smash into A. the Raikage grunted as he crossed his arms in a guard as the pillars slammed into him, using his strength to stay in the same spot. Keeping one hand on the branch he had, A used his other one to smash into the pillar. Said wooden pillar shattered as he hit it.

A began doing his own hand seals before opening his mouth. "Raiton: Gian!"

A large bolt of lightning shot out at Hashirama, who began his own hand sealing. A large wooden dome formed around him, protecting the Shodai from A's lightning attack.

When the lightning dissipated the dome came down. Hashirama looked around only to find no one. It was then that he received a powerful blow to the face, sending him flying backwards where he smashed into the ground and skidded across it.

Knowing that a Kage would never be defeated by only one hit, the Raikage began doing more hand seals. "Raiton: Kaminari no Kami Ken (Lightning Release: Lightning God Fist)!"

A thrust out his fist, causing a large blast of lightning to shoot out at Hashirama. It soon took the shape of a fist, right before it crashed into the Shodai, causing him and the area he was in to explode in a shower of lightning.

The Raikage frowned as he waited to see what had happened, knowing better then to let his guard down. His decision was soon shown to be a prudent choice as several wooden stakes shot out of the dust and debris his jutsu had kicked up. The Raikage charged lightning chakra into his fists, bashing the stakes as they came towards him, destroying them.

It was then that the Shodai came out of the dust himself, rushing towards the towering Raikage as he attacked. A blocked the fist that came his way, then lashed out with his own fist. Hashirama dodged the attack, jumping back a little before he came in with a kick. The Raikage managed to grab the kick, keeping Hashirama in place before he lifted the man above his head and slammed him back into the ground. A then jumped up and flipped himself over as he attempted to heel drop the Shodai.

However Hashirama managed to roll away, pushing himself into a flip and landing on his feet a few meters away. The Shodai went through more hand seals before thrusting his fists out, with said fists turning into large blocks of wood that launched themselves at A. The Raikage ran right towards them, using his strength to smash the wooden fists to pieces.

He charged in and got close to Hashirama, using a left punch, right punch combination. When his attacks were blocked A kicked the Shodai's legs out from under him. He would have stepped on the man, but Hashirama managed to twist around and kick the Raikage's foot, knocking him off balance.

The Raikage landed on the ground with a heavy thud, the tiles of the roof breaking from his weight. He looked up to see Hashirama bearing down on him and rolled out of the way. Pushing himself up A managed to block the incoming jab sent his way. He swatted the next hand away and moved in, closing the distance to land a powerful blow on the Founder of Konoha's stomach, sending the man flying away.

The Shodai hit the ground hard, with the force of the impact sending the tiles of the roof flying as the man skidded along the ground. Hashirama continued his skid as he kicked up tiles and even concrete from the power the attack had hit him with.

Hashirama stood up from the large trench he had made when he skidded across the ground. He looked up, only to see the Raikage standing right next to him, fist reared back.

"Raiton: Kaminari no Hinto (Lightning Release: Lightning Tip)!" A shouted as he thrust his fist at Hashirama, with said fist crackling with lightning as it took the shape of a spear point. The fist plunged right into and through Hashirama, sending several thousand volts of electricity through the Shodai's body.

"Kai!" the hole that A had made when he plunged his fist into Hashirama's chest exploded in a shower of electricity. The Shodai was sent flying backwards as the blast destroyed half of his body, though oddly enough no blood came out of it. He landed on the ground with a thud several feet away from the Raikage.

A nodded to himself as he saw the damage done to his opponent. He was about to breath a sigh of relief when he stopped, looked at Hashirama's body again and then gaped. The area that his jutsu had destroyed was slowly reforming as ash began to cover the area, crawling along Hashirama's skin and leaving behind unmarred flesh, as if the wound had never happened. When all of the damage A's jutsu had done was healed, Hashirama stood up as if he had never been injured.

"Oh what the fuck!" A swore, "This is great; I'm fighting an undead Kage. I'm beginning to regret offering my aid to the Hokage."

A tensed when he saw Hashirama's left leg shift, a sure sign that the man was about to charge. His theory proved to be correct when The Shodai began speeding towards him.

The Raikage growled in annoyance as he set himself in a stance, waiting for the Shodai to get near him. When the man was in range A launched a fist at the man. It was blocked of course, but A had anticipated this and grabbed onto the Shodai's forearm, using it to pull the man into a knee. Though, that too proved unsuccessful when Hashirama managed to block the attack with his own knee.

Still it proved useful in getting close and The Raikage was able to launch several successful hit on Hashirama. Using his powerful physical strength, A pummeled the man with his fists with bone jarring force. If the Shodai was not already dead and incapable of feeling pain, he would have been howling at the amount of abuse his forearms and joints were taking. The amount of power in each of A's strikes were more than enough to break the bones of all but the most powerful of taijutsu users.

Having had enough of the man blocking his attacks, A grabbed both of Hashirama's arms in his next combination. The Raikage then proceeded to jump into the air, and launched a devastating double stomp kick on the Shodai's chest. The force of the assault was enough that Hashirama's arms, which were still in the grip of The Raikage, were ripped off at the sockets and the man himself was sent flying back, where he once again crashed into the tiled roof with enough force to send tiles and grout several dozen feet into the air.

A threw the arms he now held away, and looked towards where Hashirama was. He quickly let out a frustrated snarl as he saw the man once more getting up from his lethal attack, the Shodai's arms having already been re-grown. A realized that he was going to have to really go all out on the guy if he wanted to win, quite possibly, it would take having to destroy Hashirama's body entirely to defeat the man.

He watched as Hashirama went through a set of hand seals and then slammed his hands on the ground. A large number of thick trunk sized vines shot out of the ground, launching themselves towards A, who had already begun his own hand seals.

"Raiton: Rairyuudan (Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Jutsu)!" A large dragon made of lightning appeared in front of A, letting loose a fearsome roar before it charged towards Hashirama. The roots and vines that got in it's way were utterly destroyed as it made it's mad dash towards The Shodai. Before it could hit a large dome of wood covered Hashirama's form, taking the brunt of the attack; however, unlike the first attack this jutsu blocked, the lightning dragon was too powerful to block entirely, and it ended up drilling straight through the wood dome.

The explosion that followed was nothing short of spectacular as lightning arched out in all directions from the point of the jutsu's impact. When it cleared, it revealed the dome had been utterly destroyed, with chunks of wood lying around the area, and a large crater showing on the roof.

A was already looking down at the destruction his jutsu had caused. Seeing there was nothing there, no corpse or anything, he was positive he had won. Still, he knew better then to let his guard down until he was sure that victory was his.

His actions were shown to be a wise course of action when seconds later several vines shot out of the ground and began to wrap around him. He tried to break free of course, but he was surprised enough that he had let the vines grow in numbers that even his strength could not break out of. Instead they managed to wrap around his boy, until he was entirely covered in them, and then they began to squeeze the life out of him.

Only for A to explode in a shower of lightning, destroying most if not all of the vines that had been around the now revealed Rai Bunshin.

A few seconds later Hashirama appeared next to where the clone had exploded, looking for his opponent.

"Raiton: Raikou Nami No Jutsu (Lightning Release: Lightning Wave Jutsu)!" A voice called out. Less than a second later a large wave of lightning burst from the left in a decent sized explosion.

Hashirama jumped into the air in order to avoid the attack, but it was then that another attack was called out, this time from above, "Raiton: Raikyuu!"

Hashirama only had time to look up as a ball of lightning shot towards him, smashing into his body and sending several thousands volts of electricity through him as he plummeted to the ground.

He hit the ground with a loud crash, sending tiling and concrete in all directions as the lightning exploded against him. A landed on the ground when the lightning attack ended and saw, much to his disgruntlement, that there was nothing there except a pile of wood.

_Moku Bunshin (Wood Clone)?_ A wondered as he stared at the pile.

His mental question remained unanswered as he was forced to jump back when several large wooden stakes shot out of the ground at his former position. Looking up he saw Hashirama staring at him, his hands still on the ground. If A could have cursed, he would have, but as it was he had no time to get enough breath for such a thing, as he was forced to dodge a number of large wooden stakes that continued shooting out of the ground at him.

Deciding he had, had enough. A began channeling lightning chakra through his entire body, letting it pour out of him. Lightning began dancing across his skin, sending jolts that arched away every now and then, a testament to the amount of lightning chakra he had begun channeling. Soon enough he was covered in lightning, making it look like he was covered in a living, light blue armor.

Without preamble, A held his ground and when the wooden stakes shot at him again, he merely used his fists to destroy them. None of the stakes stood a chance as he pulverized them, smashing them into oblivion as each time he struck; a large blast of lightning came off him.

When the stakes stopped coming, A looked up to see Hashirama charging towards him. That was when A disappeared, leaving nothing more then a streak of light blue to signify where he had been. It was in that same split second of A's disappearance, that The Shodai received a powerful punch in the jaw, enough to shatter it and send him flying back. Before he could hit the ground, he received another blow from behind, launching him into the air. Then he received a blow to his gut, sending him falling back into the ground where he landed with a large crash.

Despite the massive pounding he had just received, Hashirama stood up as his wounds healed completely. He looked over to his left to see the Raikage standing there, his armor still around his form and crackling with repressed energy.

"Raiton No Yoroi (Lightning Armor)," A stated the name of the jutsu he was using. He then disappeared again and began pounding away at the Shodai, hoping that if he beat the man down enough he would kill him.

* * *

"I hope you're ready for the battle of the century, because Hachibi-sama's gonna fight with a fury," Killer Bee rapped, frowning when all the Nidaime, Tobirama Senju, did was give him a dead stare.

"Man this crowd is tough, so it looks like I'm gonna have to get a little rough."

Once again, Tobirama ignored the man's rap as his legs tensed, right before he charged at Kirabi. Said man waited for the Nidaime to come closer, letting the white haired man lash out with a fist. Kirabi countered by launching his own, hitting the Nidaime's fist and negating the power of the man's punch. In that same second, Bee struck out with his other fists, hitting Tobirama in the gut and launching him back.

Tobirama skidded back several feet, before shaking off the hit like it was nothing and beginning a set of hand seals. "Suiton: Suiryuudan No Jutsu!"

Water began to coalesce in front of the Nidaime Hokage, and then it began taking the shape of a dragon with glowing yellow eyes. Said dragon let loose a roar as it charged Kirabi's position.

"Motherfucker," Kirabi cursed as he dodged to the left, only to see Tobirama already in front of him with a kunai in hand. The Nidaime lashed out with his kunai, however, faster then the eye could blink, Kirabi had unsheathed a sword and managed to slash the kunai in half.

"How do you like that Motherfucka! I got skills like wouldn't believe, so maybe it's time you just up and leave. Hey that one was pretty good, I better write it down before my rap goes out of town!"

Tobirama looked at Kirabi, who had just sheathed his sword again and was now crouched on the ground with a pen and paper writing and furiously scribbling his new rhyme, then back down to the hilt of his destroyed kunai. Tossing the kunai away, the Nidaime charged in. He launched a jab at Kirabi's face while the man was still writing, however Kirabi was not as preoccupied as he looked. This was proven as he got up and easily blocked the punch sent to him by Tobirama. Seeing his punch blocked the Nidaime came in with a kick, however, Kirabi just jumped back, letting the attack miss him entirely.

"Well it looks like you've got some moves little dude," Kirabi complimented. "But now that I'm in the mood, it's time to beat you down, by showing what I can do." The dark skinned man paused for a moment. "Hey that was a wicked rhyme, I better write it down before I lose it this time."

Once again Kirabi took out his trusty notepad and pen, sitting down he began writing his raps. If Tobirama could have sweatdropped he would at seeing someone completely ignore his presence not once but twice in such a high level battle, as it was the man now had the emotional range of a teaspoon, a dead teaspoon at that. And so his natural reaction was to simply begin hand sealing for a jutsu.

"Suiton: Suishouha (Water Release: Water Collision Destruction)!" In several seconds, a rather large amount of water had gathered around the white haired man out of no where, and had formed what amounted to a miniature tornado or typhoon that was continuously increasing in size. When the technique was complete, Tobirama made a gesture towards Kirabi and the water rushed over to the still writing man.

"What da fuck!" Kirabi shouted as he put his writing utensils and note pad away, and began pumping chakra into his legs. He jumped into the air in order to avoid the large crashing wave. Kirabi landed on top of the water and looked around to find his opponent. He frowned when he could not find the Nidaime, and it was in that moment that a shadow appeared above him. Looking up he saw Tobirama bearing down on his position, with a kunai in hand.

Kirabi just smirked as he grabbed onto one of his swords, and when the Nidaime was nearly on top of him he struck. Drawing his sword, Kirabi lashed out with a horizontal slash that took the kunai and the arm holding the kunai, off. The kunai's blade along with the arm up to the man's elbow slid off and fell into the water caused by the white haired man's jutsu. Tobirama did not even have time to contemplate what had happened, not that he could in his deadened emotional state anyways, as he received a powerful kick to the chest and was sent flying.

"Now that's what I'm talking about, it's called taking the trash out!" Kirabi rapped. However what ever else he might have said stopped when he saw his opponent getting up. Not only was he getting up, but his arm was starting to reform as what looked like ash swirled around it. "Now that's just not cool, I'm really not liken dis fool!"

He noticed that Tobirama was now fully healed and grunted in annoyance, "It looks like I'm gonna have to get serious, if the dude regenerate like this!"

**'****Bee do you ever stop rapping?'**

Kirabi blinked at the annoyed voice in his head. _'Hachi? When did you wake up? I thought you was catchin' some Z's?'_

**'****I've been awake for nearly hour and you fool. I've been watching this battle the whole time,'** Kirabi could practically feel his Bijuu rolling his eyes.

'_Well why didn't you say so, you know it's good to have more than one voice when I'm working my rhymes eight-o.'_

**'****Damn it Bee! How many time's have I told you not to call me that!**

'_Don't know, I lost count a long time ago.'_

Kirabi did not get the chance to hear his tenants response as the Nidaime charged him, forcing Bee to back away. Frowning, the dark skinned man timed his attacks to that of his opponents, lashing out and knocking the man's fist away, right before he sent his own into the man. Kirabi's fist hit Tobirama full force in the face, sending the man flying back.

"This dude's starting to knock off my rhymes, it's time I showed him what happens to those who waste my time!" Kirabi grabbed his swords one by one and tossed them into the air. He took a crane position as he caught all seven of the swords he had carried on his back. One in each hand, one in between the joints of each of his arms, one he caught and held in the joint of his upright lifted right knee, one held under his left arm pit and one in his mouth.

As this happened, Tobirama charged at Bee, hoping to take him out before he could do whatever it was he was going to do. However, it was too late as Kirabi began to bob his head to an unheard beat. When the Nidaime came in close, the dark skinned man began to spin, looking very much like a pinwheel as he attacked.

Seeing this the Nidaime attempted backpedal, trying his best to dodge the completely random movements that Bee was making. However the man had become a literal whirlwind of movement, like a force of nature and was doggedly following the Nidaime, occasionally letting one of the swords lash out, or throwing one into the air, adding an even more random and deadly variable to the battle.

The white haired man did his best to dodge or block the buzz saw that was Bee, using two kunai and his natural speed on the water to aid him; and for a time he seemed to be doing well. However after several minutes of staying on the defensive the white haired former Kage's defenses slipped and Bee capitulated on this. The seven blades shredded into the Nidaime, cutting him into ribbons that fell on the tiled roof.

Kirabi stopped moving after that, throwing his blades into the air before catching them one by one and re-sheathing them, "Take that motha fucka', I'd like to see this man get back, after that subliminal attack!"

As if karma decided to spite Bee, ashes began spreading across the diced up man's form. Once again it crawled up his skin, reforming the man's body and leaving it scar less as if the Nidaime had not just been cut up into several pieces by Bee's blades. Once Tobirama's body was fully healed, the man stood back up and looked at Kirabi with his dead expression.

"What's this!" Bee shouted in surprise, "Motha fucka' why won't yo ass stay down, how many times do I have to beat it into the ground!"

The Nidaime's response was to charge him, closing the distance in less than a second. Kirabi decided to be the one to throw the first punch this time, rather then react to the white haired man's attacks. However, the man merely leapt over his hand, using it as a spring board as he pushed his body into the air. Then the Nidaime twisted in mid air, so that his body was running parallel to Bee's for all of two seconds. It was during those two seconds that several things of great importance happened.

The first was for Tobirama to grab onto two of Bee's swords. The second thing was him pulling Kirabi's swords from their sheath. And last, was him landing on the ground, spinning around and taking a two sword stance behind Bee who had not moved since the entire thing happened.

'_Oh motha fucka! He did not just grab my swords! _Kirabi shouted in his mind. Now in Kumo there were a few rules he had set that were known very well to all citizens of Kumo. The first was don't dis his raps. The second was don't dis his friends. The third, and probably the most important rule, was don't touch his swords! The one man who had not known that rule, a missing ninja he had fought once, had done just that and been on the ass end of the mother of all ass kickings. By the time Bee had been done with the man, he had been begging for death.

"You motha fucka betta pray to whatever kami you worship," Kirabi said, for once not being able to rap due to his anger. "Cuz I'm gonna be beating your fuckin' ass!"

Kirabi then charged at Tobirama, grabbing a hold of two of his swords as he rushed the man. The Nidaime waited until Bee had gotten close enough to strike, and then sent out the sword in his left hand in a thrust, hoping to pierce the dark skinned man in the heart. It wasn't to be as Bee twisted his body, spinning around as he brought his right sword up, slashing the man's arm off at the elbow. As he continued his spin, Bee sent a horizontal slash across the man's chest, slicing into tit with relative ease. Though, it did not go as deep as it could have since Tobirama had jumped back, receiving only a light gash, one that quickly closed up.

Bending down, Kirabi retrieved his sword and then looked up. He felt himself getting angry at seeing the man already had his arm back.

_Da fuck! How does this dude keep doing that?_

**'****It's that ash like substance around him Bee.'**

'_You say it's da ash Hachi? What is dat shit anyways?'_

**'****How should I know you idiot? All I know is that it gathers around him after he receives an injury.'**

'_So dis motha Fucka is like some kind of invincible fool. So how do I kill him?'_

**'****He's already dead moron! I don't think you can kill him.'**

'_What chu talkin' 'bout Eight-o? Anything can die, if he's already dead, I'll jus' kill 'im again.'_

Bee heard a sigh in his mind as his inner demon went silent. It was just a little after talking with his inner demon that he heard the sound of a jutsu being called.

"Suiton: Suigadan (Water Release: Water Fang Bullet)!" a circle of water spikes surrounded Bee before closing in, attempting to impale and crush him at the same time. However, Bee was already unsheathing one of his swords, channeling lightning chakra through it as he spun. He released the chakra, creating a shockwave of lightning that decimated the water spikes.

Kirabi looked over at the Nidaime with anger as he saw the man, a hand on _his_ sword, and taking a stance. Bee grabbed and pulled out another blade and charged at the man. In response to this the Nidaime charged him as well, meeting the dark skinned man in the center of their battle field. The sounds of steel clashing echoed through out the area as the fierce kenjutsu match picked up.

The sound of steel on steel echoed across the battlefield as the two continued there fight. Despite his anger at someone else touching one of his swords, Kirabi had to give the Nidaime grudging respect for his ability. The man was extremely good with a blade, able to easily keep up with the two that the Hachibi Jinchuuriki was wielding.

Ducking under a swing Tobirama came up and attempted to bisect the larger man, only to be blocked as the blade he was using met one of Kirabi's. Less then a second later the blade in the Jinchuuriki's other hand came in with a swing that would take off the Nidaime's head if it hit. However the white haired man bent back ever so slightly, letting the blade pass him by.

Coming back up Tobirama swung his blade, but it was blocked by the two Bee was using. Said dark skinned man grunted as he used his strength to push the Nidaime back, sending the man skidding across the floor. In response to this, Tobirama let up the pressure of his sword, dropping down and attempting to sweep the other man's legs out from under him.

However, Kirabi had anticipated this and jumped over the leg sweep, spinning around in mid air and sending an axe kick on Tobirama's head. It would have worked had the Nidaime not already been moving backwards, and so instead, all Bee hit was the ground. The dark skinned man stood back up, then swerved to the side in order to dodge Tobirama's downward sword slash.

Wanting his blade back, Killer Bee threw his two swords into the air, grabbed another two swords and threw them into the air as well, then he grabbed his last two swords. Modifying his stance for six blades instead of seven, Bee caught the other swords. The only difference being he no longer had a sword in his mouth, since the one that he used for that was in the Nidaime had in his hands.

"I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, it's time to show you why Kirabi is someone you should flee! WHHEEEEE!" Kirabi once again began spinning, becoming the near force of nature he was known for. He began tossing his swords into the air, letting them become added variables as he closed the distance between him and the Nidaime.

Said shinobi tried to use the blade he had stolen from Bee to block as many of the attacks as best as he could. However there were far too many coming in, at the same time, at different angles. They were too fast and too numerous. The blades attacking in such an unpredictable pattern that it was unlikely even a Sharingan user could follow the movements. Tobirama soon began to get sliced again. His left arm was taken off at the shoulder, his right hand, which was holding the sword, was also cut off.

And without even missing a beat, Killer Bee grabbed onto his sword that Tobirama dropped. Tossing it in the air with several others, before he caught the blade in his mouth, he took a new stance, and began to increase the speed of his spin as he pin wheeled into Tobirama. The man now had no way to defend against Bee, and even though he tried to backpedal it wasn't enough.

The Nidaime's head ended up getting sliced vertically in half; his two legs got lopped off, one at the knee and the other at mid calf. His torso was cut into six pieces, four diagonally and then one down the middle. As a finisher, Killer Bee sliced the man's head off at the neck, and then sliced the head into sixteen more pieces before it fell to the ground. By the time Bee was finished, the Nidaime was just a chunk of flesh.

"That had to have gotten da motha fucka, if it didn't I don't know how I'm gonna beat this sucka!"

Bee had to hold in a growl of annoyance as he saw Tobirama once again healing. This battle was getting utterly ridiculous! No matter what he did, that stupid white haired prick with the dead eyes kept getting back up like some kind of zombie!

**'****That's pretty much what he is Bee, I can't believe I got sealed into an idiot like you.'**

'_Man this is getting sick, and not in the good kind, but the kind where I'm starting to get ticked!'_

**'****You'll never be able to beat him like this Bee.'**

'_So what would you suggest?'_

**'****Why don't you let me out? I'll pound him back into the dirt.'**

'_Sounds like a plan, not like anything else can.'_

Bee re-sheathed his blades and let out a sigh. He rarely ever used Hachibi's chakra in battle now a days, since there were very few people who could force him that far. Now a days he usually only let his tenant out at his vacation spot Unraikyo (Valley of Clouds and Lightning) where his Bijuu could rampage all he liked and not kill anyone on accident.

Raising his hands into the air, Killer Bee let out a howl that, if Tobirama had emotions, would have had him shaking. Since the man didn't, he just charged, hoping to use this as an opening to defeat the dark skinned Kumo ninja. However, as he charged forward, he soon found himself being forced back as massive amounts of youki began pouring out of Bee. What was more shocking, was that the amount of youki was so large that the water around Bee began getting pushed back, creating a small circle around him as green youki formed into a cloak that covered his entire form.

As the dark skinned man's chakra began rising well past the level that any human could ever hope to produce, it began to take a form around him. The youki behind him began to take on the shape of tales, cephalopod like tails that were reminiscent of an octopus; they formed one by one until there were eight of them, swaying behind the man in an invisible breeze. The last touches were the two horns that were added on top of Bee's head, bull horns that swept around in a circle with the tips ending at the back.

'_Dis should do it don't you think Eight-o?'_ Kirabi asked, _'after all there's no need to go full out on this guy.'_

**'****I couldn't go full out anyways, not with that shield still surrounding us. Well, unless I wanted to destroy the village.'**

Outside of the shield, the ANBU who were watching the battles taking place all gasped.

"A-A another demon! Here!" shouted an ANBU in a weasel mask.

"What the hell was Sandaime-Sama thinking? Letting a monster like that even enter our village, let alone fight beside him!" A tiger masked ANBU yelled.

"Shut up! Both of you!" Their commander, a man in a cat masked ordered. "Do not question Sandaime-sama's orders! It's obvious this man is an ally! Otherwise he and the Raikage would not risk fighting with him."

"They could just be hoping to gain our trust," The weasel masked ANBU pointed out.

The cat masked commander shook his head, "I doubt it. Had they wanted to, they could have used the confusion and chaos of the fighting around here to gain the Byakugan, or what ever other bloodline they wanted. Neither of them had to fight this battle, or help Sandaime-sama. And had they not, I am sure Sandaime-sama would have lost this battle in the end, especially fighting against Orochimaru and two former Hokages."

The other two were silent after that, realizing that what their commander said made a lot of sense. They turned back to the battle, wondering what would happen now that the known Jinchuuriki was using what looked to be all eight tails of his Bijuu.

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A growled in absolute frustration as he watched Hashirama get back up, his caved in face and chest re-healing again. This fight had been going on far longer then the Raikage had hoped it would. No matter what he tried, no matter how much damage he had done, the man just kept getting back up and coming for more.

With the information A had managed to get on Orochimaru, he had expected to see many strange and bizarre jutsu. But having to fight an undead Kage, that would continue fighting and healing at a rate that would make a Jinchuuriki jealous, was by far the weirdest.

Not to mention the most god damn frustrating thing he had ever done!

"Why the hell won't you stay down!" A yelled as he charged back in, his Raiton No Yoroi still activate. He pounded his fists in the Shodai. Each hit sending a powerful jolt of electricity through the dead kage, not that it actually affected the man. Though it did give him extensive cosmetic damage, leaving dents, smashing bones, burn marks and was even taking off several chunks of flesh.

A finished his attack by sending a powerful double fist into The Shodai's chest, launching the man back where he once again crashed into the nearly destroyed ground. The lightning that crackled around the Raikage fizzled out after that. He had been holding the jutsu for nearly two hours and the constant drain on his reserves finally caught up, and he was no longer able to keep it up.

"If that didn't finish him, I don't know what can." A said, breathing in rather heavily.

It was much to his displeasure, though no longer his surprise that he watched Hashirama get back up with his wounds already healed. As the man charged at him, A grunted and began his own charge. He was beginning to regret lending aid to Sarutobi. He had originally done it as a small form of compensation for,

A) Allowing him to watch the Chunin Exams.

B) Actually informing him about the coming invasion, since the man was in no way obligated to actually do so.

C) Get revenge on Orochimaru for stealing several children with Kekkei Genkai from his village.

And finally D) To in some way make up for the Hyuuga debacle that his father, the Sandaime Raikage had created.

However, he felt he was getting far more then he had bargained for in this battle. Sure, he actually kind of had some fun at first. It had been a long time since he could simply go all out on his opponents and having them get back up from the beating he gave so he could give another. But now it was just annoying. He was tired, he was nearly out of chakra, and this son of a bitch kept coming no matter what he did.

Therefore it was fortunate for him that the Sandaime arrived when he did, jumping in front of the charging Hashirama and latching onto the man's shoulders. Much to the surprise of A, the Shodai stopped all movements and emotion flickered into the man's eyes for the first time since the battle started.

"I am sorry old friend," Sarutobi apologized as he began to pull the soul of his sensei out of the body.

"Do not be, little-Saru," Hashirama said. "I am pleased to see you are willing to go so far to protect our home," With those parting words, the Shodai collapsed into ash, and the body of an Oto shinobi fell out.

"What the hell?" The Raikage muttered in perplexed confusion. "I spent two hours beating him to a pulp and you just grab him by the shoulders and that's it."

Sarutobi turned around and smiled at the man, it was then that A saw the complex seal on the old Hokage's stomach.

"Thank you for your help, Raikage-dono." The old man then disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing him to be a Kage Bunshin.

A sighed. "Well, at least now I'm done fighting. I'm almost looking forward to getting back to paperwork."

* * *

Kirabi crouched down as he began channeling Hachibi's youki into his legs in such massive quantities that the tiles under him began to crack. Then he shot forward, the power and speed being so much that the force caused the entire section of the roof he was on to explode and then collapse. This gave Bee several added benefits; the first was all the water now draining through the whole he had made. And the second was that his speed was so great, Tobirama could only just barely spot him as a green blur. It was thanks to this that the man was unable to do anything as Bee sent a punch right into his abdomen.

If the Nidaime could have felt pain, he would have screamed as his stomach compressed in on itself, time seemed to stand still for all of two seconds as the force of Bee's fist lodged itself in his stomach made itself known by sending out a ripple in the air. A second later time reasserted itself and Tobirama was sent flying backwards, skipping across the ground like a rag doll and causing many of the tiles to break each time he hit the roof.

His momentum was stopped however, when one of the many tails on the Hachibi Jinchuuriki's back took on not a more solid form and launched itself at the still skidding Kage. It grabbed him by the arm and Kirabi, who was several meters away, willed his tail up, making the appendage move into the air and lift Tobirama with it, right before it smashed him back into the ground. The kinetic force caused by the white haired former Hokage smacking into the roof was enough to cause a large explosion, sending massive amounts of debris flying everywhere.

Tobirama stood up and jumped out of the crater. However, all that seemed to do was make him a target for Bee, who once against grabbed a hold of him with two more of his tails. With a fierce yank, the Nidaime was sent flying towards Killer Bee who had launched himself into the air, spinning around so that his foot was pointing towards Tobirama. One of the tails that were swishing behind Bee was sucked back into his cloak, before forming what amounted to a spear point on his foot.

"Rariatto!" Bee shouted as his foot connected with Tobirama's chest, impaling the man right before he was sent flying. Not quite done yet, Bee grabbed onto the Nidaime's body again, this time when he was above the white haired man. Kirabi yanked Tobirama upwards, while he was flying down and proceeded to lay a double stomp kick into the Nidaime's chest. The shear force of this attack not only sent the Nidaime back down, crashing into the ground with such force that it created a large crater, but also hard enough that Tobirama had lost nearly two thirds of his body in the attack, leaving only his head and half of his torso and right arm.

Bee landed on the ground and looked at the destruction he had caused with a smirk. **"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout, let's see him rise from this shit, there's no way he can take that kind of hit!"** Killer Bee said in a growling demonic voice.

"Suiton: Teppoudama (Water Release: Gunshot)!" Bee cursed as several powerful water bullets were launched at him. Using the Hachibi's youki, he swatted at the jutsu, causing them to disperse on impact.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan No Jutsu!" Bee looked up as he heard the voice and was just in time to see a water dragon form in the air and launch itself at him.

Kirabi began to swear as he tried to think of a way to destroy the water dragon, but found none, well, none that were feasible anyway. He had full control of his tenant's youki, so if he wanted to, he could go into his second stage where he took on the likeness of his Bijuu. That would essentially increase his power by nearly ten times, but it would also mean he would end up destroying half of Konoha in the process. And while this was not his village, there was not much point in helping fight off the invasion, if he ended up destroying half of the village that was being invaded while doing so.

Unable to really come up with anything good Kirabi sent all of the tails into his arms, forming two wicked looking drills that vaguely resembled horns. He then rushed at the water dragon, thrusting his drill covered fists out and plowing through the jutsu. Surprisingly enough, the jutsu gave with little resistance, and while he expected to have defeated it in the end, it was far easier than he thought it should be.

Even more surprising was the sight of Sarutobi holding onto the Nidaime by the shoulders. Kirabi could see the pair talking in a hushed tone, which was also surprising, given that the man had been dead to the world for their entire fight. After that Tobirama seemed to turn into ash and a pale white Oto Kunoichi fell out of it.

**"****Oi! What just happened? How did you beat that fool, when I was unable to?" **Bee asked as he walked up to the old Sandaime.

Sarutobi turned around and sighed, "I beat him with the only way I could think of."

Killer Bee blinked before noticing the seal on his stomach, a seal that was much like his Bijuu containing one, only more complex. **"I see, not quite way I expected him to be beat, but it sure is good now that I get to turn off the heat." **With those words the youki cloak disappeared.

Sarutobi looked at Bee with a smirk before disappearing in a burst of smoke. Kirabi looked at where the man had been, before turning his attention to the dead kunoichi. Sighing he knelt down and closed her eyes, feeling disgusted by Orochimaru who would use his own ninja as pawns and sacrifices to further his goals. This was one of the few times he did not feel any desire to bust out in rhyme.

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**Sorry the chaps a bit late, but here it is.**


	27. Chapter 27

**So a few people were a little dissatisfied that Sarutobi still sacrificed himself to defeat Orochimaru even though he had help. While I understand why everyone feels that he should have survived I feel the need to put something into perspective. If you looked up my description for the Eido Tensei you would have seen that there are only three ways to defeat the jutsu:**

**1) The person who cast the jutsu must end it. This was not ever going to happen, no way would Orochimaru end the technique until Sarutobi was dead and Konoha burnt to the ground.**

**2) The ressurected soul feels gains some kind of closure and is able to pass on. Orochimaru turned them into mindless puppets so this was impossible.**

**3) Someone seals the souls that were ressurected. This was the only way for Sarutobi to beat the technique, and the only technique he knew for taking souls and sealing them was the Shikki Fuiin. Thus he would have had to sacrifice himself in order to win no matter what.**

**Anyways I hope that gives you all some understanding of why I did not change the canon.**

**I would like to thank everyone for reading my story and reviewing, as reviews are the lifeblood of a fanfic author it is a privilege to receive them.**

**Another thanks is for Senjuto for helping me Beta.**

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**Di****sclaimer: I've always been told that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. However, I have no desire to that. Instead I think I'm gonna throw all the lemons life's given me at Kishimoto, because that ass hole owns Naruto and I don't.**

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**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 27: One Bad Mother**

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Naruto continued running down the streets of Konoha, keeping out of sight for the most part. The only time he ever revealed himself were when he had to either save one of the villagers, whom his clones and the other genin had not found, or kill an enemy shinobi. Quite often those two came hand in hand.

He continued to use the back alleys and side streets to get to the spot where some of his clones had started dispelling. As he turned a corner he heard a voice cry out, "Tsubaki No Mai (Dance of The Camelia)!"

Naruto swore as he was forced to dodge what looked very similar to a spinal cord. The odd looking weapon continued striking at the blond as he continued to weave through the attacks. He winced a bit as one of the strikes managed to graze his shoulder, however Kyuubi and his own healing factor took care of the wound in a matter of seconds. Thankfully he managed to jump back after the man stopped his attacks.

"Your ability to dodge my attacks is most impressive. I can see now why Orochimaru-sama wishes to have you."

Naruto blinked at the teenager who looked a few years older than him. He was pale white with white hair, and two red dots on his forehead. He was wearing a white kimono with an open chest and a purple rope tying it together.

"Yeah well you can tell Orochimaru that he's not my type," The blond responded as glibly as possible, not liking how wrong the pale teen's words sounded. "Personally I have no desire to get fucked in the rectal by some pedophiliac snake, or anyone else really."

Kimimaro seemed to ignore the crass comment as he prepared another assault, "I will be dragging you back with me to Orochimaru-sama, whether you wish it or not."

"It seems we're at a crossroads then, because there is no way in all nine levels of hell that I'm getting dragged to that sick fuck," Naruto shot back.

_Damn! _Naruto thought as he unsealed a Katana. _Judging from the way this guy holds that…blade, he is definitely talented with it, maybe even a master swordsman. I doubt I could even beat Tenten right now with how tired I am, and I doubt Tenten could beat him. _

He could use his staff of course. However he also knew that using his staff would not work as well against this one. The key to successfully using the bo staff while in single combat, was in the ability to keep an opponent out of range while you bombarded them with fast yet fluid attacks.

Despite having been caught off guard Naruto had seen the way the bone sword had dislocated themselves and given the white haired teen a longer reach. Meaning keeping his distance would with this guy would not matter as his sword could just extend to attack him

"You know it's normally tradition for two warriors to give their names before their epic clash," Naruto slid into a batoujutsu stance. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, I suggest you remember it since I'm the one who's gonna kick your ass."

Kimimaro took up his own stance as he looked at the blond, "My name is Kaguya Kimimaro." With that he attacked.

Naruto cursed as Kimimaro appeared right next to him and sent several powerful swings and jabs at him. Thankfully while the teen was fast, Naruto was nearly just as fast and had lightning fast reflexes that allowed him to keep up. As Kimimaro came in with a slash, the blond shinobi drew his blade from its sheath faster than the eye could blink.

Naruto locked his blade with Kimimaro's and twisted it so that both blades were on the ground. Using the two grounded swords as leverage, Naruto snapped a kick at Kimimaro that smashed into the white haired teen's head.

Kimimaro stumbled back a bit, but not by much and regained his balance in time to dodge several thrusts and slashes from Naruto. It became very obvious that Kimimaro was faster, his attacks were more precise, while Naruto's style was more fluid, moving in from attack to block to parry, every move was designed to set the blond up for another, flowing much like water.

Kimimaro came in with several powerful and precise thrusts, but Naruto backpedaled and used his blade to divert the attacks from himself. When the man had finished his attacks, Naruto launched his own. He came in with a right diagonal swing, one which Kimimaro managed to block. However, Naruto pushed off against Kimimaro's blade and used the force of the swing to spin around in another slashing attack. When that was also blocked the blond pushed Kimimaro back, while the blond decided to disengage and jumped back.

Not wanting to let up with his assault just yet, Naruto charged forward, sliding under an incoming swing from Kimimaro's bone sword. At the same time he slashed at the white haired teen's legs, hoping to take them out. But it was not to be, as Kimimaro jumped over his attack and came down with a powerful blow. Naruto was able to roll out of the way and push himself up just in time to block the next sword stroke that came his way.

Jumping back to gain a bit of space, the blond shinobi began to channel wind chakra into his blade. He rushed back in and made a thrust, hoping to impale Kimimaro in the chest. However, those hopes were dashed when his opponent used his own blade to knock the thrust off course, sidestepping at the same time, before spinning around in and spinning his bone sword in a swing that would likely take his head off. Naruto only just managed to duck under the swing, grimacing when he felt some of his hair get cut off to let him know just how close he had come to losing his head.

He came back up and with an upward swing, one that Kimimaro dodged by jumping back. Naruto followed however, staying on the white haired teen's tail as he continued making several slashes and jabs at Kimimaro. In response Kimimaro slid into a stance and began to dance around the blade, letting his own sword take the brunt of the damage.

Seeing that he was going nowhere Naruto jumped back and frowned. He looked at the bone blade, then at his glowing green sword in consternation. He had been channeling his wind chakra through his blade, so that should have been able to shear through that bone sword like it was paper. He knew he had to find whatever the reason was for his wind chakra not affecting that sword like it should, otherwise he would be at a serious disadvantage. With that mindset, Naruto began attacking again.

The two continued their battle, yet neither was able to land a hit on the other. Whenever Naruto got the upper hand, Kimimaro would slip away before coming back in to attack. When Kimimaro seemed to have the advantage Naruto would pull some trick out of his ass and force the bone user back.

Finally Naruto saw a small opening and parried the next attack before lashing out with a kick. It was only instincts that saved Naruto, making him stop as Kimimaro tried to grab onto his leg. It was then that Naruto saw the bony points sticking out of his hands, and his knees, elbows and shoulders.

"What the fuck is that? Are those bones?"

"This is my bloodline." Kimimaro said as he studied his bony protrusions. "It's called Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) and it allows me to use my bones as weapons and change their density."

_So that's how his bones were able to withstand my wind chakra, _Naruto narrowed his eyes. _He was able to change the density so much that it was simply too hard for even wind to cut through. _

"I have to admit that is one freaky ass bloodline, and considering I know this dude with red eyes, another one who uses bugs, and another kid who has white eyes, that's saying something." Naruto grinned cheekily as he got back into his stance, "Well come on albino boy, show me what you've got!"

"Very well," Kimimaro moved forward, intent on defeating this boy so that he could become Orochimaru's newest tool.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!_" _Several dozen clones popped into existence and charged the Kaguya. Normally Naruto would never resort to spamming clones and just sending them in, he much preferred to throw himself into the midst of battle and fight in one on one combat. However like when he had fought Neji, Naruto knew he needed to know more about this enemies fighting ability before he could come up with a solid plan.

In hindsight it was an excellent idea, since the moment Naruto's clones reach Kimimaro they were dispelled. With the new bones that Kimimaro had sticking out of his body, it was like sending his clones into a wood cutter factory, the Kaguya managed to cut and hack into the clones like a buzz saw, seemingly walking straight through them without any noticeable effort.

Naruto frowned and was just about to attack again, when a yellow, black and purple blur shot out of one of the streets and smashed into Kimimaro. The Kaguya was launched away and crashed into a building several feet away. That was when the blur stopped and Naruto saw who it was.

"Yugi-chan!" A large smile broke out across Naruto's face. "I thought you would have still been back at the stadium."

Yugito looked at the spiky haired blond and gave him a grin, "I figured Hatake-san and the other Jonin could handle the ninja there. I decided to see where I could help the most."

She put her hands on her hips and gave Naruto a small pout, "You know it was pretty damn difficult to find you. I got out of the stadium looking for you and Lo and Behold what do I find, but nearly three hundred Naruto's running amok. And then I find the real you, only to see you've gotten yourself in a fight with someone else."

The blond woman gave a small shake of her head and a dramatic sigh, "Really, what am I going to do with you?"

Naruto gave his fellow blond a deadpan look, "You can't blame this on me. Murphy's Law simply loves me like this. Besides we are at war, I don't think I would be doing my job if I wasn't knee deep in this kind of shit."

"Well when you put it that way-" Yugito was cut off when she was forced to dodge several odd looking projectiles. Jumping away she landed next to Naruto. Deciding that there little verbal sparring could wait she looked at the blond male she had taken a liking to, "Why don't you head out, it looks like you have a previous engagement."

Naruto grimaced, "So you heard the screaming too eh?" He jumped onto one of the roofs and took off, "I'll find some way to thank you afterwards!"

"Oh I could think of plenty of ways for you to thank me Naruto-kun…" Yugito muttered as she watched the albino step out of the wall.

"Do not think you will stop me from Orochimaru-sama's wish," Kimimaro whipped his sward arm around a few times. "I will take that boy to Orochimaru-sama."

Yugito smirked, "I'm sorry, but I've taken something of a shine to him, so neither you, nor your snake of a master will be laying a hand on him."

"Then I will have to kill you before I capture him," Kimimaro charged at Yugito, who merely widened the smirk that was gracing her features. As soon as the albino launched his attack Yugito used her agility to dodge every single strike he sent, before lashing out with a kick that sent him flying.

"I'm sorry but there is no way you're gonna be killing me," Yugito said as she slid into a combat stance. "But I do so enjoy a good battle, so at least try not to die too quickly."

* * *

Gaara snarled as he crushed another one of those infernal blonds only for it to go up in smoke. "UZUMAKI! WHERE ARE YOU! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!"

Gaara jumped onto the roof and attempted to search for the blond boy. He didn't get the chance, the moment he had landed; a foot met his face hard enough to send him flying off the roof and onto the ground. He stood up from the small crater that his body created and looked up. When he saw who it was an insane grin came to his face, "Ah! I'm so glad to see you here Uzumaki! Now it's time I can prove my existence! I will kill you and prove my existence!"

Naruto would have made a comment, but Gaara had already shot off the ground and was coming at him with that powerful looking sand claw. Naruto waited until Gaara attacked, and was not disappointed when the unstable Jinchuuriki launched his clawed hand at him. However, Naruto neatly ducked under the attack, shooting forward as he began a set of hand seals. Once he reached the boy's torso he made a slashing motion with his hand.

"Fuuton: Kaze No Yaiba!" A blade of wind hit Gaara point blank; however Naruto was surprised to see it did not penetrate the sand.

"What the fuck!"

_That should have sliced straight through him! _Naruto had made the discovery that his wind attacks were nearly twice as powerful when he used hand seals. He believed it had something to do with the hand seals automatically molding his attack, rather than him having to mold the attack with his own control when he was doing his free style wind jutsu.

Whatever the case was that attack should have sheered through Gaara, and since it did not it meant that the sand he was wearing was infused with his tenant's youki.

Not a very pleasant thought for the blond.

He was forced to use a Kawarimi in order to escape the claw that came back towards him. He looked over at Gaara who had not seem to notice where he was yet, and tried to think of some way to defeat him. Sighing he went through several more hand seals before sucking in a deep breath.

"Katon: Goukakyuu No Jutsu!" the giant fireball slammed into Gaara, making the redhead scream in pain.

Naruto was left panting as he finished his jutsu, he realized that he would not be able to use many more with amount of youki he had been pumping out today, even he had his limits.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when he heard laughing. Looking over to where the smoke from his fireball was starting to dissipate he saw Gaara, laughing maniacally as more sand began to cover his body, forming another clawed hand on his right and covering the rest of him. Naruto held in a curse as he saw that Gaara now looked like a miniature tanuki with only his legs not being uncovered.

"Yes! This feeling! This pain!" Gaara shouted as he turned towards Naruto. "This is what I've been waiting for! The chance to kill an opponent that can bring me such pain! This battle will be the one to truly prove my existence!"

"I'm glad I can make you feel so special," Naruto replied in a voice that was laden in sarcasm. "However you won't be killing me anytime soon. But tell you what; I'll make this ass kicking I give you extra special so that you'll feel more alive."

"HAHAHAHA! You truly are an amusing one Uzumaki!" Gaara howled in laughter, "I'm sure your death will truly make me feel alive!"

Gaara jumped at Naruto faster than the blond thought possible, given the fact that the redhead was covered in sand. Thankfully it still wasn't fast enough to warrant any serious concern and Naruto was able to dodge the redhead. Unfortunately Naruto had missed the small flash of a tail, and he was unable to dodge that as it smacked him in the side.

Naruto was sent flying away from Gaara and crashed into one of the many stores that lined the street of this sector. Groaning he sat up and pulled off the fabric that was on his head. He brought it to his dazed eyes and blinked as he saw that he was holding a black lacy bra.

"Great, of all the stores I crash into, it just happens to be a women's apparel store. Something tells me karma is trying to play a joke," He threw the bras away and stood up, shaking the debris off before making his way outside.

He jumped back up on one of the roofs and found Gaara coming at him, still laughing like a maniac. Looking around he realized that he was at a disadvantage in such an urban area; he needed a place where he could set loads of traps since he was unable to really use any jutsu. Decision made he took off towards one of the many parks in Konoha.

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Kimimaro grunted as he was kicked away from the blond woman again. He was quickly becoming frustrated with her; nothing he did seem to be capable of defeating her. So far he had tried everything he could to get in close and eliminate the blond Kumo kunoichi. Yet she seemed to be far faster and better then he was, since none of his attacks thus far had worked, and he had only received more damage for his troubles.

The narrowing of his eyes being the only sign of his frustration, he attacked again. However like the last dozen times he had attacked, nothing he did seemed to do anything. Yugito weaved in between the attacks, using her great flexibility to dodge at seemingly impossible angles. As the attacks increased in intensity, Yugito waited for the openings that always appeared when people got frustrated. She finally found one and weaved herself under a powerful sword swing, right before she lashed out with a kick to Kimimaro's chest.

However she became surprised when a ribcage jutted out of his chest and caught her foot. Kimimaro spun around, taking Yugito with him as the woman tried to get out of his grasp. She did, and was sent flying towards a building for her troubles. Luckily for her, it seemed that having a cat demon sealed inside of her gave her the ability to always land on her feet. She channeled some chakra into the souls of her feet and clung to the wall, looking over at Kimimaro.

"Karamatsu No Mai (Dance of the Larch)," Kimimaro exclaimed as he ran towards the blond. Yugito jumped off the building and landed a few feet away from the albino. Seconds later the pair clashed and Yugito narrowed her eyes as she found it much harder to get an attack in with the new bone protrusions jutting out. She was forced to dodge the attacks and jump away to gain some distance.

She went through a few hand seals as Kimimaro came back at her. "Raiton: Raikyuu (Lightning Release: Lightning Ball)!"

A cannon-sized ball made of lightning appeared in front of Yugito, who launched it at the Kaguya. Kimimaro was forced to roll to the left in order to dodge the attack, letting it sail on to hit a store and explode in a shower of sparks.

He got back onto his feet and surged forward. When he reached Yugito he began to spin, lashing out with not just his feet and fists, but also using the protrusions on his body to attack. Yugito had to backpedal since nearly every part of the Kaguya was now a weapon. She was forced to continue moving until she saw a small opening.

Yugito timed her attack to Kimimaro's, dodging his first attack before smashing her fist into his face. As the Kaguya stumbled back, Yugito gave him a kick to the ribs, before spinning and launching a snap kick to his shoulder.

As Kimimaro tumbled back, Yugito came in with another kick, this one to the head. Kimimaro's head snapped up, looking almost like he had broken it as his body jerked the opposite way. He landed in a heap a little ways away, only to get back up a moment later.

Yugito charged in again, her attacks increasing in power, speed and viciousness as she attempted to do some kind of damage. Kimimaro became hard pressed to avoid her attacks; the intensity of her assault was actually making him stagger back. He tried to attack several times, however Yugito was always able to dodge the attack and launched one of her own.

He received a snap kick the face that sent him stumbling back, allowing Yugito room to perform several hand seals.

"Katon: Hauringu Neko (Howling Cats)!" Yugito slammed her hands on the ground; causing fire to burst up and take the shape of several tiger-sized fire cats with two tails. They hissed as they launched themselves at Kimimaro, who did his best to dodge.

However they seemed to have an intelligence of their own, since they would follow him wherever he went. It only got worse when Yugito came into the picture, as the cats seemed to utilize teamwork with her. Several times Kimimaro would either get burned, or get a fist or foot to the face for his troubles.

Trying to gain some distance, Kimimaro jumped onto the building. Thankfully two of the cats hit the building, causing them to explode. However the others managed to leap up and follow him, forcing him to jump around the village roof tops so as to keep his distance. He was very lucky when he managed to lead the other four fire cats to their demise, using the villages building against them.

However before he had time to breathe a sigh of relief, Yugito came at him again. Kimimaro was forced to dodge Yugito's next barrage of attacks. Weaving between strikes as he tried to get a strike in edgewise, only to fail as Yugito's strikes came in fast and hard.

Kimimaro blocked the kick sent his way with the bony outcroppings on his elbow; however Yugito pushed herself off of Kimimaro's elbow. Spinning around she slammed her foot into the albino's face, knocking Kimimaro back.

Yugito used the new space to begin going through several hand seals. "Katon: Haineko (Fire Release: Ash Cat)!"

A large cloud of ash blew out of Yugito's mouth, taking the shape of a two tailed cat. It charged towards Kimimaro who only had time to look up as the ash flew towards him; it began to cut into his skin before settling down. However that was not the end of it and soon Kimimaro began to feel the ash burning his body, his skin began to burn off, making the Kaguya hard pressed not to scream in pain.

Yugito paused in her attack to see if she had killed the Kaguya clan member. Only to be shocked when she saw Kimimaro was still alive, albeit a lot of his skin was melted off and burnt, showing the bones of his ribcage, his jaw, and his the bones of his arms and legs.

"That was a most intense attack," Kimimaro commented. "Had I been anyone else, I am sure that would have killed me."

"This time, I'll make sure my next attack does kill you!" Yugito ground out, getting annoyed at the amount of punishment this guy was taking.

She rushed towards him, launching strike after strike on Kimimaro's body. She noticed that despite the amount of hits she rained down on him, the boy's body did not seem to be getting any damage real damage.

Yugito launched a snap kick to Kimimaro's head, before twisting around and jumping in midair as she smashed one foot into his chest and the other ground against his pelvis.

Kimimaro tried to come in with several spinning and jabbing maneuvers, but like always, Yugito weaved through the attacks with cat-like grace. As she danced around the slashes and jabs, Yugito got in close and landed several powerful blows along Kimimaro's torso, sending the white haired team stumbling back.

He continued to get pushed back, taking hits everywhere on his body. He did his best to dodge the blond woman, hoping he could attack her when she left an opening. It came when Yugito attempted to get in close, and land a heel kick on him. He spun around; hoping one of his bony outcroppings would catch her unawares. Unfortunately for him, Yugito, even though she was caught slightly by surprise was more than capable to dodging his attack.

Taking a chance Yugito came forward again and rolled under a leg, before twisting herself into a spin and doing to the splits. Yugito's feet smashed into Kimimaro's face, knocking him off balance and sending him stumbling back.

Yugito used the opportunity and jumped back up, pulling out a kunai as she began to assault the Kaguya. Kimimaro soon found himself unable to do nothing more than dodge as Yugito viciously slashed into him, making several cuts on the albino when he was not fast enough to dodge. Kimimaro was very thankful for his bloodline, knowing that many of these cuts would have killed others.

Yugito saw that her cuts did not seem to be doing much of anything, and began to channel lightning chakra through her kunai. The next time she made a gash on Kimimaro's form, the albino was shocked to see it actually leave markings on one of his ribs. He was forced to jump back as he received several more cuts along his body.

Unfortunately for him, Yugito had moved faster than he had been able to follow, dropping on the ground and landing a vicious double stomp kick to him. The young Kaguya was sent flying backwards, crashing through the door to a building several feet away.

Kimimaro stood back up and looked out of the building to see Yugito still standing there. He walked out and looked at her with a blank expression, "You are strong." The black marks of his cursed seal began to spread along his body, "To cut my bones even a little bit, had you been fighting anyone else I believe you would have won."

"However do not think that just because you have been able to keep me from killing you so far, means you can defeat me. I have not even begun to get started. It's time I revealed my true power."

"Great." Yugito groaned, "I should have realized you would be some kind of freak since you work for Orochimaru. However I hope you don't believe that whatever you are doing will allow you to beat me. I'm not considered the second strongest ninja in Kumo for nothing!"

* * *

"Come back here Uzumaki! Come back and face me!" Gaara yelled as he chased Naruto into one of the many parks that were in Konoha.

It had been hard to get here. Naruto had been forced to constantly dodge Gaara's attacks, while at the same time making sure he had stayed in sight of the crazed redhead. It was because of this he had not been able to get over to the parks unscathed. His body was littered with numerous cuts and bruises from when Gaara had managed to smash his claws into him. Thankfully they were being healed by Kyuubi and his own impressive regeneration and would not leave any permanent markings.

"Oh shut the fuck up!" Naruto shouted back as he dodged another sand claw, "Who the hell said I was running you little bitch! I just felt like a fucking change in venue. With all the goddamn property damage you seem to cause in a battle I didn't want to deal with the shit it would raise after I kick your ass!"

Gaara laughed as he landed a few feet away from Naruto, "You are quite entertaining Uzumaki! Do you actually think you can win! I've seen the way you fight! You fight for others rather than yourself! That makes you weak! Unlike you I fight only for myself, I love only myself and I live for only myself! It's because of this that I am strong! You cannot defeat me!"

"You know, with the way you keep running those fucking lips of yours, you're beginning to remind me of Neji. Only rather than being some fate driven bastard, you're just one insane motherfucker." Naruto frowned, "And fighting for others is not a weakness. If you're too stupid to know what true strength is, then I guess I'll have to show you by kicking your ass Uzumaki style."

"Bring it Uzumaki! Show me this strength of yours! Show me so that when I crush you, I will prove myself to the world!" Gaara jumped at Naruto, lashing out with a claw. Naruto jumped out of the way, letting the tree branch he was on take the damage as he landed on a tree several feet away.

He looked up to see Gaara had grabbed onto a branch with one of his clawed hands and was using it to swing himself around. Naruto waited until the last moment to slide under another one of Gaara's sand claws, placing multiple explosive notes along his arm. Flipping over Gaara, Naruto smashed his feet into the back of the other Genin's head, making the redhead stumble forward. He placed his hand in a hand seal and smirked, "Boom!"

Gaara let out a roar of pain and frustration as his left arm exploded, shooting sand everywhere. However the sand quickly reformed and the redheaded, unstable Jinchuuriki turned his attention back on the blond; launching himself at Naruto with even more fervor.

Snarling Gaara raised one of his clawed hands, sand beginning to form sharp and pointy shapes along his arm, "Suna Shuriken (Sand Shuriken)!"

The Genin-turned-monster announced as he tossed several dozen sand projectiles at Naruto. The blonde's eyes widened ever so slightly before he regained control and began to weave through the hailstorm. While he was not as agile as say, Yugito, he was still able to dodge the projectiles.

However as soon as he had finished dodging, Gaara had just finished his preparation to attack. Using his clawed arms to grab onto a pair of tree's he was standing between, leaning back before using the leverage to shoot off like a rocket. Naruto could only look up in shock as Gaara came towards him at speeds something so large and unwieldy should not be capable of making. Naruto had no time to react as Gaara launched one of his clawed hands at the blonde's chest and swatted him away. Naruto bit down a yelp that threatened to escape him as he was sent rocketing away, smashing through a tree before hitting another one hard enough to leave an indent.

Naruto groaned as he fell to the branch below him, spitting out some of the blood that had congealed in his mouth when he bit his cheek. He stood up and hissed a bit as he felt his ribs mending themselves back together. When it was finished he looked around and blinked when he did not see Gaara anywhere.

However he instantly realized that anytime Gaara disappeared it was probably not a good thing. He jumped off the tree branch he had been on, and just in time too. For as soon as he did Gaara dropped down right on top of the spot Naruto had been standing on, shattering the branch like it was made of clay and sending a shower of bark everywhere.

Gaara landed on the ground and looked for Naruto, snarling when he could not find the blond, "Where are you Uzumaki! Are you afraid of me?" He chuckled maniacally as a smile came to his face, "That's it isn't it! You fear me! Because unlike you, I fight only for myself! While you fight for others and it makes you weak!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Are we going over this again? Don't be stupid Gaara, I don't fear you." Gaara looked around as the voice seemed to echo everywhere, "However, I'm also not stupid enough to fight someone like you head on. The basic shinobi rule has always been for ninja to fight from the shadows, a lesson that seems to have been forgotten long ago when flashy jutsu came into the picture. That's why I've decided to kick it up old school to kick your tanuki ass."

Naruto came up from the ground behind Gaara and slapped an exploding tag on his back, "Sayonara bitch."

Naruto leapt away as Gaara swung an arm to smack him, but the blond merely ducked under it and placed another exploding tag on him.

Growling Gaara tried again, spinning around and hoping to catch the blond off guard, but Naruto had predicted this and placed his hand on the other arm as he jumped over, leaving another exploding note on the redhead. Naruto closed the distance and put an explosive note on Gaara's chest, before leaping over him when the sand covered Genin attempted to swipe at him. As a last act, Naruto slapped an explosive note on the back of his head before jumping away and forming a hand sign. "Katsu!"

**BOOM!**

A large explosion consumed Gaara's form and the sound blocked out the red head's cry of pain; an entire twenty foot radius around the redhead also disappeared, taking many of the trees with it and creating a shockwave that knocked down many more.

Naruto landed several dozen feet away from the explosion and smirked as he took in the power of his customized explosive notes had, "Now that's what I'm talking about."

The blond crouched down on a branch and tried to look into the dust his explosion had kicked up, _Did I get him?_

**'****No,' **Kyuubi piped up for the first time since the battle began. **'I can still feel that Tanuki's youki swirling and gathering around the red head. You've definitely injured him but he's still alive.'**

_Damn! _Naruto sighed as the explosion cleared to reveal Gaara. The red headed Jinchuuriki was definitely injured, the sand that had surrounded him was falling off in globs, making it look like melting skin. He was breathing fairly heavily and was hunched over.

"Uzumaki! UZUMAKI!" Gaara shouted as he turned towards the blond Genin, "I will kill you! I will! You will die by my hand and prove my existence!"

"You've been saying that for the past several hours, yet you have yet to actually come through on that threat," Naruto shot back. "Face it, all the power in the world means nothing without finesse! Which you, my tanuki friend, lack."

**'****This coming from the one who just blew up half a park,' **Kyuubi piped up.

_'__Don't get snippy with me miss destroys-entire-mountains-with-a-single-swipe-of-her-tails. The amount of mass destruction I caused was completely unintended and I only used those explosive notes because I can't use jutsu. Unlike you, who simply prefers to destroy everything she sets her sights on when she transforms into a giant nine tailed fuzzy.'_

**'****Oooh big words coming from such a small kid; perhaps you should come inside the seal and we can settle this little account now, and I can beat your ass in my human form just to show you how powerless you are in front of me.'**

_'__As tempting as it is to get smacked around by such a beautiful woman, we're going to need to hold off on that. It looks like our little tanuki is getting ready to attack again.' _

Naruto was right as Gaara was now barreling towards him, using his arms to launch himself further across the ground. Naruto jumped deeper into the forest where he decided to continue playing his game of cat and mouse, though with how the battle had progressed, it was hard to tell who was the cat and who was the mouse.

As Naruto continued to jump he set an explosive note on one of the branches, and the moment Gaara leapt onto that branch ignited it, letting Gaara be caught up in another, albeit smaller explosion. However Gaara merely barreled through it, using his arms as protection from the explosion.

_'__Kyuu-chan, how's my youki?'_the blond asked as he dodged a claw swipe from Gaara.

**'****Well, I've been pumping your reserves with my own so I would say around fifty percent again. You know, you're very lucky you're a hanyou, otherwise I would not be able to do this and you would be dead from overexposure to my youki.'**

In the month long training period Naruto had for the most part, come to terms with the fact that he was no longer human. While it still bothered him that he would outlive all of his friends and loved ones, and he doubted he would tell anyone of his status, he could at the very least recognize the benefits being a half demon had. So instead of getting upset at the reminder of his status, Naruto merely grinned, _'Then I guess I have to thank you for giving me such an amazing ability Kyuu-chan.'_

**'****Well when you're done with the tanuki you can come in here and thank me properly, **_**Naruto-kun**_**.'**

Despite the situation Naruto blushed a bit at Kyuubi's seductive tone. Somehow the blond should have known the vixen would continue teasing him even if they were in a life and death situation. Shikamaru was right, woman are troublesome. He shook his head to get his mind out of the gutter that her words invoked thanks to all of the sexual situations he had been in, in the past few hours. Instead he turned his attention back towards the mentally unstable Gaara.

Gaara leapt towards Naruto, launching a claw at the blond, who merely jumped over it and began to run across the arm. However the redhead wasn't about to let Naruto do that, and sent out his other arm in the hopes of impaling his enemy. It wasn't to be as Naruto used the tree climbing ability to stick under the redhead's arm and continued running towards him. The blond began doing several hand seals and as soon as he was right in Gaara's face, he thrust his linked fists towards the redhead.

"Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!" two wind shaped fists pounded into Gaara's form, sending several gouts of sand flying off as two fist shaped indents formed on his chest. However other than make the redhead stumble back, nothing else seemed to happen. Not that; that would deter Naruto who had already begun another set of hand seals.

"Fuuton: Suuin Kamikaze No Tatsumaki (Wind Release: Double Tornadoes of the Divine Wind)!"

Naruto thrust out his fists as he jumped away from Gaara, and two fist sized tornadoes shot towards the red head. Gaara brought his claws in front of his face in order to protect him. The tornadoes hit, smashing into Gaara's arms and this time the jutsu ended up tearing them apart, the sheer force of the jutsu sent Gaara sailing backwards to smash into several trees, shattering them and sending him flying before he hit the ground below.

Naruto panted a bit as he let the jutsu go. He looked over where Gaara was lying down, looking for all the world like a puddle of sand, "Ha! I think I got him pretty good with that last attack. Stupid fucking sandbag. Maybe now I can get some sleep…"

"This guy…" Gaara muttered as he struggled to get off the ground. He looked over at Naruto, who was too busy cheering about how he would finally get some sleep to pay attention to the unstable Jinchuuriki, "There's no way I'll lose to a guy like that!"

Naruto who had been hoping to get some kind of break, felt his eyes widen as a huge spike in both chakra and youki came over him, originating from Gaara, "Oh shit! Don't tell me he can transform again!"

Naruto was forced to jump back as Gaara became completely immersed in sand, swelling until he reached the sky. The blond couldn't keep the whistle from escaping him as he stared at the now gigantic tanuki, his eyes could just barely make out Gaara on top of him. For a long moment all fighting within the village ceased as they caught sight of the large one tailed demon, the mere sight caused fear amongst a lot of the Konoha shinobi who remembered the battle against the Kyuubi.

* * *

Yugito smashed her fist against Kimimaro's face, sending him rocketing back and into another building. She smirked as she felt the power of Nibi flowing through her. This battle had turned out to be a little more than she had expected once the pale kid had let loose with his cursed seal, though once she had released her Bijuu's power the cursed seal seemed to pale in comparison.

The purple energy of Nibi had entirely encased the blonde's form, taking the shape of a cat with two swishing tales behind her. Thanks to her intense training from an early age, Yugito was able to use Nibi's powers to its full potential without giving into the bloodlust that was inherent with the use of youki.

Almost as soon as Kimimaro stood back up, Yugito was on him, swiping at him with her now youki covered hands. The attack tore away chunks of Kimimaro's flesh, and sent the albino spinning away.

Kimimaro landed on the ground with a thud. He looked up and was forced to roll out of the way as Yugito came crashing down, smashing a foot into the spot he had just previously been and leaving a small crater when she hit.

Almost as soon as Kimimaro stood back up, Yugito was upon him. Her speed was nearly triple what it had been before, and Kimimaro, despite his cursed seal was completely unable to keep up. He tried his best, lashing out when the rare occasion presented itself. However Yugito was able to either block, or dodge the attack entirely, right before she would lash out with an attack of her own. Her fighting style, despite being nearly thirty times more vicious, was just as fluid as it had been from the start.

Yugito snap kicked Kimimaro in the face, once again sending the boy rocketing back. As soon as he got up he tried to use his spine sword to lash out against Yugito. However the blond merely weaved underneath the attack, before her hand grabbed onto it and pulled him towards her. Yugito smashed her fist into Kimimaro's chest, letting go of the bone blade as the white haired teen was sent back again.

Kimimaro resisted a groan as he stood back up. This girl was a major problem. Their battle had been going on for the better part of three hours now and he had yet to do anything more than scratch her. Even with the power of his cursed seal, he had been unable to do anything, since the moment he laid that one scratch on her; she had activated her Jinchuuriki cloak, which acted a shield against most blunt damage.

Not that he had been able to hit her again anyways, since her speed, strength and reflexes had tripled. Even though she could not use any jutsu without fear of overloading them, she was still kicking his ass.

He thought about using his second stage cursed seal, but it was easy to realize that he would still be unlikely to kill Yugito. Especially given that she had the entire village with which she could hide in. on top of that he had his illness to worry about, the more he used his cursed seal the worse it got. He could not afford to let himself die here when Orochimaru may still need him.

All thoughts from the two of them were cut off by the appearance of Shukaku in one of Konoha's parks.

It was then that Kabuto appeared next to Kimimaro, "Orochimaru-sama has ordered your withdrawal, Kimimaro-san."

"What?" asked Kimimaro in shock, "But I can still fight! I can still help *Cough* *Cough*" Kimimaro dropped to a knee as he began coughing up blood, "No, not again." _Why is it acting up now?_

Kabuto shook his head, "You used the cursed seals power too much, and on top of that, you are fighting the Jinchuuriki for the Nibi. In any case the battle is, for the most part, over. We need to get you medical attention."

"I…I understand," Kimimaro stood up, only to cough up more blood.

Kabuto placed a hand on Kimimaro's shoulder and the two sank into the ground.

Yugito frowned as the pair disappeared. Sighing she let her Jinchuuriki cloak fall. Looking around Yugito looked over towards Shukaku.

**'****Should we deal with that problem kitten?'**

'_No, if we were to battle Shukaku it was cause tremendous collateral damage,'_ Yugito smiled as she saw a large puff of smoke. _'Besides I have a feeling Naruto-kun has it well in hand.'_

* * *

_Oh, this is so not good,_Naruto thought to himself as he looked over at Gaara. He looked at himself to see that he was covered nearly head to toe in sand. _This totally sucks, how am I gonna get out of this? How the hell am I even supposed to fight something that big? I would need a-_He stopped and blinked as an idea to beat Gaara came to him.

_'__Hey Kyu, can you give me a bit of youki?'_

Within the seal Kyuubi blinked in confusion, **'I don't see how my youki can- oh!'** She said paused as she realized what he wanted to do, **'Yeah I can, here you go.'**

_'__Thanks.'_

As Naruto felt a small surge of Kyuubi's youki he brought his thumb to his mouth and swiped at some of the blood that had gotten there from when he was last thrown, and began to make a few hand signs.

Gaara held out his right hand. "Sabaku so-"

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

There was a massive burst of smoke and Naruto found himself standing atop of Gamabunta. Jumping down on his nose Naruto turned to the massive summon, "Hey there Bunta! You want help me out with big bad over there?" Naruto jerked a thumb towards Gaara. "I'd take him out myself, but he seems to have grown too big for me."

**"****The Ichibi No Shukaku huh…"**Gamabunta blew out a large ring of smoke as he looked the giant sand tanuki, **"No can do kid. Why would I want to go out of my way to fight a guy like that?"**

"Because if you don't, I'm gonna end up as nothing more than a bloody smear on the bottom of his foot," Naruto dead panned, "Besides aren't summons supposed to help their summoner?"

"**Well that's tough kid. But I never accepted you as my summoner. We haven't even had a drink yet,"**Gamabunta heaved a massive shrug. **"Until we share a drink together I can't accept you as my summoner."**

"You expect me to buy you sake? With amount of income I make?" asked Naruto. "Are you forgetting that I'm nothing more than a Genin? There is no way my sorry ass would be able to buy enough liquor to get you even slightly buzzed. I doubt I even make enough to get myself buzzed!"

**"****As I said, tough,"**Gamabunta said in an uncaring manner.

"Fine…I really didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice," Naruto sighed before turning to Gaara and raising his hands to his mouth like a microphone. "Hey Gaara! Gamabunta hear says he can kick your motherfucking Tanuki ass back to the time of the Rikudou Sannin!"

"YOU DARE MOCK ME! I'LL KILL YOU!" Gaara screamed as he went through several hand seals, "Tanuki Neiri No Jutsu (Feigning Sleep Jutsu)!"

The star-shaped pupils began to spin wildly on Shukaku as the Tanuki shouted, **"I'm free! Hell yeah! It's time to party!" **It looked over at Gamabunta, **"And look! There's something to kill! Fuuton: Renkuudan!"** A giant bullet of air towards the giant toad summon.

**"****You know, I think I'm starting to hate you gaki,"** Gamabunta grunted as he jumped away from the bullet.

"Hey, if you had just listened to me and helped, I wouldn't have had to do that." Naruto looked at Gaara and rubbed his chin in thought, "Though, I'm not exactly sure how to beat an out of control Bijuu…any ideas Boss Toad?"

Shukaku inhaled a deep breath, **"Fuuton: Renkuudan!" **He launched another massive ball of air at Gamabunta, who decided to counter with his own attack.

**"****Suiton: Teppoudama!****"**

"Hah! Why don't I give you a hand with that Bunta!" Naruto flew through his own hand seals, "Fuuton:Renkuudan!"

He sucked in a breath before hitting his stomach, releasing a powerful cannonball of wind. Said ball hit the water bullet, increasing its speed and power nearly threefold as it smashed into the wind bullet sent by Shikaku. The wind bullet was destroyed and the water bullet continued on and collided with Shukaku himself, knocking the giant demon back and sending it crashing to the ground.

A little ways away both Kankurou and Temari watched the fight in shock. When they had seen a fully transformed Shukaku appearing in the middle of one of Konoha's parks, they had assumed that it was going to start going on a rampage. However they had been surprised when not only did Gaara not start smashing through objects, but that a giant toad would appear as well, and was now fighting off Shukaku. More surprising still was that they had spotted the familiar form of the blond who had beaten Gaara in the first place on top of the Giant Toad summon.

"Who the hell is this kid?" asked Kankurou, "I always thought his first battle was more luck than actually being able to beat Gaara. But now he's going head to head with him again and winning!"

**"****Hey that wasn't too bad gaki,"** Gamabunta complimented as he watched the great demon fall back.

"Of course it wasn't. It was awesome!" Naruto grinned as he watched the giant sand demon try to get back up, "So how do we do this?"

**"****We need to wake up the host. The boy on his head is acting as a medium for the Shukaku. A good smack should do it."**

"I could pepper him with one of my attacks." Naruto offered, "Though that would most likely kill him."

**"****Then it's a no go. Killing the medium during a full-possession may very well release the demon. Since it already has a form it wouldn't need the boy."**

"So we need to get in close then." Naruto said, "Alright! Get me near that son of a bitch, and I'll wake his ass up!"

**"****These hands aren't very good at grabbing things gaki,"** Gamabunto held up his webbed hands. **"How would you suggest I get a hold of him?"**

Naruto scoffed, "I don't need you to grab onto him, just get me close, I'll take care of the rest."

_'__Hey Kyuu-chan, think you can give me some juice?'_

**'****Of course Naruto-kun, just be careful, you've already used a tail once today and this will leave you drained, so no more strenuous activity after this.'**

_'__Got'cha! Light me!'_

Naruto felt Kyuubi's youki running through him again, and prepared himself for what was either going to be the most awesome thing he had ever done, or get his sorry ass killed.

* * *

Orochimaru grit his teeth as he looked at Sarutobi, who was currently holding onto his shoulders and had his sword pierced into the old man's chest. Behind the old Hokage was Enma, who was on the ground with snakes entangling his form, he was holding onto the sword to keep it from going any further into Sarutobi's back. It was at this time that the Snake Sannin was regretting his decision to let his old sensei use the jutsu he had told Orochimaru about, letting his curiosity for powerful jutsu override his common sense. It had only been after Sarutobi had gotten a hold of him that he realized just what the old man had done.

Their battle had been intense, and they had clashed across their little arena for several hours, launching jutsu, battling with staff and sword. Neither had really been able to get the better of the other. Sarutobi was old; his age had made him far weaker than what he had been. Had this battle happened several years ago the aging Hokage would have no doubt won this battle, but his age had made him unable to keep up with his former student physically. However the old man was also cunning and had used his experience and crafty mind to make up for this weakness, thus making Orochimaru unable to really kill him.

Perhaps had the two resurrected Hokages been able to battle Sarutobi the fight would have been different.

As it was now Orochimaru had only gotten a lucky shot when Sarutobi had decided to put an end to the battles that had been going on. The old man had known it would come down to this; the Edo Tensei was a jutsu that only had a few counters that worked. And the only strategy he could use was to seal the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage's using the Shikki Fuujin, the same jutsu that had been used to help seal the Kyuubi inside of Naruto.

The Snake Sannin looked up to see the robed and purple skinned Shinigami floating behind Sarutobi, it's hand plunged deep into the old Hokage's back, going through the man like a specter and into Orochimaru himself. Orochimaru could feel his soul leaving him as the seconds ticked by; it was the singular most painful thing he had ever felt, like his very being was getting burned by fires that were even hotter than the black flames of Amaterasu. He looked back towards his old mentor and mentally cursed the man out with every word he knew.

"I will not let your ambitions ruin this village anymore Orochimaru!" Sarutobi panted out as blood began to dribble down his mouth, "Both of us will now be going into the belly of the Shinigami, where we will face each other in eternal combat as our souls are consumed!"

"Curse you old man! I will not be dying here!" Orochimaru twitched his fingers, trying to make the sword in Orochimaru's back dig itself in deeper. It did not budge much but he saw Sarutobi wince. He looked back down at the arm plunged into his chest, and saw that his soul had moved back in a little bit. However, much to his displeasure, it was pulled back out again.

"My ambition will not die here you old coot! This will accomplish nothing! I will still watch this village burn to the ground! Everything will be consumed and I will not be satisfied until I have destroyed everything you have ever held dear! This village will crumble before the days end!"

The elderly Hokage stared at his student for several long seconds, before he smirked, "You should know better than to underestimate the shinobi of this village Orochimaru. Each one of them is fighting to protect their home! Giving their all and letting the Will of Fire burn within them! They will not be defeated so easily! Even should I die, so long as there are still Konoha shinobi left to fight, you will not win!"

* * *

Within one of the market districts in Konoha, dozens of Oto ninja ran through the now nearly deserted streets. The place had become eerily quiet, however all that was about to change.

Several hundred shuriken suddenly poured at them from above, killing many Oto ninja with strikes in the head and injuring many more. Those who had survived looked up to see a female ANBU kunoichi with purple hair and a cat mask, along with a dozen other ANBU ninja. The one in the cat mask raised her sword, "This is for Hayate-kun!"

* * *

Several dozen Suna and Oto shinobi were surrounding a man with long white robes and white eyes with veins popping out of them. He watched calmly while his enemies moved around him, not bothering to look behind since his eyes already knew they were there.

"Come on! It's just one man!" An Oto ninja yelled out.

This had the effect of all the ninja charging at him. However, in that single second the man began to spin as chakra poured out of all of his tenketsu points.

"Hakkeshou: Kaiten!" a large blue dome of chakra appeared around him, blasting the Oto and Suna ninja away with enough force that when the ninja smashed into rocks and trees, they ended up going right through them. When the attack ended, the only sign it had happened was the round trench that surrounded the man.

Hiashi looked to see all of the enemy ninja were dead and allowed a small, almost unnoticeable smirk to grace his features, "The Hyuuga are the strongest clan in Konoha, remember that."

* * *

"Baika No Jutsu!"

The loud voice sounded out as Akimichi Chouza, the father of Chouji, grew several times larger than the buildings he was walking amongst. He held onto his halberd in one hand and made a swipe at his feet, almost similar to someone sweeping the dirt away with a broom. And like when that dirt was swept away, so to were the many Suna and Oto ninja who were in the way.

On a building just a few meters away, Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru's father was facing off against several enemy shinobi, "Man this is so troublesome; know that this is the end for all of you. Kage Kubi Shibari No Jutsu (Shadow Neck Binding jutsu)!"

The four ninja who had been captured by the man's previous jutsu, were now subject to getting their own necks snapped by their very own shadows.

"Shinranshin No Jutsu (Mind Derangement Jutsu)!" came the shout of Ino's father, Yamanaka Inoichi. As soon as the name of the technique was called, one of the Suna shinobi he had been battling began to attack his comrades, lunging at them with a kunai.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Screamed one of them as the kunai was plunged into his stomach.

"I-I don't know! I can't control my body!"

Soon the sounds of screams were all that was heard as the Suna ninja killed his own teammates, before he himself was killed by Inoichi.

With the attack finished, Shikaku appeared next to his long time teammate, while Chouza stomped over to them, still standing several dozen feet above his comrades.

"It's just like old times isn't it!" Chouza guffawed with a booming laugh.

Shikaku smirked, "You said it, nothing like the reunion of the old Ino-Shika-Cho trio."

* * *

Within one of the forests owned by the Aburame clan, Shibi and his son Shino watched impassively as their Kikkai bugs swarmed over the Chunin who had tried to attack Konoha, only to retreat when Konoha began fighting back. They did not let the screams of their enemies bothered them, whilst their bugs sucked the enemy ninja dry of chakra.

When all of the ninja were dead, Shibi turned to his son, "You have done well son."

"Thank you father," Shino said, his tone impassive, much like his dads.

"Gatsuuga!" The cry came from above, and the three Oto ninja only had time to look up before a spinning drill slammed into each of them. The ninja cried in pain as they were ripped into small chunks of flesh. The spinning drills soon revealed themselves to be three dogs, which quickly jumped onto the roofs and joined two female kunoichi and a much larger and older canine.

"That was a nice attack Hana," Inuzuka Tsume complimented her daughter, before turning her attention to her companion. "Are you ready Kuromaru!"

"Of course Tsume-sama!" The aging dog with the eye patch barked.

* * *

Ibiki looked at the giant snakes in consternation, not at all happy with their inability to take them out. Right now many of the ninja with him were trying to stall the giant triple-headed snake, launching jutsu after jutsu at them. But this did not seem to have any visible effect on it, other than to make it mad and lash out against the Jonin attacking it. The snake was slowly but steadily making its way into the village, and with that giant Tanuki already here, he did not want another large creature to get in and wreak havoc.

To make matters worse, there were more Suna and Oto ninja pouring in through the gap that the three headed snake was making. And with his ninja starting to fatigue it would make them easy pickings for them when they caught them, "Damn it! We're not equipped to handle this!"

However, just when all hope seemed lost, two things happened to lift moral. The first was the shocking appearance of Gamabunta over near the giant form of Shukaku. This had many people rallying at seeing the giant Toad once again facing down a demon, much like it had when Minato Namikaze had summoned it during his battle with the Kyuubi.

The second was the loud shout of, "Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu: Food Cart Destroyer)!" after the shouted jutsu a large toad with two swords strapped to its back descended on top of the three headed snake, smashing the thing flat and sending it back to the summoning realm.

"It's been a long time hasn't it Ibiki!" A voice came from atop the toad, "My, what have they been feeding you! You've gotten so big, compared to the little shrimp you used to be!"

"J-Jiraiya-sama!" Ibiki shouted in shock. If Jiraiya was here, then who had summoned Gamabunta?

"That's right little Chikadees! Open those small beady eyes and stand in awe!" Jiraiya shouted as he began hopping left to right on one of his feet, "The master at dealing with the most freaky and unusual things! It's the one, the only, Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku! The great, the gallant Jiraiya-sama!"

Had the sight of the large toad and the appearance of a man who was famed as being one of the most powerful ninja in Konoha not brought fear upon the Suna and Oto ninja present, they would have all face-faulted at the utterly ridiculous entrance. Not that it stopped several of the Konoha ninja from doing so.

However, those who already knew of the man's general… eccentricity were not bothered by this and were greatly relieved, albeit also confused to see the Gama Sennin. One of those people were Ibiki himself, who Shunshin'ed onto the toad, bowing his head to the white haired man.

"Where's Sarutobi-sensei?" asked the white haired man as he turned to Ibiki.

"At the stadium Jiraiya-sama," Ibiki stood back up. "If I may ask, since you are here, who is the one who summoned Gamabunta-sama?"

Jiraiya looked at Ibiki and smirked, "Why the newest summoner of the Toad contract of course! A gaki, whom I hear has gotten rather famous for his many pranks in the village, and someone who's Will of Fire burns brightest."

* * *

"You are a fool Orochimaru! A monster in human flesh! You hunger for jutsu, but in your quest for power and jutsu you have forgotten where true strength comes from!" Sarutobi grinned as Orochimaru grit his teeth in both anger and a small amount of fear, "It is only when a shinobi protects the things and people most precious to them that they find true strength!"

* * *

As Gamabunta closed the distance between them and Shukaku, the two giant creatures began firing off their respective jutsu.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he watched the overgrown tanuki get closer. _Fifty, forty, thirty feet. That should do it,_Naruto waited until the next attack created a nice distraction for him, and then he jumped up and over the explosion, using the added boost from Kyuubi's chakra to give him that extra reach. Naruto descended on Gaara face first, using his wind chakra to add speed to his descent before flipping around.

"True strength comes from protecting something precious to you!" Orochimaru asked with a sneer. "You've gone senile in your old age Sarutobi-_sensei_! It's no wonder this village is burning as we speak!"

Sarutobi, despite the pain he was in, and the blood pouring out of his mouth, smirked, "I think this is enough. We both know that I do not have the power to suck your entire soul out. However do not think I will be just letting you walk away. For you, a man who is obsessed with learning all of the jutsu in the world, I feel this will be a most fitting punishment. I will strip you of your ability to use jutsu!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened as he stared in shock and fear as he watched the Shinigami pull his soul taut, stretching his soul out and pulling out both of his arms until they were visible; then the spectral god took his knife and raised it above his head, a final crescendo to Orochimaru's punishment, right before he brought the knife down.

"No! Stop this!" Orochimaru's shout went unanswered and he watched in horror, and then pain, as his ghostly arms were cut off and consumed by the Shinigami.

"Fuuin (Seal)!" Sarutobi shouted as he made a hand seal. A flash of brilliant white light shot from Sarutobi's chest as the Shinigami's hand retracted, taking the old Hokage's soul with it. When the light disappeared, Sarutobi was panting heavily as a seal similar to the one on Naruto's stomach appeared. Meanwhile Orochimaru was forced to watch in horror as his arms went from their pale white to black, and a burning indescribable pain came over them.

"There…it is done…" Sarutobi panted, "Both of your arms have been sealed inside of me and your jutsu are now inaccessible to you. No longer will your hunger for jutsu be quenched."

"You damned old fool!" Orochimaru cursed; all sense of composure and sanity lost in his world of anger and pain, "Give me back my arms!"

"You are pathetic, Orochimaru. Your arms are gone, forever in the grasp of the Shinigami," Sarutobi started to sway as he felt his life force leaving him. "Farewell my sad former student. It is unfortunate that we will not meet in the next life."

"Damn you old man!" Orochimaru cursed and swore, using every vulgarity he could think of. However, Sarutobi could no longer hear any of it. He looked at his former student with a content smile, closing his eyes before life left him.

* * *

"Rise and shine you son of a bitch!" Naruto smashed right into Gaara's shoulders. The force of the blow sent them both straight through Shukaku's body, forcing it to collapse on itself since it no longer had a medium to hold it. The pair crashed straight into the ground as sand fell down all around them.

**"****Holy shit…"**Gamabunta mumbled, almost fropping his pipe as he watched the obviously insane blond stomp a mud whole straight through Shukaku. **"Jiraiya's definitely picked an interesting one this time. I'm actually pretty interested to see how this will end. Unfortunately I'm nearly out of chakra, but I look forward to seeing more of what this Uzumaki kid can do."** With that the giant toad disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto grunted as he dragged himself and Gaara out of the now giant sand pit, spitting up the sand that had managed to get in his mouth. "Kami, I'm beginning to fucking hate sand!" Naruto spit up more sand as he dropped Gaara and watched the other genin back away.

"No! Stay away! You will not end my existence!" Gaara shouted as he tried his best to back away from the blond Genin.

"Oh shut the fuck up you damn pussy," Naruto shouted in annoyance. "You're a shinobi aren't you? You deal with death every fucking day! You son, you need to grow a pair if you're afraid of a little thing like death." Naruto began rolling his shoulders, listening to them crack, "Kami, I'm so fucking tired. If I don't make Chunin from this I'm just gonna say screw it. I need a vacation…"

Gaara looked at the blond who had basically just trounced him, and was now acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, "How? How are you so strong? I always fight only for myself, yet you beat me. What makes you so strong?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "That's easy. I'm strong because I don't fight for myself. I only fight to protect my precious people, my friends and those I've begun to consider family."

Gaara looked confused, "But I…don't understand. Why would you fight for anyone other than yourself?"

Naruto sighed, "Because they saved me from myself. You and I are a lot alike, you know that? Hated for something we had no control over, for something that was done to us by others. I remember the glares, the hatred, and the isolation I suffered because of my burden. However unlike you, I worked hard and eventually gained friends, people who accepted me, who saved me." Naruto glared at Gaara, "And if you ever try to hurt my precious people or my village again, not even Kami will protect you from my wrath."

Naruto shifted his attention when Gaara's two siblings jumped down from the clearing and got into fighting stances. The blond just shook his head, "You really don't want to be doing that. I'm tired, I'm pissed, I've got sand in places I really don't want to think about and I just beat the piss out of the guy who scares the piss out of you two. Mess with me, and I'll give both of you a beating that your ancestors will feel."

The two Suna siblings glared at the blond who had dismissed them so easily.

However, the blond noticed this and merely gave the two a grin, "Now then, we're all going to go back to Konoha proper, and I'm gonna take you two into custody. And by me, I mean we, and by we, I actually mean her."

Naruto pointed behind the pair, who could do nothing as they felt the butt end of a kunai hit the back of their necks, knocking them unconscious.

"Yo Yugi-chan!" Naruto grinned as he made three Kage Bunshins to carry the sand siblings, "Come to congratulate me on my awesome fight?"

Yugito shook her head and smiled, "That had to be the craziest and most reckless attack I have ever seen in my life."

"At least it will give your grandkids something to talk about for years to come. I have a feeling this battle is gonna be something they put down in the history books." The blond Konoha ninja tried to move only to fall flat on his face, "What the hell!"

**'****Looks like those three Kage Bunshin you made used up nearly all of your youki,'** Kyuubi informed him, **'you've only got enough to keep you conscious.'**

_'__Goddamn it that sucks!' _Naruto complained, '_I just got finished kicking ass and this totally killed my awesome factor!'_

**'****Perhaps you should learn to converse your youki more,'** Kyuubi suggested as she snickered at her container's plight. Sometimes it was the little things that could make her smile.

_'__Shut up…' _Naruto grumbled before he felt himself being lifted off the ground. Looking to his left he saw Yugito with his arm over her shoulder, and her arm wrapped around his waist. He gave his fellow Jinchuuriki a smile, "Thanks Yugi-chan."

Yugito looked at Naruto and smiled back, "You're welcome," she paused before giving him a grin, "though I hope you don't expect me to carry you around after every battle you have."

Naruto smirked, "Are you saying you don't like being this close to me Yugi-chan? You seemed to be pretty content feeling me up the last time we were doing this," When he saw her blush Naruto added a point for himself. Deciding to take it a step further he added, "Not to mention you pinched my ass, I still have to get you back for that you know."

Having gotten herself under control Yugito looked at him with a smirk of her own, "Oh well then be my guest."

She bumped her hip into his, "It's right here waiting for you after all." She gave him a grin, "Of course since you can't move that's kind of a moot point isn't it?"

Naruto gave her a mock glare, "Once I recover I'm seriously going to make you regret making fun of me Yugi-chan."

"Aww, don't be like that Naruto-kun," the blond woman purred, "You know I love you."

"You sure don't act like it with how mean you're being," Naruto sniffed, "Meanie."

The two continued their game of words as Yugito led/carried Naruto back into Konoha.

Little did the blond shinobi know that tragedy was waiting for him after the battle.

* * *

(Several Days later…)

Two figures stood atop a small hill overlooking Konoha, both of them were wearing black cloaks with red clouds and straw hats on their heads.

"You know, for having come out of a war, they seem to be doing pretty good." The much taller figure said, "Are you feeling nostalgic being back in your home village?"

The shorter figure looked up, revealing a pair of red eyes with three tomoe in each, "No."

* * *

**And there you have it.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: Owning Naruto is something of a dream of mine, that and being rich. Unfortunately it will likely always remain a dream…owning Naruto I mean, hopefully someday I will be rich.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 28: The Search Begins**

* * *

Naruto stared out at Konoha from his spot on top of the Hokage Monument, his mind completely blank as he felt an emptiness he had not felt since Haku's death engulf him. It had been about four days since the battle for Konoha had ended, and the council had taken stock of the situation and all the reports on how much damage and casualties Konoha had suffered. And it had been three days since word spread that the Sandaime was dead, having been killed by Orochimaru during the invasion. One day since the funeral for Sarutobi had occurred, and three days since Naruto had been able to get any sleep.

Like the time when Haku had died, the blond had been unable to get a moment's rest, since whenever he had, even if only for a few moments, the images of those he had lost replayed in his mind. Only now they were images of both Haku and Sarutobi, letting him know just how badly he failed. The thoughts of if only, played in his mind. If only he had been stronger, if only he had been there, if only he had been able to kill Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, then none of this would have happened. He knew that such thoughts were pointless, that these kinds of thoughts would not, could not, change the past. Yet it was these thoughts that seemed to be the only ones that had been running through his head for the past three days.

Thoughts on his failure brought him to thoughts on just how wrong Sarutobi's death felt. He may have always joked about the man being old, and needing to give him the Hokage titled before he died, but a part of Naruto had never really thought the old man would die. Sarutobi had been around since almost the beginning of the village's founding. He had seen all three of the wars, was the Hokage for two of them, and had ruled Konoha through its most turbulent times, even taking the title back after the Yondaime died to seal the Kyuubi. To Naruto, the Sandaime had always seemed eternal, a figure that would never die.

Yet he had, the man who had the longest reign of any Hokage, and in Naruto's opinion, one of the most successful, was gone. He would never hear the old man speak of the past, or berate him for some prank, offer him a piece of advice, help him through any of the hardships he faced. He would never get to see the old man's pride as he gave him the Hokage hat and title. There were a lot of things he would never get to do with the old man again.

It was odd, the pain he had felt was just as intense as it had been when Haku died, and so was the feeling of failure. And yet, for some reason, Naruto could not find it in himself to cry like he had when Haku had died, even when he had been at the Sandaime's funeral he could not cry.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_Naruto watched with a sense of detachment as Sarutobi's two teammates spoke on behalf of their now dead comrade. He couldn't really hear the words that were being spoken, it was like there was an odd buzz in his ear that kept him from hearing anything, and it had been like that since he had heard of the Sandaime's death. _

_He looked over to his left and saw Konohamaru crying his eyes out, with Iruka placing a protective arm around the young Sarutobi. He could see the boy's lips moving, but like with the speeches, his mind could not pick up what was being said. As he continued to let his eyes travel, he found them coming to a stop right next to the figure on his right. Tenten was holding onto his arm, clutching it in between hers and had her head leaning on his shoulder. _

_He could see the tears in her eyes, and a part of him wondered if she had been close the old Hokage. _Probably not, _He shook his head. _I spent a lot of time with jiji and never saw her with him,_ Still, that did not make her sorrow any less, he knew. The Sandaime had been a constant of the village for a long time, nearly seventy years or so, and Naruto knew that he was friends with Kaito, having seen the Sandaime in the shop on occasion when he had gone in._

_A little while after the speech, people began to walk up to Sarutobi's coffin and set a white rose on it, a tradition that had been passed down in Konoha when grieving for the dead, it was supposed to be a symbol of rebirth, or something like that._

_As the people continued moving and passing their flowers onto the coffin it began to rain. Naruto looked up at the sky and let the drops fall down onto his face, closing his eyes for a moment. He was glad the rain had come, because for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, his eyes could not work up the ability to produce tears. At least this way, he could pretend that the water now on his face were his tears._

_When it was his turn Naruto gently pulled himself from Tenten's grip and made his way over to the coffin. He found himself staring at the picture of Sarutobi, one taken in his earlier years, showing a head of full spiky brown hair much like Konohamaru's and a wrinkle-free face. Naruto could easily recognize that he was in the Hokage office, having visited there as many times as he had in his life time Naruto could recognize every inch of that office._

_A part of him wanted to say something, to have one last conversation with the man who had given him so much. A place to call home, taking him out to ramen, offering him advice, a shoulder to cry on, giving him encouragement when he had failed at something, or even a break from the glares he received in the village by offering him sanctuary in his office._

_Naruto's mind replayed some of the times he had spent with the elderly Hokage. Like when he had done his first prank of putting itching powder in the entire collection of a clothing store's stock. Rather than be angry the old man had laughed almost as soon as the ANBU left, and had asked him how he had managed to pull it off. Or the many times when Naruto would come visit the man in his office, and they would have tea and these odd little cookies that tasted really good. And more recently the aid Sarutobi had offered him, informing him of the uses of the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu, of helping him cope with learning he had a demon sealed inside of him, of the time when Naruto had been lost due to an amalgamation of using said demon's youki, killing nearly a hundred bandits in less than an hour and losing someone he was honestly positive he had wanted to spend his life with._

_Sarutobi had done so many things for Naruto, and it was only now he realized that he had never done anything to thank the man for all he had given him. Naruto felt that the least he could do now was offer his thanks for helping him as much as the elderly Hokage had._

_Yet when he opened his mouth, no words came out, and Naruto found that in the end, all he could do was place the flower on Sarutobi's coffin and walk back to where he was standing._

_After that he just watched as the other people put there flowers down, until all the people had finished and left. The only person who had stayed with him after that was Tenten, yet even she left eventually. Naruto stayed there for what felt like hours, letting the rain hit his form. It was not until the rain had stopped and the sky began to clear that Naruto left._

_Because with the rain gone, he could no longer pretend that he was shedding tears._

_Flashback end..._

* * *

It had been after this that Naruto had cut himself off from everyone much like he had done after Haku's death. Even Kyuubi could not reach him, though not for lack of trying. He knew it was not something he should do, and that he was going to get an earful from both Anko and Tenten later. But right now he did not want to deal with anybody; he knew what he would get when he met them. And he did not want their pity, or any form of platitude. It just wasn't him; he was not one for receiving pity from others. He had never had it when he was forced to grow up on the streets, and he would not have it now.

* * *

Jiraiya could not repress the sigh that escaped him as he looked out over the village from where he stood, leaning against the rail from on top of the Hokage Tower. The village had taken quite a lot of damage, but considering it had a Bijuu in the middle of it for a while, it was far less than most could have hoped for.

_The gaki really did pretty good,_ Jiraiya mused to himself as he scratched his chin. _Gamabunta tells me the kid;s one of the ballsiest people he's ever met, and with what he told me of the fight I'm more than inclined to believe him._

Naruto really had impressed him, not just in this battle, but ever since they had met. The reports he had received when he had been out of Konoha hoping to gain information on Orochimaru had told him that Naruto was nothing but an idiot, someone who had been the dead last of his class and barely managed to scrimp by. Hell, he had heard that the only reason the boy passed was because he had managed to learn the Kage Bunshin in one hour. A feat only made possible by the boy's ridiculously large reserves.

Yet when Jiraiya had found the kid at the hot springs, it was not the idiot he had expected. Sure he was loud, that he had at least expected, and the boy had a tendency to run off his mouth. However, he also spoke far more fluently than he would have expected, the boy had a sharp tongue that could shoot shit with the best of them. His investigation of the boy afterwards had shown him at least parts of the reason he was so much more intelligent than he had expected. That still didn't change how impressed he was with the kid.

"Ah Jiraiya-kun! There you are!"

Jiraiya turned around and suppressed a groan when he saw Homura and Koharu, two of the three elders on the Konoha Council. They were the teammates of Sarutobi, and had served Konoha for a long time, Jiraiya liked to think of them as Konoha's fossils. However, Jiraiya really did not like the two since, more often than not, they chose to side with Danzo, the last of the three elders, on the man's pro-war like policies.

"What can I do for you old toadies today?" asked Jiraiya in a tone that said 'I really don't care what you have to say'. And truthfully he really did not care about what they wanted. Part of the reason he was up here was because he had left the council chamber half an hour ago so he did not have to listen to the arguing they did.

_Arguing about what to do with Naruto,_ Jiraiya thought to himself. The blonde's feats of strength had not gone unnoticed by the people of Konoha and he had been the talk of the town, almost as much as the Hokage's death. Some of it was good, some of it was bad. Naruto was starting to gain respect, at least from the shinobi population.

However none of that mattered to the council, or at least the civilian council. With the Hokage dead many of them were weary of the blond shinobi. While they would not do anything like banish him, especially now that they had irrefutable proof that Kumo had two Jinchuuriki with full control over their Bijuu, they wanted to place restrictions on him, or give him to Danzo.

Jiraiya had been able to put a stop to that by claiming the boy was his apprentice, but he knew without a Hokage they may very well get what they want. He just hoped they did not choose Danzo, or they would get what they want Hokage or not.

The two frowned for a moment before brightening up. Homura cleared his throat as he began to speak, "Since you do not feel like speaking right now, we will get straight to the point. As you are well aware, Konoha is without a Hokage. In order to make Konoha seem strong despite our current state, we need to have a strong leader who will-"

"Not interested," Jiraiya interrupted, already knowing where this was going to go.

"Now Jiraiya-kun, we need a strong leader and it was decided that only a Sannin could take up that position," Koharu said, hoping to let the man know just how important this was.

"Like I said, not interested," Jiraiya turned away from the pair and looked back out at the village. "I have absolutely no desire, nor the ability to be Hokage. Not to mention I have my spy network to keep up, and then there's my research. So as you can see I have no time to become some kind of paper pusher." Before the two could attempt to make a rebuttal, he held up a hand. "However, I do have someone in mind that would make a great Hokage."

"You can't mean 'her' can you Jiraiya!" Hamura asked in surprise, having realized who he was talking about, "She hasn't been in the village in years!"

"That is true," Jiraiya nodded his head. "However, unlike me, she has the heritage, and the ability to be a good, strong leader."

"That is true…" Koharu murmured, "But the question is, can you find her?"

Jiraiya grinned, "Don't worry about that, I may not know where she is, but my spy network can find her. I'll set out in a little while to begin my search."

Hamura nodded, "In that case, we will select a group of ANBU to escort you and-"

"That will not be necessary," Jiraiya said, the last thing he needed was a bunch of fogies following him around.

"But Jiraiya-kun! You can't go alone; at least let us send Kakashi-kun!"

Jiraiya shook his head, "All those people would only slow me down…" Then he blinked for a second before smiling, "Actually, there is someone I know that I would like to take with me. An interesting kid I met a while ago who really seems to grow on you."

* * *

Yugito frowned as she left the Ichiraku Ramen stand. It had been three days since she had last seen Naruto, and she was honestly starting to get worried. No one had seen the blond since news of Sarutobi's death had spread, barring the funeral procession itself, and she had not been there to see him. It was because of that, as well as the fact that she was leaving soon that she wanted to find him one last time, and see if she could help him in some way.

She was thankful that she remembered Naruto's love of the ramen shop, since she was not sure where to get any information on the blond other than there. Not that there wasn't enough information going around as it was. Rumor of Naruto defeating the Shukaku-possessed Gaara had somehow spread across the village. How, she was not sure, since the only people she knew were there besides herself and Naruto were currently locked away. Yet somehow that information had spread.

Then again not many people could have missed the giant toad in the center of one of Konoha's parks.

Not that it was all a bad thing. She had noticed a small but definitive improvement in the general populace's demeanor when speaking of Naruto. Oh she could see that a few of the people did not believe the stories and still hated his guts, but there were more than a few who had begun speaking of the blond in hushed whispers of awe. Of course she also noticed that it was mainly from the younger generation, those who were Naruto's age and below, who Naruto had told her were unaware of the Kyuubi anyways.

Aside from that, there was also the talk of how all of the Naruto clones had ran around the village, helping civilians escape the attack. That in of itself had earned the young blond teen quite a few brownie points it seemed. And then there was also the news that Naruto had saved the students at the academy.

Yugito shook her head as she made her way towards where she had been told Naruto was most likely to be, grateful that the ramen stand owner and his daughter knew the blond so well.

Like they had said, Naruto was on top of the Hokage monument, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, and his head resting on top of that. She had actually cursed herself for not remembering that he had told her how often he would come up here when the villagers' hatred became too much. Yugito walked up to the boy and took a seat right next to him, leaning back against her hands as she seemingly admired the view.

For a while no words were spoken, and Yugito had to wonder if the younger blond was ever going to speak. Finally-

"Can I help you, Yugito?" he asked in a soft voice, his disuse of the nickname or affectionate suffix letting the young woman know he probably did not appreciate her coming up here. Not that it would stop her from trying to help in some way.

"I just came to see how you were doing," Yugito said as she looked at him. "I didn't get to go to the funeral service, being a foreign ninja and all, but I had heard you had disappeared, so I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Oh…" Naruto said before going silent.

Yugito looked at the blond for a moment, before looking back at the village, "You know, I remember when I was only three years old. It was when the Sandaime Raikage had started training me to be his secret weapon. Every morning I would wake up and then be asked to recite what my purpose was, 'to be a weapon in the service of Kumo and the Raikage' and after that I would be trained in the arts of combat. It was often very brutal, even though I was only three, barely even old enough to walk, my instructors never went easy on me and I would often go to sleep with bruises, cuts and occasionally broken bones all over my body. I knew nothing else other than that. The Raikage for the most part kept me in confinement. I would wake up, start my routine, and then pass out after a long day of training. The few times I had been in the village, people would often look at me in fear or hatred, and I always had to be with one of my handlers."

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Naruto turned to look at her, "When I was five, the Sandaime Raikage had determined it was time for me to learn how to control my Bijuu's youki. It was hard, possibly even more difficult than the combat training. They kept making me draw out the Nibi's youki; I remember many times I would get chakra poisoning and was forced to stop. A few times it had been so bad that I would be put into a coma for nearly a week. I had to work for nearly four years before I could even use one tail. And then, they had deemed me ready to do missions for the village."

Yugito held in a snort, "Really it was just suicide missions that they could not send other ninja on. They would send me on assassination mission for high profile targets, fighting off B and then later A-ranked missing ninja. I was the Raikage's weapon, that was my lot in life and I knew nothing else other than that."

"What about the Yondaime Raikage, or that Kirabi person you spoke of?" asked Naruto after the blond woman had paused.

"They were not in my life at the time," Yugito sighed. "Raikage-sama was a member of the council, and was too busy trying to help his brother, who had life far worse than I did in the village, to help me. I never even met them until after A became the Raikage."

A smile came onto Yugito's face, "However there was one person who actually looked after me. It was one of my 'handlers' that made sure I never went out of control. His name was Takodama Kenichi, a Jonin of Kumo. Unlike the other handlers he did not keep me at arm's length. I could tell he still had a fear of me, but he was at least there for me, teaching me things that did not have to do with a ninja's life." She rolled up the sleeve on her arm and unsealed her Shamisen and began to play a small melody, "He was actually the one who taught me how to play a Shamisen."

Naruto looked at Yugito as she began to play, she really was good, the melody had Naruto sub consciously relaxing his tensed muscles, "So what happened to this Kenichi guy?"

A sad smile crossed Yugito's face at the question.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_A nine year old Yugito sat in the chair next to Kenichi's bed in the hospital, trying her best not to look at all the tubes and equipment that was attached to him. She had just come back from one of her first S-ranked missions and had found out that the only man who had ever been kind to her was dying. Not of wounds suffered at the hands of enemy ninja, nor of old age or any kind of ailment that could be considered honorable. He was dying of a disease._

_She did not know the kind, Yugito was not a medic, but she did know that it was eating away at his muscles, slowing making them deteriorate. Whatever inflicted him was obviously painful, the man, though unconscious had been letting out small whimpers of pain, and considering that he was actually well known for having gone through torture at the hands of enemy shinobi during the third war without so much as letting out a grunt that was saying something._

_As she sat there, doing her best to tend for the man who had done what he could for her, she heard a small grunt, "Yugito…"_

_She blinked for a second as she looked down to see Kenichi's eyes had opened just a little, "Kenichi-sensei! Are you alright?"_

_The man let out a soft laugh, only to grunt in pain seconds afterwards, "Alright is not quite the word I would use, but considering the circumstances, I am fine."_

"_Is there anything I can do to help you?" Yugito asked, feeling a small sting at the corner of her eyes at seeing the man she had admired looking so pitiful._

"_Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you," He paused for a moment so that he could turn his head, an amazing feat when one took into consideration that all of his muscles were practically useless. "I wanted to say, I am sorry."_

_Yugito blinked in confusion, "Sorry for what sensei?"_

"_For not doing more for you," Kenichi said, he saw Yugito about to speak and interrupted her. "I could have been there for you more, treated you more like a human being. I should have treated you more like a human being."_

"_How could you say that!" Yugito asked in shock, "You're the only one who's treated me like a human being! You're the only person who's ever shown me any kindness!"_

"_Thank you for that, but I know I could have done more to help you." Kenichi rasped out, "I could have treated you better; I could have shown you more wonders of the world than just the things you can play with when not on missions… I could have shown you a father's love…"_

"_What…?" Yugito asked, her eyes wide._

_Kenichi, despite the pain he was obviously feeling smiled, "I should have shown you, told you, I wanted to tell you. You are the daughter I never had. And if I were to have a daughter, I would want one just like you."_

_Yugito grit her teeth as she tried to hold in the tears that were now really threatening to spill out._

"_It's okay to cry you know," Kenichi said softly._

_Yugito shook her head, "No matter what happens, true shinobi must never show their emotions."_

_Kenichi let out a sigh, "Right now…you are not a shinobi Yugito, you are a human, a young girl. There is no mission to complete; there is just you and me. You can cry here."_

_The flood damn broke and Yugito began to cry._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

"He died when I was nine years old."

Naruto winced, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Yugito gave him a soft smile. "It happened a long time ago, and though I still miss him, I always carry him where it matters most. Just you like you will always carry the people you love where it matters most."

Naruto blinked in confusion, "Where is that?"

Yugito smiled as she poked him in the chest, "Right here."

Naruto looked down towards his chest, where her finger was still poking, before looking back up to see her smiling at him. Unconsciously a smile came to his face as well. He looked back at her hand, which he noticed with some amusement was still poking him.

He grabbed onto her hand as he moved himself down in the cross legged position, "Thank, Yugi-chan."

Yugito blushed a bit, a small light pink tint coming onto her cheeks at the heartfelt thanks, "Your welcome."

She gave him a smile as she brought their hands into her lap and began to rub her thumbs against his hand. A second later she smirked, "As I said before, you know I'm always willing to help a cutie like you."

"Not cute…" Naruto mumbled with a pout, causing Yugito to laugh.

They stayed that way for a few more minutes before Yugito had to leave and meet the Raikage at the gate so they could go back to Kumo, it was a rule set down among all hidden villages that foreign dignitaries could not be present in the village without a Kage or at least an acting Kage. The only reason they had been allowed to stay as long as they had was because of the help they gave during the battle.

Naruto sighed as he looked back down at the village, "What do I do now…" He tapped his chin a few times before smiling, "I think I'll go get some Ichiraku's."

"Oi. Teuchi-Ojisan, how about some ramen," Naruto shouted as he sat down at his reserved spot.

Teuchi came out of the back and, spotting Naruto, gave a grin, "Well what do you know, the missing ninja is back. You know Ayame and I was worried about you, we haven't seen you since the funeral and you haven't come here in three days."

"Sorry about that," Naruto scratched the back of his head as he gave a sheepish grin. "I was dealing with some…personal issues."

The old ramen stand owner nodded in understanding, "I got'cha! Well the ramen will be right up, so just sit tight!"

Naruto nodded and let his mind wander until his food was brought to the table. Naruto grinned as he snapped a pair of chopsticks and dug in. as he continued to inhale the food as if he had not eaten in months, which was sort of the truth as he had not eaten ramen in, well at least three days, a familiar man with white hair stepped into the bar.

"J-Jiraiya-sama!" Teuchi exclaimed in surprise, "To what do I owe the honor!"

Jiraiya laughed, "Now there's no need for formalities like that today, I just came to pick up the gaki for a mission."

Naruto blinked as he realized the man was talking about him, not that it wasn't obvious from the way he had placed a hand on his shoulder. Sighing Naruto slurped up the last of his broth before setting it on the table and looking at the white haired man, "So you need me for some kind of mission Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya's right eye twitched. "What have I told you about respect gaki?"

"Hmmm…" Naruto tapped his chin in thought, "You know, I don't really remember." He grinned as he saw the man's eye twitch more. "Not that it would matter, if Sarutobi-Ojisan couldn't get me to show respect, there is no way you could get it from me."

"I swear the youth these days…" Jiraiya mumbled.

"So what is it you need from me?" asked Naruto, standing up.

"I need you to help me find a certain person." Jiraiya said elusively, "An old friend of mine."

Naruto frowned, "You know even though I have enhanced senses, I'm not much of a tracker. Wouldn't an Inuzuka be better for this sort of mission?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "I don't need a tracker gaki. I have plenty of experience in finding people."

"Then why are you asking me to come along?" asked Naruto in confusion, "I mean, wouldn't I only slow the great Ero-sama down?"

Jiraiya gained several tic marks on his head, "I swear, you and your stupid nicknames. I'm not doing this so I could have help, and this is going to be a little slow, since the person I'm looking for is pretty elusive."

"Well then, why do you want me to come?"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "I was getting to that, don't be so impatient. Anyways, as my apprentice, I was plan on teaching you a jutsu while we travel. One that makes the Chidori look like child's play."

Naruto held in a wince at hearing the name of the jutsu that killed Haku, right before he registered the rest of what the man said.

"A new jutsu?" When the man nodded Naruto grinned, "You've got yourself a deal Ero-sennin! Just let me go home and grab my equipment!"

Jiraiya shook his head, "No time, we've got to hit the road now or the trail will get cold."

"But I thought we were taking it slow anyways," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Wouldn't that sort of imply that it wouldn't matter if we left a few minutes later? Besides, what if we run into some missing ninja? I only have a limited amount of equipment on me."

Jiraiya snorted, "First off, when I said we would be taking it slow, I meant we were not going to be running all over the country. Second, the chances of us running into missing ninja are zero to none. And third, even if we did run into missing ninja it wouldn't matter. Don't forget that you are going to be with the great and gallant Jiraiya-sama."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Right, whatever…"

Jiraiya pouted at the way Naruto brushed him off. He cheered up a second later, "Alright then! Let's hit the road!"

Naruto blinked at the man's enthusiasm as he began walking away, before shrugging a second later and following the white haired pervert.

* * *

Gaara blinked a few times as he continued staring at the ceiling of the jail cell he was in. it had been four days since his and his siblings capture at the hands of Naruto and that blond woman he had been with. Four days of doing nothing, and since he could not sleep it had given Gaara plenty of time to think, something he had been doing since his talk with Naruto.

"_That's easy. I'm strong because I don't fight for myself. I only fight to protect my precious people, my friends and those I've begun to consider family."_

_Fighting for others…does it really make you that strong?_

The words Naruto had spoken had been on his mind for a while now. The blond had beaten him. A feat that no one had been able to accomplish before, but one he had done twice. His strength was obvious, yet Naruto said he fought for others, not himself. _If I fight for others, could I gain that kind of strength?_

He looked around his cell, he walls were not very thick and he knew that both his siblings were with him. Unlike the other two he had been conscious when they had been taken into custody, so he knew they had been placed in a jail cell next to his. Could they become his precious people? They were family, though he knew they were afraid of him. Yet at the same time they were the only ones who had stayed near him, even after he had threatened to kill him. Besides that, if he wanted the kind of strength Naruto possessed he had to start somewhere right?

"Temari, Kankurou?"

There was a short pause before Temari answered in a surprised voice, "Yes, Gaara?"

"… I'm…sorry, for the way I treated you two." Gaara apologized. The words felt foreign, but at least he had said them.

"…Don't worry about it Gaara," Replied Kankurou, though from his voice it was obvious he was shocked.

Gaara sighed, realizing this would be harder than he thought. Still Uzumaki had never given up; he had lived a life like Gaara's. If the blond could do it, then maybe he could too.

* * *

"Kakashi!"

Said ninja blinked as he looked up from his porn, "Asuma, Kurenai." Kakashi greeted the two ninja with an eye smile, dutifully ignoring the way Kurenai wrinkled her nose at his precious book, "What brings you two here?"

"Oh you know, just in the area," Asuma replied.

"Really?" Kakashi went back to his book, "I thought you two would be on a date or something."

The pair blushed a bit before Kurenai seemed to get a hold of herself, "What about you? What are you doing here?"

Kakashi sighed, "I'm just waiting for Sasuke to show up."

Within the dango stand behind the trio one of the two figures, both of whom were wearing straw hats and black cloaks with red clouds, who were sitting there shifted at the mention of Sasuke, an action which did not go unnoticed by the three Jonin.

"This must be a novel experience for you then," Asuma joked. "Having to actually wait on someone for a change."

Kakashi just gave an overly dramatic sigh, "Things like this do tend to happen on rare occasion."

"Kakashi!"

The three Konoha ninja turned to see a scowling Sasuke walking up to them. He took one look into the restaurant to see it empty, before turning back to his sensei, "You know I hate sweets. Now what did you want? I have to get back to my training, so unless you're going to help with that, speak up."

Kakashi and the two other Jonin frowned at the boy's attitude. Ever since he had woken up after the battle for Konoha, the kid had been in an almost permanent bad mood. It had only gotten worse after he had heard of Naruto's victory over the demon Shukaku. In truth, Kakashi was worried that the boy might have once again become a flight risk; something that he had felt would not happen since he had at least for a time, been getting along decently with Naruto.

Sighing Kakashi looked over at Asuma and Kurenai, giving them a nod and receiving one in return before they took off. He turned back to Sasuke, "Well, I do have a scroll with some jutsu on it. I have to report to the council, but I'll give you that to work on and come by later to see how much progress you've made."

Sasuke scowled at the thought of learning jutsu from a scroll. Why should he do that, when he could just copy a jutsu with his Sharingan? Still, it was better than nothing so he supposed he would have to take what he could.

* * *

The two mysterious people who had been in the restaurant were now walking in one of the many parks of Konoha, one of the few ones that had not been destroyed by the battle between Gaara and Naruto. As they did they were stopped, by Asuma and Kurenai.

"You know, you two don't look like you're from around here," Asuma spoke as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Seeing as how there's not much to do, what with the invasion and all, I have to ask…what are you two doing here?"

The smaller of the pair stepped forward, keeping his hat down so that it did not show his face, "It's been a long time Asuma-san, Kurenai-san."

"You seem to know us," Asuma spoke, and though his tone was lazy, there was an underlying edge to it. "And yet, we don't know you. Who are you?"

The shorter man said nothing, instead choosing to raise his hat, revealing a pair of red eyes with three tomoe in each.

Asuma sucked in a breath, "You're…Uchiha Itachi. You've got some nerve coming back here…after what you pulled."

"Well these people seem to know you quite well, ne Itachi?" The larger figure spoke up in an amused voice. "I guess it would only be right for me to introduce myself as well." The man removed his hat to reveal blue skin with three gills on each side, shark like teeth and eyes. "The name's Hoshigaki Kisame, a pleasure to meet you."

Both Asuma's and Kurenai's eyes widened. Kurenai looked at the two of them in surprise as she spoke, "You're a missing ninja from Kiri, wanted for the murder of Kirigakure's Daimyo, and the destruction of several minor countries. What are two S-ranked criminals doing here?"

"If I had to go by their outfits, I'd say they've got some kind of purpose." Asuma said, "Well? Why are you back here? You know that after the incident you caused, you were listed in our bingo books with a kill on sight order."

Itachi seemed to ignore the pair's question, "I would like to ask the two of you two step aside. We've got no quarrel with you, and I would prefer not to have to kill my former comrades."

Asuma snorted, "That's rich coming from you."

Itachi narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

"Ne, Itachi? Can I kill them?" Asked Kisame as he stepped forward, grabbed onto the large bandaged object behind him and pulled it off, slamming it on the ground. Most would probably find it odd that Kisame was actually asking Itachi for permission to do something, but they had decided that Itachi was the brains of this operation. And Kisame respected the younger ninja's skills and tactical expertise.

Itachi closed his eyes before speaking in the monotone he was so well known for, "It seems that they will not let us leave without a fight…however, try to keep it down. Your fighting style tends to attract too much unwanted attention."

Kisame grinned as he hefted the large object back up, and then charged at Asuma. Said Konoha Jonin took out a pair of trench knives in response and blocked the attack. Meanwhile, Kurenai began going through several hand seals, right before her form wavered and vanished.

_A genjutsu,_ Itachi thought as he found himself bound to a tree, he knew this genjutsu, one of the ones that Kurenai had made famous.

A little ways away, Asuma was struggling to hold the giant object, which he now recognized as Kisame's sword, Samehada, back. _What ridiculous strength. He can pressure me with just the tip of his sword!_

"You should know," Kisame started with a toothy grin as Samehada landed on Asuma's shoulder. "That my sword Samehada doesn't cut, it shaves!"

The bandages unraveled as scaly protrusions stuck out of the sword, sinking into Asuma's skin. Kisame grinned as he dragged the sword along the Konoha Jonin's shoulder, watching in satisfaction as it tore off a good chunk of flesh.

Asuma grit his teeth as he held onto his wounded shoulder, "Damn…Kurenai, I need you to hurry and finish up."

Itachi looked up as Kurenai appeared above him, holding a kunai in her hand. "It's over," She said as she got ready to slit Itachi's throat.

"Nice genjutsu," Itachi said, and Kurenai was shocked to find their positions were now reversed. "But you should know that level of genjutsu doesn't work on me."

_He countered my genjutsu!_ Kurenai thought in shock, before she bit her lip and used the pain it brought to override the genjutsu's affects. She was just in time too, since Itachi had already sent a swipe at her with his kunai. She managed to duck under it, however, Itachi had already known she would do that and sent a kick at her. Kurenai saw it, but realized she would not be able to dodge. So she did the only thing she could do in such a situation, crossed her arms and hoped to lessen the blow as much as possible.

"Kurenai!" Asuma shouted as he saw the raven haired beauty get sent flying. However, he ended up having other things to think about when he was forced to dodge a sword wing from Kisame.

"You don't have time to be worrying about others," Kisame said with a grin, before he started swinging his sword again.

Kurenai coughed up some water as she breached the surface. She was about to stand up when the voice of Itachi sounding behind her made her freeze, "Your genjutsu is most impressive Kurenai-san. However…"

"This is the end for you…Itachi," A new voice spoke up.

Asuma grunted as he dodged another slash from Kisame, sidestepping the attack. It was then that he saw an opening. Moving in, Asuma aimed one of his trench knives at Kisame's head. Seeing this, Kisame smirked and moved his head just a little to the side, letting the blade pass mere inches from him. However, he became surprised when he felt a cut appear on his cheek.

"What?" He looked at Asuma's trench knives and saw that they were glowing a bright green, allowing the blade to be extended by several inches. Growling he jumped back and went through a set of hand seals.

"Suiton: Suikoudan (Water Release: Water Shark Projectile Jutsu)!" Came a twin cry. Water shot out from the river in two different places, both of them were launched and ended up taking on the likeness of a shark. The first one came at Asuma, only to be intercepted by the other one. The second shark shaped water missile drilled into the first one, cancelling them both out.

"Hatake Kakashi," Itachi looked behind him to see Kakashi standing next to Kurenai. He looked over to see the real one near Kisame, his hand still in the hand seal he had done when copying the shark man's jutsu.

"Well, Hatake Kakashi," Kisame grinned. "I hear you and Zabuza-chan got into a little tussle a while ago. I've been wanting to fight you ever since I heard about it."

However, before Kisame could actually start fighting, Itachi cut him off, "No, I'll handle this. Your fights tend to take too long, and you have already given us a lot of unwanted attention. Remember our mission."

Kakashi looked at Itachi with his Sharingan eye. "Your mission? And what's that?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned with," Itachi said, right before he flung several shuriken at Kakashi.

Said copy ninja went through several hand seals, "Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)!"

Water from the river shot up around Kakashi, blocking the shuriken as well as a Suiton: Suigadan that Itachi had managed to launch without Kakashi even seeing it.

When the water wall fell back down, A Kage Bunshin of Itachi appeared behind Kakashi and stabbed him with a kunai. However, Kakashi merely turned into water, revealing him to be a Mizu Bunshin.

"Mizu Bunshin eh?" Kisame smirked, "He seems to be quite skilled with Kiri's jutsu."

"You are most impressive in the use of that eye of yours," Itachi complimented. "Despite it only being an implant, you wield it like a true Uchiha."

Kakashi's eyes widened as he pushed Kurenai down, "Get down!"

**BOOM!**

The Itachi who had appeared behind the pair exploded, causing Asuma to shout out as he rushed onto the water to make sure the two were alright. Luckily, Kakashi had managed to Kawarimi him and Kurenai away, however it had been a close call and the silver-haired Jonin was breathing rather heavily.

"It is truly remarkable, how you are able to use that eye of yours so well; however even if you can wield it like an Uchiha, you are not of Uchiha blood and some things will forever be out of your reach." Itachi looked at Kakashi with his impassive eyes. "And now I will show you just why we are known as the strongest clan…I will show you the true power of the Sharingan."

"Kurenai! Asuma! Close your eyes and don't open them until I say so!" Kakashi shouted frantically, "Only those with a Sharingan can defeat another Sharingan!"

"You are correct," Itachi said as the two other Jonin closed their eyes. "Only a Sharingan user can defeat another Sharingan user when it comes to genjutsu. However, that is only in the context of a full blooded Uchiha…and you are not an Uchiha. Now allow me to show you the power of Tsukuyomi."

The tomoe in Itachi's left eye transformed into a pinwheel shape before everything went black.

Kakashi found himself hanging on a cross in what looked like an inverted realm. The sky was red with black clouds and the Konoha Jonin could see that his skin was an odd bluish pigment.

"Welcome, Kakashi." Kakashi turned his head to see Itachi standing in front of him with a katana, "Welcome to the world of Tsukuyomi. Within this world, I am Kami. Here I control everything, space, time, everything. And for the next seventy-two hours you will be subject to feel the pain of this katana stabbing you."

Without further speaking Itachi stabbed the Katana into Kakashi's abdomen, with said man letting out a pained grunt. A second later it was over, and now there were two Itachi's, both of whom stabbed their katanas into the silver-haired Jonin.

This continued on and each time Kakashi was stabbed, the number of Itachi's stabbing him increased. And when Itachi ran out of room to stand, another Kakashi appeared and began doubling the amount of punishment the silver-haired Jonin took. When it was over Kakashi could scarcely breathe due to the pain he was in.

"I see you are still conscious," Itachi commented. "That is good. After all, we still have seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds to go."

Three seconds later within the real world Kakashi had dropped to his knees, panting hard as he tried to stay conscious. It fortunate that Itachi also seemed to be having a small problem, a trickle of blood was running down his left eye.

"Ho, you're still alive eh? That's quite impressive," Kisame commented at seeing Kakashi still conscious. "That jutsu is quite devastating I hear, capable of breaking people's spirits very easily. I'm surprised you used it though Itachi. You know it's not very good for you to use too much."

"Are you…after Sasuke?" asked Kakashi as he tried to catch his breath.

"No," Itachi closed his eyes and let his left one reverted to its normal Sharingan state. "We are after the legacy of the Yondaime."

Asuma and Kurenai felt their eyes widen, wondering what they meant. Meanwhile Kakashi was also surprised, but it was because he knew what Itachi was talking about, as well as the truth about Naruto's parents, "I see…so you're after Naruto. Or perhaps I should say you're after what's locked inside of him."

"That is correct," Came Itachi's emotionless response.

"So it's true then. You along with nine other S-rank criminals are collecting the Bijuu for some sort of purpose," Kakashi said.

Itachi was surprised but hid it well, "So you know. I wonder where you learned that information…it doesn't matter in the end. Kisame we need Kakashi alive, but you may kill the rest."

"Hehehe, I'm going to enjoy this," Kisame grinned.

The shark like man charged towards the three Jonin, however he was halted as a shout came out of nowhere. And then, just like the shout, Kisame received a kick in the face that came out of nowhere and sent him skidding backwards. As he stopped skidding across the water, Kisame looked up to see what had to be the creepiest looking man he had ever seen.

"Who the hell are you?" The shark-like man asked.

"I am Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast! Maito Gai!" The man proclaimed.

"Heh, what an odd looking man. It looks like I'm gonna have to pay you back for that hit you gave me," Kisame shouldered his sword.

"Kisame, do not take this man lightly," Itachi said.

"It's okay you two, you can open your eyes now," Gai said to Asuma and Kurenai. It was at that moment that Kakashi fell over unconscious, causing Gai to lift him up in a fire man carry.

"What about Itachi?" Kurenai asked, "Kakashi said we can't look him in the eyes."

"Do not worry. I have trained myself to defeat the Sharingan, I find that so long as you look at the feet, you should be safe and still be able to follow your opponent's movements. So when you open your eyes just look at the feet."

"Gai, we don't have your level of training," Asuma stated.

"Well then just try your best," Gai replied. "Kurenai, I would like you to take Kakashi to the hospital." The green spandex man gave the silver-haired Jonin to Kurenai. "Asuma and I will deal with these two."

"You've got a lot of guts, thinking you can take us on," Kisame said with a grin.

"Kisame," Itachi stopped the Swordsman in his tracks. "We cannot afford to make this a war, and I sense ANBU on the way. We will retreat for now."

Kisame sighed as his hand left his sword, "That's too bad; I was so looking forward to a good fight." The two S-rank criminals soon disappeared within a Shunshin, letting the Jonin of Konoha breathe a sigh of relief.

* * *

"GGGAHHHH!"

The scream tore from Orochimaru's throat before he had the chance to stop it. He had never been in so much pain before, not only did he have to deal with the pain from his now dead hands, he also had to deal with the pain from Kabuto re attaching the nerve endings of his recently sown on legs.

His fight with Sarutobi had been a complete disaster, he had not been counting on the Raikage and his brother to be there but even with them he had been confident he could have won in the end. However his over confidence had been his down fall. Not only had his arms been sealed by that old fool but both his legs had been cut off by Kirabi. He had only managed to escape thanks to Kabuto, Kimimari and the sound four helping to cover his retreat. Even then he had lost both Sakon and Jirobo to the Raikage and his brother.

"Damn them! Damn them!" Orochimaru wheezed as he grit his teeth to keep himself from screaming again.

Kabuto stood up as he finished his work, "I've re-attached your legs, you should have full use of them by tomorrow. However I can do nothing for your arms, that type damage is beyond my expertise." The silver haired spy paused for a moment, "shall I prepare someone for the transfer."

"…No," Orochimaru gasped out, "I will not transfer into anyone other than Sasuke-kun."

A worried look crossed Kabuto's face, "Orochimaru-Sama the damage to your arms is extensive and we have no idea how long it will take to get Sasuke-kun, it may be prudent to transfer now."

"I said no!" Orochimaru hissed, "I will not transfer my soul to anything other than one who has the Sharingan."

"But what about your arms?"

Orochimaru took a deep breath as he began to think, he would definitely need his arms, otherwise he would be incapable of using jutsu. If Kabuto could not heal them he would need someone else who could, someone better.

A slow smile spread across the pale man's face, "ku ku ku, Kabuto-kun, we will be going on a journey tomorrow to find the best medic in the elemental nations."

* * *

**And cut!**

**Let me know what you think.**

**I'll be right here… waiting.**

…**waiting for the time I can gain enough support to take over the Naruto franchise through fan fiction…**

**Actually, I think I'm just going to go to sleep.**


	29. Chapter 29

**YAY! I've passed the 2000 mark! This is awesome, a day of celebration for all!... well, I'm going to celebrate at least, anyone else who wants to can as well.**

**This is a thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my story.**

**And this thank you is to Senjuto for betaing my story.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and…nope that's it.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 29: A Gamble**

* * *

Naruto frowned as he looked over at Jiraiya. They had been walking down the road for several hours and neither had really said much to each other. Not that there was much to say, but Naruto had never been comfortable with any long moments of silence, even to this day he hated silence. And so, he did the only thing he could think of.

"Hey Ero-sennin, I was wondering, who are we searching for exactly?"

Jiraiya sighed as he realized that name was never going to leave him. _Ugh, his mom called me that too._ "We're looking for my teammate, Senju Tsunade."

"She's another Sannin right?" asked Naruto, "The Slug Princess I believe was one of her nicknames. I hear she's a legendary healer known for her ability to heal near-fatal injuries, as well as her super strength that can crush a mountain with a single punch."

Jiraiya laughed, "Yep, that's her alright." He looked down at his blond companion. "I'm actually surprised you know so much about her."

Naruto shrugged, "My friend Tenten is a really big fan of Tsunade's. In fact, her whole life's purpose is to one day be a kunoichi as great as Tsunade is, to prove that women can be just as strong as men. So naturally I learned a lot about her idol whenever we hung out."

"Ah, I see, and is this Tenten your…" Jiraiya trailed off and wiggled a pinky at Naruto.

Knowing the meaning Naruto frowned rather than blushed like he used to, "No…at least, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure we're just friends."

"Pretty sure?" The white haired sage raised an eyebrow.

"Honestly." Naruto sighed, "I don't know if I'm cut out for any kind of relationship. Aside from being a shinobi, which is a hazardous profession in and of itself, I also happen to be Kyuubi-chan's Jinchuuriki, and while there is nothing wrong with that, it will make any relationship hazardous for the other person."

Jiraiya frowned at the boy's response, though he could not deny the truth behind that, especially with what Jiraiya knew. He also filed away Naruto's use of the '-chan' suffix for Kyuubi. Of course, he already knew the Kyuubi was a girl, Sarutobi had told him of Naruto's encounter with the fox. Jiraiya had to admit he was surprised, not only because the fox had a gender, but that, from what Naruto said, she did not seem to be quite the evil entity everyone thought she was.

"Say, you were the Yondaime's teacher right Ero-sennin?" asked Naruto after another poignant pause.

"Yeah, that's right. Now there was a real shinobi, a true genius among geniuses," Jiraiya said, his eyes glazed over a small fraction in reminiscence. "Why do you want to know?"

Naruto shrugged, "I was just wondering what it was like to train him. You know, what was the Yondaime like."

"Hmmm…well let's just put it this way, the Yondaime was one of those once in a generation geniuses that very rarely came along. He was smart, talented, brave, strong and really good with the ladies. He was like the son I never had," As Jiraiya spoke he looked at the blond and had to shake his head when he saw the image of Minato overlap Naruto's. "You kind of remind me of him in some ways."

Naruto blinked as he looked away from the road and at Jiraiya as he grinned, "I guess that means I'm pretty awesome huh Ero-sennin?"

Realizing his mistake Jiraiya scoffed, "Don't think I meant anything like that. What I was talking about was your ridiculous blond hair and stubbornness."

"Bah! Then you obviously don't know talent when you see it. Stupid perverted hermit."

"Goddamn brat!"

* * *

Two pairs of eyes watched as Jiraiya and Naruto entered the town.

"Great so the brat's with a Sannin," Kisame muttered. "This could spell trouble for us."

"That is true, however even the greatest of ninja have their weaknesses," Itachi said. "Come, our best bet is to distract Jiraiya and take the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki then."

The two black cloaked figures headed into the town.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he sat down on his bed. They had just gotten into a town not too far off from Konoha, and had decided to stay for the night. However, upon their arrival Jiraiya had gone off with some woman who showed a mild amount of interest in him. Not that he particularly cared what the man did in his free time.

Laying down on one of the beds Naruto paced his hands behind his head. Now that he was thinking more clearly than he had since Sarutobi's death, he needed to think about what his goals were going to be, or to be more accurate how he was going to accomplish them.

His first and foremost goal was to get stronger. It was becoming blatantly obvious to him that he was not strong enough to protect the people important to him. If he had been, then he would have been able to protect Sarutobi in some way. It may be a little off thinking, after all the man had been fighting a Sannin, a Kage-level ninja. And it would take years to reach that level. But in Naruto's mind, he felt there should have been something he could have done to protect the man he called jiji.

He also needed to focus on his shinobi career. Now Naruto was fairly positive that he would be promoted to Chunin after his performance in the exams. After all, he had gone up against the likes of Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and Nii Yugito, beating out both the Hyuuga prodigy and the taijutsu specialist fairly easily.

Well, maybe not so easy for Lee, but Neji had not been all that difficult. And while he may have lost to Yugito, there was no shame in that, she was simply better, had the benefit of training from a young age and was a Jonin in all but name. If Naruto did not become a Chunin after this, it would be because of a blatant showing of biased opinions due to his Jinchuuriki status.

Of course rank would also have to wait until they got a Hokage who could give people ranks…

His thoughts were cut off when a knock came at his door.

"Did Ero-sennin get dumped already?" Wondered Naruto as he stood up. The door knocked again and Naruto grunted, "Yeah I'm coming! Keep your goddamn pants on!"

He opened the door and glared, "I didn't expect you back so early, I guess she must have dumped your sorry ass… already…"

The blond trailed off as he saw that it was not Jiraiya at his door, but instead was two people wearing black cloaks with red clouds. As Naruto got a good look at their faces, his mind began to analyze what he could of them.

He easily recognized the shorter one in front, who had knocked on the door as Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's younger brother and the man who had slaughtered the Uchiha clan in one night. If the fact that he looked like an older version of Sasuke did not allow him to figure that out, then the freaky red eyes most certainly did.

The second took a little longer to place, but he was soon able to figure out that it was Hoshigaki Kisame, another S-rank ninja, this one being a former member of the Kiri Shinobigatana Nananin Shu (Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist), the same group that Zabuza belonged to.

For a brief moment, he wondered what two S-rank criminals were doing here.

"Come with us Naruto-kun," Itachi said in an emotionless voice.

_I guess that answers that question,_ Naruto grumbled in his head. He was under no delusions, there was no way he could fend off one, let alone two S-ranked ninja. That meant he had to stall for time and find some way to get a message to Jiraiya.

"Yeah ok." Naruto said, "Let me just pack my bags and I'll be right out."

He did not give Itachi a chance to answer as he slammed the door in the man's face. Naruto moved over to the window and opened it up. He jumped out and, before he even landed on the ground he bit his thumb and began hand sealing.

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!" He whispered as he landed on the ground and slammed his hands onto the dirt road.

There was a puff of smoke as Naruto summoned Gamakichi. The blond did not give the little toad any time to speak as he started, "Listen Kichi, I need you to get Jiraiya's ass here now! Tell him there are two S-ranked criminals after me! Hurry!"

Realizing the situation Gamakichi nodded and hopped away.

Naruto sighed, he really hoped Ero-sennin was sober enough to get here quick. In the meantime…"Alright…you can come out now, I know you're watching…Itachi."

Two cloaked figures jumped down from the window Naruto himself had come out of, "So to what do I owe the honor of two such esteemed S-ranked criminals coming after little ol' me?"

"What we want is irrelevant," Itachi said in his monotone voice as his Sharingan eyes began to spin. "Please come with us Naruto-kun."

Naruto put his hands up in a ram sign when he felt foreign chakra invading his system, "Kai! You know I would have expected better, even i can dispel genjutsu of that caliber. Try not to underestimate me Itachi..." The blond paused before speaking, "actually, you what? Go ahead and underestimate me, it will make kicking your ass so much easier."

"Who knew this gaki would have such a mouth on him," Kisame stepped forward as he grabbed the handle of his sword. "You know, I never figured the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki would be such a runt. Perhaps I should cut his legs off so he doesn't run away."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, both at the runt comment, and because this man knew his status. _Which means they're not actually after me are they…no of course not, no S-rank criminal would attempt to capture a Genin, and definitely not two._

"You can try to get me fish paste, but I'm going to warn you now, I'm not that easy to beat." Naruto got into a relaxed stance as he flicked his hands and summoned a pair of kunai.

_I only have two advantages here, and that's that they seem to need me alive, not very comforting given that their S ranked criminals and I have no idea what their gonna do if they capture me. And they are likely to underestimate me due to the fact that I'm only a Genin._

"What did you call me?" Kisame growled, he had never liked people making fish jokes about him of any kind, it was actually one of the few ways to set him off, "I'm gonna squash you like a bug gaki!"

"That's if I don't end up turning your fishy ass into a giant sushi roll before then," Naruto taunted. He knew this wasn't likely the best idea, but he would rather deal with an enraged S-rank ninja who couldn't think clearly, than one who could.

Kisame charged at him almost too fast for Naruto to follow, much faster than the blond would have expected from someone so big. As it was Naruto was just barely able to dodge out of the way, jumping back and to the left so he could keep out of Kisame's range. Not that it did much good, as the shark man was already coming after him. Naruto ducked under a horizontal swing, rolled backwards when the giant bandaged sword smashed into the ground, and then sidestepped the next attack.

It took a bit, but Naruto was able to get used to at least some of the man's speed. Yeah he was fast, faster than Naruto was, but he was not as fast as Ero-sennin, or Lee had been when opening the gates. That gave Naruto a small one time window advantage, and when Kisame made his next swing. Naruto jumped over the sword, using it as a small springboard for him to launch a kick at Kisame's head.

It worked as the man's head snapped back like he had received some kind of whiplash. Unfortunately for Naruto, that only seemed to enrage Kisame, and the next swing that came the blonde's way was too fast for him to dodge.

Naruto got smacked right in the chest, letting out a short yelp when he felt several ribs break as he was sent flying back. The blond crashed into a wall, leaving a nice sized indent. Naruto slowly fell out of the indent, landing on the ground in a small heap. He wheezed a bit as he felt his ribs mending, despite the number of times he had broken them recently they always hurt like a bitch to heal.

"Fuck that hurt," Naruto stood up on wobbly legs as he rubbed his bruised ribcage.

"Well, I have to at least admit that I'm impressed you were able to land a hit on me gaki and to withstand a smack from Samehada, you must have impressive pain tolerance." Kisame said before he turned look at his silent partner, "Oi, Itachi! Weren't we told this kid was the dead last of his class or something?"

"Dead last?" Naruto asked with a laugh, despite the small wince of pain it earned him from his still sore ribs, "Your intel agent obviously sucks balls if that's what he got. His information is about six months out of date."

"You do seem to be more skilled now. However even with your recent increase in skill it will not…" Itachi trailed off before turning his head, "Hello Sasuke."

Naruto looked over towards where Itachi was looking and saw Uchiha Sasuke standing there, "Oh this is just great…" The blond groaned. "Not only do I have to deal with two S-ranked criminals, but now I've got a revenge-driven emo maniac on my hands."

"Itachi!" Sasuke snarled, glaring daggers at his brother and ignoring everything else, "You have told me to live a life of hatred in order to get strong enough to kill you. I have hated you, despised you, cursed you! I have waited for this day to come, the day I kill you!"

The raven-haired Genin went through three hand seals and activated the Chidori, placing the lightning near the ground as he used his other hand to stabilize the attack. He then ran at his older brother, letting the lightning jutsu trail across the ground, ripping it up like paper. As he got closer to Itachi, Sasuke thrust out his hand, hoping to impale his brother and finally get his vengeance.

It was not to be. With naught but a simple movement of his hand, Itachi caught Sasuke's wrist and threw his arm to the left, letting the Chidori hit the ground and dissipate.

Itachi looked at his little brother with cold disinterested eyes, "You don't interest me right now." With those words the older Raven haired ninja snapped the younger one's wrist, making Sasuke scream out in agony. Itachi then kicked his little brother away, letting him hit a wall across the street and causing the crowd that had gathered to run away.

"Now that he is out of the way I will ask again, come with us," Itachi said as he turned to Naruto.

However before the blond could respond, another voice shouted out, "NO!"

The three ninja turned to see Sasuke glaring at his Itachi as he held his now broken wrist, "I'm not…I'm not done yet!"

Naruto growled at his teammate's stupidity, he was just about to move in when Kisame seemed to sense his intentions.

"Uh uh uh." The man gave Naruto his shark like grin, "Let's let them settle this little family matter."

Naruto glared at the man, "There's no way I'm letting one of my teammates get himself killed, even if he is a prick!"

Decision made, Naruto charged at Kisame. He lashed out with one of the kunai he had in his hand, moving in a diagonal slash. Not that it did much, as Kisame was able to block the attack rather easily with his sword. This however, did little to deter Naruto, who sent his other kunai at Kisame in a thrusting motion aimed for the Swordsman's face. Once again Kisame raised his blade and blocked the attack. However it was in that moment that Kisame had made one error.

Naruto had been continuously making his attacks at a higher altitude each time he struck, forcing Kisame to do the same to compensate. It did not make the man raise his arm much, given the difference in height between the two. It was more than enough for Naruto to have reached under Kisame's arm. On Naruto's last strike he had brought his other hand up and slipped an explosive tag onto the man's skin.

Now one has to remember that in normal circumstances something like this would never work against a ninja of Kisame's caliber.

However, because A) Kisame was fighting a Genin, the man was prone to underestimate his opponent giving Naruto a small advantage.

B) Said opponent despite being a Genin was a lot better than most people ever gave him credit for, especially due to his dead last title.

And finally C) Naruto was a well-known prankster that had, in many cases, been able to outsmart entire legions of ANBU in his youth when playing a prank.

All of these factors combined gave Naruto that singular advantage which allowed this attack to work.

Naruto jumped back and made a hand sign, "Katsu!"

**BOOM!**

Itachi watched as Sasuke charged him again, even though he was no longer able to make hand signs of any kind. It was sort of pitiful that the younger teen was so blinded by rage that he was attacking an opponent of with strength so superior to his own it was laughable. Not that it meant Itachi was going to show his younger brother any mercy. It was quite obvious the boy needed to be taught a lesson.

As soon as Sasuke came in range, Itachi lashed out, smashing his fist into the younger man's chin. As Sasuke flew into the air, Itachi grabbed Sasuke by an arm and pulled him into a knee. Not even giving his younger brother a chance to spit out blood, the Uchiha clan slayer spun around, launching a kick into Sasuke's face, breaking the nose and sending him crashing into a wall.

Sasuke hit the wall hard, coughing up blood he began to fall to the ground. However, before he could get close to the ground, Itachi appeared beside him, smashing him back into the wall and leaning in close.

"You are still too weak Sasuke," Itachi whispered, causing the younger teen to freeze. "You are too weak to avenge the clan, and do you know why?"

The older Uchiha paused for a moment, "It's because you lack hatred. You still don't have enough. Perhaps I should help your hatred grow, by showing just why you should hate me in the first place."

Itachi looked at Sasuke as his left eye became a pinwheel, "Tsukuyomi."

"You damned gaki!" Kisame screamed as the smoke from the explosion cleared, revealing the man to be mostly unharmed with the exception of his arm; said arm being covered in light burns, "That really fucking stings!"

"You should just consider yourself lucky that sushi is supposed to be served raw," Naruto shot back. "Otherwise I would have made your arm extra crispy."

Before Kisame could even consider attacking the insolent little blond, a scream from the other side of the street tore their attention away from their own battle. Both Naruto and Kisame watched as Itachi moved back from Sasuke, who slumped to the ground with a dead look in his eyes.

"Man that's harsh Itachi, using that jutsu on family," Kisame said with a grin. He turned his attention back to Naruto. "Now that Itachi's gaki of a brother has been taken care of, it's time I dealt with you!"

Naruto got into a ready stance as Kisame appeared in front of him, swinging his blade overhead. Before it could actually come down and hit him, a puff of smoke erupted in front of the pair. There was a clang as Kisame's sword hit something that was obviously not Naruto. It was soon revealed to be an armored toad, who was currently holding two swords out and blocking Kisame's weapon.

"You two are pathetic," A voice came from one of the alleyways. Everyone turned to see Jiraiya stepping out with the woman that had caught his attention earlier on his shoulders. "You should know better than to use a woman against me. For it is not me who bows down to them! But it is the ladies who beg to see even a glimpse of the great Jirai-"

"Ero-sennin, would you do everyone a favor and shut the fuck up?" Naruto glared at the man, "We all know that if a lady even shows mild interest in you, you would become putty in her hands at the drop of a hat." The blond pinched the bridge of his nose, "Why oh why do all my teachers have to be perverts! I feel corrupted just standing near you!"

"Oi! Don't interrupt the great Jiraiya-sama when he's trying to make his entrance!" The Sannin shouted in anger, "A gaki like you could never understand the greatness that I possess!"

"If by greatness you mean the great ability you have to somehow get your ass beaten by every woman in the hot springs when you go peeking, something that helps you deals with your masochistic streak. Then yes, I don't understand your greatness." Naruto said, grinning when he saw the man gain a large eye twitch.

"You gaki! Disrespecting your elders like that!" Jiraiya shouted. The white haired man held his glare for a few seconds longer before he frowned and set the unconscious woman down, "In any event, you two should be ashamed of yourself for taking advantage of a young woman like that."

The white haired man looked at Itachi, "And it seems my intel was right, you guys are after Naruto. You and your group Akatsuki."

"Ah!" Itachi's face gained a look of understanding, "So it was you who told Kakashi of our existence, I should have realized that sooner."

_Akatsuki?_ Wondered Naruto as he looked between the two, _So some kind of group is after me? Well that fucking sucks! I think one of these days I'm gonna have to find Murphy and kill him for creating this thrice damned law that loves me so much!_

"Kisame, these conditions have become unfavorable, we are leaving," Itachi said. Kisame nodded, knowing that fighting one of the men hailed as the strongest ninja in the elemental nations was not the brightest idea, even for ninja as powerful as they were.

"Oh no you don't!" Jiraiya shouted as he made several hand seals and slammed them into the ground. "Kuchiyose No Jutsu: Gamaguchi Shibari!"

Jiraiya slammed his hands down onto the ground and before the two Akatsuki members could get any farther, a pink fleshy wall formed in front of and around all of them. "You are now within the esophagus of the fire breathing toad of mount Myabokuzan, you two are trapped within my jutsu!"

The fleshy walls began to close in on the pair, forcing them to make a run for it. As they neared one of the walls, Itachi closed his left eye, letting the right one transform into a pinwheel.

"Amaterasu!" Black flames appeared on the fleshy wall, destroying it and letting them escape.

"Fuck! What the hell was that?" Naruto shouted as he made his way towards the black flames.

"Don't touch that!" Jiraiya shouted as he ran towards Naruto, letting the jutsu he had used go and making the walls dissolve as if they were never there.

Said blond scoffed, "Who said I was going to touch it, did you see what these flames did to this…um…whatever that jutsu of yours was." Naruto unsealed a blank scroll and one of new ink brushes. Unrolling the scroll he began channeling chakra into his brush and started writing out a seal, "No, touching this thing is about as smart as you trying to sneak a peek in the women's hot springs when all of the ANBU kunoichi are in it."

Jiraiya would have said something about insulting him, but at the moment he was too entranced at watching the black flames that had been burning around on the ground get sucked into the seal. When it was done a small Kanji appeared in the middle of the seal saying 'Black fire'. Nodding to himself Naruto rolled the scroll up and sealed it into one of the many containment seals on his body.

"You know you're pretty good with those seals gaki," Jiraiya commented. "I hadn't realized you were so far into your sealing that you could come up with this stuff."

"I'm not that far." Naruto said with a shrug, "Technically I'm on the level two intermediate book on sealing. However, I wanted to have some more useful seals and so I looked up some from the more advanced books. Don't say it." Naruto interrupted the man who was about to speak, "I made sure I knew all of the seals I copied inside and out. I can copy a seal just fine; it's using the theory to make my own that is more difficult. The only advanced seal I made on my own was the one keeping Sasuke-teme's cursed seal in check. And then, that's really because I was trying to find a way to get rid of the one on Anko-nee-chan."

_Damn if this kid isn't like his father a when it comes to sealing, _Jiraiya sighed, Minato had always gone onto the more advanced stuff to if he felt there was a need for it, even when he was not ready for the more advanced concepts.

"Well as my apprentice, I'm gonna have to order you not to do that anymore, at least until I check out your seals. How far along are you in the intermediate book?"

"Almost finished." Naruto replied, "Unlike the other books that I read that I normally just relegate to my clones, I enjoy reading this so it's a bit slower, however with the time we have on this trip I should be finished with it and starting on the level three intermediate level."

Jiraiya nodded, "That's not bad considering you've only started this six months ago."

"Well…" Naruto blushed a bit, truth was while he really could not care less about the other stuff he read, and was only reading it because he had promised Sarutobi he would, and he begrudgingly admitted that it did help, he absolutely loved reading up on fuuinjutsu. "What can I say? I am just that awesome!" He pumped his fist into the air.

"Whatever gaki, you've still got a long way to go before you can be considered a master."

Naruto scowled and was about to make a comment when another voice spoke up.

"Jiraiya-sama!"

The two Konoha ninja turned to see Maito Gai running up to them, "I am glad to see you two are alright, we had heard that Itachi and his most un-youthful partner were after Naruto-kun! Young Sasuke-kun also ran after you guys. Speaking of, you wouldn't happen to know where he is do you?"

The two other Konoha ninja blinked, looked at each other for a second before simultaneously pointing towards Sasuke who was lying some distance away.

"Yosh! I thank you my most youthful comrades! I must be off!" Gai shouted as he hefted Sasuke on his back piggy back style. He gave the two a thumbs of, "Farewell my comrades who burn brightly with the flames of youth!"

The pair watched the most eccentric Jonin take off with only a small cloud of dust to signify he had ever been there, "Well dealing with Gai-sensei was as awkward and creepy as always." Naruto said, "We should probably get a move on now."

"…Right," Jiraiya agreed, walking up to the blond as the two began to make their way out of the village.

* * *

"Hey Ero-sennin, what's your teammate like?" asked Naruto as they walked down the dirt road. "I mean, I know she's the greatest healer and all that, and I've heard the stories about her super strength, but I really don't know anything else."

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya tapped his chin in thought for a moment, "To sum her up in one word, fiery. That woman has one of the largest tempers I have ever seen. That, combined with her super strength makes her a dangerous woman." The older male reached into his vest and fished out some pictures, handing them to Naruto.

Naruto took one look at it before his eyes promptly widened, "This is your teammate! From what, forty years ago or something?"

Jiraiya smirked, "That may be an old picture but I can guarantee she will be looking somewhere around that age. Tsunade has always been a vain person. When she got older she cast a permanent genjutsu on her that allows her to change her age at will. From what one of my informants told me, she usually sticks between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-eight."

Naruto pocketed the picture as he looked up at Jiraiya, "So is there anything else I should know about your wayward teammate, aside from the fact that she's extremely vain?"

"Hmm…well there is one more thing that I suppose is important," Jiraiya said. "In certain circles she has the very well-earned nickname of 'The Legendary Sucker'."

A sweatdrop appeared on Naruto's head, "You do know that can be taken in so many ways right? And none of them are the right ways."

Jiraiya laughed as he realized at least 'one' of the ways wished his words could be taken, "Her nickname doesn't mean something like that *_though I wish it did_* I was actually talking about her terrible luck at gambling."

Naruto blinked, "Gambling?"

"Yep. Tsunade's always had a huge addiction to gambling, and she's always been absolutely terrible at it. She is well known in every gambling parlor within Hi No Kuni as the legendary sucker because she has never won a single bet."

"I swear, you Sannin and your addictions," Naruto sighed. "You know, I bet most of the ninja that respect you guys just don't know the truth about you. Seriously, one is into peeking in the bath houses, one's a chronic gambler who's earned a title for being so shitty at it, and the last is a snake who likes to play with little boys."

Jiraiya's right eye twitched, "Hey! We're still some of the most powerful ninja in the world! Stupid, smart aleck gaki!"

"I didn't say you weren't," Naruto grinned. "I just you guys have more issues than the dude who invented glitter cannons."

Jiraiya sighed as he figured it would be best to stop while he was ahead. The pair continued walking down the dirt path for a while longer without speaking, "Hey gaki, you still want to learn that jutsu right?"

Naruto blinked as he looked over at Jiraiya before grinning, "Of course I do! What kind of fool would I be to pass up a new jutsu!"

"Alright then, I'll need to get some materials in the next town to teach it to you, so we'll do it then ok?" Jiraiya chuckled a bit at the kid's enthusiasm.

Naruto nodded as he pumped his fist into the air, "Ok! Then let's get to the next city pronto!"

Jiraiya suddenly had to blink as the area Naruto was in became covered with a dust cloud in the shape of said Genin, while the real one was running towards the nearest town…in the wrong direction. The old Sennin pinched the bridge of his nose, "Ugh…I swear this kid is a person of mass contradictions."

When Naruto and Jiraiya came upon the next town, it was to see a festival taking place there. Having never actually been to a festival before, Naruto was looking around at all the stalls that sold food, and had games of all kinds to play in awe.

"Well, why don't we take a break for a moment?" Jiraiya suggested, seeing the look in Naruto's eyes. "After all it's good for shinobi to rest there feet after a long day of traveling and it's not like we're going to run into Tsunade today."

Naruto nodded, "That sounds like a plan Ero-sennin. And if that's the case then I'm going to go see what some of the stalls have to offer, I've never gotten to go to a festival after all."

"Never?" asked Jiraiya, slightly surprised to hear that. Didn't Sarutobi-sensei take him to one at least once?

Naruto gave the Sannin a blank stare. "Ero-sennin, the one festival Konoha has is the festival celebrating Kyuubi's defeat. Do you honestly think I would be welcome there?" The question was completely rhetorical and the blond did not give Jiraiya a chance to respond anyways, "Well, I'll see you later Ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya watched the kid run off before realizing something, "Damn it! I forgot to convince him to give me his wallet! Great, now that means I have to use my own money to find good company."

As Jiraiya walked off to find a place to get good drink and female companionship, Naruto was trying his hands at the many game stalls, and utterly dominating them with his ninja talents. He would sample some of the food they had and just generally have a good time. Since he had never done anything like spending time at a festival before, Naruto made sure to milk it for all it was worth before he got bored.

Eventually though he realized something significant; that made him stop and find a secluded spot earlier than expected. Throughout the entire time he had been journeying, Kyuubi had yet to talk to him. He had the distinct feeling she was ignoring him after he had essentially cut all contact with her off after the Sandaime's death. And he knew he would have to go see her and apologize for that, something he had been holding off on long enough.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he found himself outside of Kyuubi's hut within the forest. Walking up to it, the blond knocked several times and waited for Kyuubi to answer. Much like the time she had gotten depressed about his treatment on his and Tenten's date however, Kyuubi did not answer. Not particularly caring if the vixen threw a fit for it, Naruto entered the house.

When he did it was to find Kyuubi glaring at him fiercely. "Erm…hey Kyuu-chan," Naruto greeted kind of awkwardly, not really sure what to say.

Kyuubi did not reply and instead, just turned away from the bond, ignoring his presence.

Naruto walked forward and crawled onto the bed behind the red haired vixen. "Look… I know your upset with me, and I'm sorry that I ignored you. But I-"

**"****I don't care one way or the other,"** Kyuubi replied stiffly.

"Yes you do," Naruto said in a quiet voice, causing Kyuubi to stiffen even more. "Come on Kyuu, you know that I'm not quite as dumb as I act. If it didn't bother you, you wouldn't be ignoring me. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry but I-"

**"****As I said, I don't care one way or the other,"** Kyuubi turned around to glare at him. **"The only thing that I care about is the fact that you ignored me, I do not take well to people who ignore my presence. And I will not take it from you."**

However by now Naruto was getting angry at how his tenant was acting, sure she always acted like this but there were some things that he just preferred to deal with on his own, and the death of a person who was like a grandfather to him was one of them.

"Look, I know it bothers you miss high-and-mighty demon, but I think I'm entitled to some moments of peace. And I had no desire to listen to any smartass remarks you might make about Ojisan. He's one of the only people who was ever there for me as a child, who helped me deal with all of the shit life threw my way. Unlike you miss-"

Naruto was unable to say anything else as Kyuubi suddenly appeared right next to him and slammed him into a wall, **"You think I have not been there for you **_**child?**_**"**

Kyuubi hissed out as her hand went around the blonde's neck and lifted him into the air. **"Who was it that healed all of the wounds you received from overtraining? Who was the reason poisons don't affect you? Who was it who gave you your larger than average chakra reserves?"**

By now Kyuubi was right in Naruto's face with her teeth bared at him, **"I did, I gave you all of those things! The only reason you're even alive is because of me! Had it not been for me you would have died that night when that human instructor betrayed you. Or you would have starved to death when you lived on the street and my youki was not there to fix your body. You **_**owe **_**me!"**

When this had happened before during the first few times they had met, Naruto had been admittedly frightened. Like last time, Kyuubi was leaking killing intent left and right and her youki was coming off of her body in whisps of red energy. The glare she was giving him was potent enough that it looked like she could burn a whole right through his head.

However by now Naruto had screwed up his courage, he had grown used to her and seen another side that he doubted she even really realized she was showing. This time he was not afraid of the redhead in front of him.

"Had it not been for you I would have I would have never been kicked out of the orphanage, I would have never lived on the street and been forced to find food in the trash. Your youki would have been unnecessary because I would have had people who cared about me. I may have found a family who was willing to adopt me; I would have known the love of a mother and father. Had it not been for you, that night Mizuki would have never betrayed me and chances are I would have passed my Genin exams the first time I took them."

In an act of defiance Naruto released his own youki, and while it was not powerful enough to overpower Kyuubi's. It was enough to give Naruto the strength necessary to pry himself out of the woman's grip, "Were it not for you I would have never had any need for your power because I would have never been placed in a situation where your power was necessary. You can't say that you were there for me when every situation I've ever been in can be laid at your feet, nor can you say it was for me when we both know the only reason you helped me was because your survival was dependent on my own."

By now Kyuubi's arms were slack at her side and her mouth was slightly agape in a look of surprise. However it soon closed and became a thin line as her eyes narrowed, **"Get out,"** she hissed at him, **"Get out now! I don't want you to show your face to me again you ungrateful brat!"**

"Fine," Naruto replied, "if this is what I get for apologizing to you then maybe it's best if we don't speak anymore." With the last word in the whisker-marked blond disappeared from the seal.

Kyuubi stared at the spot he had left before eventually sinking to the floor, feeling an exhaustion she had never known before.

_**Damn it! Why the hell am I getting so worked up so some damn human… **_she blinked before correcting herself._** Hanyou! I am the greatest demon to ever exist; I have never cared for others so why the hell do I even give a shit about this one person! Someone who also happens to be my prison!**_ Kyuubi let out an angry snarl.

**"****Somehow I know you're responsible for this!"** She shouted, **"What did you do to me! Why do I feel this way! …Answer me damn it!"**

_**'**__**I don't know what you're talking about,' **_the voice replied and Kyuubi felt rage at the amusement it was laden with. _**'I haven't done anything to you…perhaps what you should be asking is what you are doing to yourself.'**_

**"****I'm not doing anything!" **Kyuubi raged, **"This is all your fault! You did something to me! Something that has to do with this seal! I know you did! Fix it **_**now**_**!"**

However the voice merely laughed at her, _**'You sound like a petulant child Kyuubi…not used to not always getting your way?'**_ before the vixen could respond the voice continued, _**'and I have done nothing to you, the seal does nothing to you. What you feel is something of your own making. Perhaps rather than looking to blame others for your problems and feelings, you should try searching yourself for the answers you seek.'**_

As the voice disappeared Kyuubi seethed in silence before eventually making her way to her bed.

* * *

Naruto stood up with a frown. That confrontation could have gone better, though he knew it could have also gone worse. Still he was not quite sure what to do in these kinds of situations, and had no clear way on how to fix this problem. He shook his head before he noticed the time and decided to find Jiraiya.

It did not take long to find the white haired Sannin. All he had to do was follow the man's rather… distinctive laugh. Nor was he surprised to find the man in a nearby tavern, with a lot of alcohol and several women hanging off of him. "Eh? Oi Naruto! Get over here and relax! Allow me to introduce you to these two lovely ladies!"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya for a few seconds before he sighed and walked over to the trio. He sat on the left, next to a woman with brown hair that went down to mid back and honey colored eyes, "Oh my Jiraiya-sama, you didn't tell us you were traveling with someone so cute!"

The young blond was very hard pressed to control his eye twitch, _What the hell is it with females calling me cute! I am not cute damn it! _

However in the end he just sighed and decided to take the compliment for what it was worth, after all, there were worse things for him to be called.

Jiraiya gave a large grin, "This girls, is my apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto! Naruto, I would like you to meet Susuki and Momiji."

Naruto offered the girls a smile and a small hello. Susuki, the girl he was sitting next to him, got off Jiraiya and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, "It's nice to meet you cutie. Jiraiya-sama, you really picked quite an apprentice, I can tell he's going to be a lady killer in a few years." The girl looked at Naruto's cheeks before gently touching his whisker marks, "What are these whiskers? Birthmarks?"

Naruto would have answered except the girl began stroking his markings, getting the blond to close his eyes and start purring.

"Kawaii!" Susuki squealed and Naruto felt an instant of horror, remembering what happened the first time Anko had found out about his purring. He was very lucky, or unlucky if you're someone like Jiraiya who was hoping to get a good story out of his apprentice's interaction with the woman, when the girl did not suffocate him in her bosom, and instead seemed to get more enjoyment out of continuing her ministrations.

Of course this did have a small problem that came with it, and that was that Naruto was finding it increasingly hard to keep down his natural reaction to the girl's activity with his whiskers. It also did not help that the girl seemed to be enjoying running her fingers over them so much that she had ended up practically sitting on his lap in the end.

He was thankful when Jiraiya eventually blacked out from drinking too much, and used it as an excuse to bid the two good bye and proceeded to drag an unconscious Jiraiya through the streets.

A few seconds after they left, Jiraiya got back up as if he had not just managed to drink seventeen bottles of sake, "Alright, let's go find an inn."

"How the fuck are you still standing?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Seriously, I've seen Anko drink less and after ten bottles she's so drunk she's likely to try and molest me!"

"Heh, you say that like it's a bad thing," Jiraiya looked at his student with a lecherous grin. When all he received was a glare in return he shrugged, "I've been drinking far longer than Anko has, and I'm not a lightweight like many shinobi are. You know I'm actually kind of surprised that you didn't try to drag my ass out of there as soon as you found out what I was doing."

Naruto sighed, "Do I look like your keeper? I don't give two fucks what you waste your money on. And I am well aware that every shinobi has some kind of odd quirk that keeps them from going insane thanks to the things our profession calls for. So if you want to spend your money perving on women then be my guest."

"I suppose one can't argue with that logic," Jiraiya shook his head a bit before grinning. "Though, I suppose I should say I'm surprised you decided to join me then."

Naruto looked at him before giving a halfhearted shrug, in truth he just did not want to deal with the hassle trying to get Jiraiya out of there would have caused. "After spending as much time as I have with Anko, I've been pretty much desensitized to these things. Well come on Ero-sennin, might as well find a place to sleep before we head out to search for your old teammate."

Jiraiya watched as Naruto walked away before he chuckled and shook his head, "What an odd kid."

* * *

The next day, the two had woken up and set out on the road again. While the two were walking Jiraiya pulled out a water balloon and tossed it to Naruto. Said blond gave the man a blank look as he switched from staring at the water balloon to him, "Ero-sennin, what the hell is this for?"

"That is for the first stage of the new jutsu I'm going to be teaching you," Jiraiya held out his own water balloon. "This jutsu has three steps to complete. The first step is rotation; you need to pop this balloon by spinning the water with your chakra."

Naruto looked from Jiraiya to the water balloon, and then back to Jiraiya, "Right, and just what the hell is this amazing technique?"

In response to Naruto's sarcastic voice, Jiraiya smirked and held out his other hand and formed a rapidly spinning ball of chakra.

Noticing the blonde's slightly gaping mouth, Jiraiya grinned, "It's called the Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere), and was one of the Yondaime's prized techniques. The technique is incredible as it does not require any hand seals to use. That means doujutsu like the Sharingan won't be able to copy it. That's because this jutsu is pure chakra manipulation taken to the highest level."

"Wow…" Naruto whispered as he stared at the spinning ball of chakra, it looked like a miniature maelstrom inside of that blue orb, "That is some seriously compressed chakra."

"Wow is right gaki," Jiraiya grinned. "Now as I said, the first step to this technique is rotation. Tell me, how is tree climbing and water walking done?"

"With tree climbing you have to release a set amount of chakra and maintain it so that you stick to the tree. And with water walking its similar, except rather than maintain a set amount, you have to continuously release chakra and change it depending on the density of the liquid's surface."

Jiraiya blinked at the not only accurate, but decently complex answer, _I have to remember this kid isn't as dumb as he likes to sometimes act._

"That's right, this could be considered a step higher, or several steps higher. Now watch this."

Naruto watched as Jiraiya held out the hand with the water balloon. He could feel the chakra that the Toad Sennin was pouring into the balloon, and saw that it was starting to form lumps on the surface. Less than a second later the balloon popped, letting water explode everywhere. Jiraiya shook the water off his hand. "Now that you've seen it I want you to-"

**POP!**

The old Sannin was cut off by the sound of a balloon popping and water splashing along the ground. Jiraiya looked at Naruto to see him cursing and shaking his hand of the water, having seemingly had enough Naruto channeled massive amount of youki to his hand and used a quick Kitsune-bi to dry himself off.

"Let's see you do that again." Jiraiya took out one of the extra water balloons he had and tossed it to Naruto.

Naruto caught the balloon and channeled some chakra into it, Jiraiya watched in shock as the balloon gained a lumpy surface and then popped, "How did you get that down so quickly?"

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto as he tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I just saw the way the jutsu worked. When you popped the balloon, the surface became lumpy before popping. When I saw the jutsu outside of the balloon, I noticed that it had chakra swirling in all different directions. Honestly it wasn't that hard to figure out that in order to make the balloon pop, I had to rotate my chakra in several dozen directions. So what's the next step?"

Jiraiya grabbed a rubber ball and tossed it to Naruto in dumb fashion, his mind still slightly blank at how fast Naruto had gotten the first stage of the jutsu. "Now the second step is power. This is usually the hardest step since you have to put as much power into the jutsu as you can to pop the balloon."

Naruto nodded and began channeling his youki into the balloon.

**BAM!**

"What the fuck!" Naruto shouted as he covered his ears after popping the rubber ball, "Why the hell was that so loud!" He picked at his ears to try and get the ringing out. Sometimes he really cursed his enhanced senses.

"How the hell did you do that?" Jiraiya almost felt himself have a seizure. Okay the first step while difficult was not impossible to get that fast, seeing how observant the boy was. But this was just ridiculous, "There is no way you should have gotten that so quickly. Generating enough power consistently like that takes time."

Naruto picked out his ear as Jiraiya griped, "Ero-sennin, are you forgetting who I have sealed inside of me. I've got power in spades."

In truth that was only half the reason, but he did not want to tell Jiraiya that he was actually a hanyou and his youki was simply more potent and allowed him to use more powerful attacks easily, "So, what's the third step?"

Jiraiya pulled out a balloon and blew it up before handing it to Naruto, "The third step is combining the first two with in that balloon without making it pop."

"So…what am I doing exactly?" asked Naruto.

Jiraiya held out a hand and formed a Rasengan in it, causing Naruto's eye to gain a light of recognition. "Ah! So I'm actually creating the jutsu inside of the balloon. Then that means the third step is control."

"That's right," Jiraiya nodded as he watched Naruto try the third step, only to fail and make the balloon pop. He was glad to see that if he were honest, if this kid managed to learn the Rasengan in one day, he would have had a heart attack. "Continue working on that while we walk, we need to get to the next town."

* * *

"You know this kind of reminds me of those sandcastles I've seen kids make in the park, right after they step on them," Naruto said as he and Jiraiya found themselves staring at what used to be the famous castle of Tanzaku Gai. Now it was really nothing more than a pile rubble and debris. As the pair walked close to the scene, Naruto picked at some of the debris.

"Hey Ero-sennin, this place has a heavy smell of snakes," Naruto commented as he sniffed the air.

Jiraiya looked over at him with a frown, "Snakes huh…what else can you smell?"

Naruto took several more whiffs of the air and frowned, "Aside from snakes I can smell…sake, a lot of sake. And it's a little hard to pick up, but I also smell antiseptics."

"Then that means we're close to our quarry," Jiraiya began moving away from the castle. "Come on gaki, chances are good my teammate is here, and if the smell of snakes are any indication, she had a run in with my other teammate so I want to find her as soon as possible."

The pair had searched for the entire day and had no luck in finding the wayward healer. They decided to stop and get a meal at a local tavern before getting a place to stay for the night.

As they entered the tavern, Jiraiya took a look around and stopped when his eyes landed on a very familiar face, "Tsunade?"

A blond woman who had been drinking rather heavily looked up to reveal a diamond symbol on her forehead and honey colored eyes, "Jiraiya? What the hell are you doing here?"

Jiraiya merely gave the woman a grin as he sat down, "Nothing much, I was just passing through and looking for a place to stop for the night."

Naruto held in a snort as he sat down next to the older man. He looked at the other occupants in the booth and noticed a black haired woman holding what appeared to be a well pampered…pig?

"Well isn't this day just full of surprises," Tsunade said, and Naruto had to hold in his gag reflex as he smelled more alcohol on her then he had ever smelled on anyone else. "All the old faces just keep coming back."

Naruto stiffened as he heard that and Jiraiya frowned, "So you did meet Orochimaru then. What did the snake want?"

Tsunade glared as the black haired woman who looked like she was about to speak, "Oh you know, just dropped in the neighborhood to see how I was doing."

Jiraiya took the bottle of sake that was on the table and poured himself a glass before getting out a deck of cards and shuffling them, "If you met him, then I take it you've heard about sensei?" he tossed her a set of cards before laying the deck on the table.

"Of course, the old snake told me about how he did the deed himself," Tsunade looked at her cards, placing two of them next to the deck and grabbing two more. "Now why don't you just cut to the chase and tell me why you're here."

"Getting straight to the point as always eh hime (Princess)?" Jiraiya looked up at Tsunade to see her glaring at him, and decided to get to the point, lest he incur her wrath. "As you know Konoha is currently without a Hokage. So the council, in all its wisdom has decided that you are to be the next Hokage."

Naruto felt a jolt of surprise run through him at the announcement, having not expected it at all. Though after the initial surprise passed he had to curse himself for not seeing it sooner, why else would they travel all over Hi No Kuni just to find one woman, even a Sannin if not for something like that?

"Hmph, Hokage huh. I don't know why you even bothered coming here then," Tsunade looked at her cards before placing them on the table. "I can't believe you would even bother trying to get me to take that job. I may do a lot of gambling Jiraiya, but money is easily replicable, a life isn't. Becoming Hokage? That's a fools bet. Look at what happened to all of the Hokages, they all died. Even the Yondaime died young. The Hokage's job is for nothing but fools and idiots. It's-"

She did not get the chance to say anything as she felt a blast of air and had to blink as she saw a fist mere centimeters from her face. She followed the fist to see it was attached to one Uzumaki Naruto, who was being restrained by Jiraiya. His face was carved into a snarl, and she was shocked to see his eyes shifting from blue to amethyst to red and back to blue.

"Damn it gaki! Calm down!" Jiraiya struggled and actually had to put in a lot of effort to hold the kid back. _Kami what the hell is with this kid's strength!_

"Shut up Ero-sennin! Maybe you can just stand there and listen to her insult Ojisan and the other Hokages, but I won't put up with it!" Naruto bared his elongated canines at the blond woman, "There's no way I'm letting some wrinkly old hag like her insult Ojisan's memory like that!"

Tsunade looked at him, blinking in a bit of curiosity. At least until he called her an old hag, then she turned a glare on him before looking at Jiraiya, "Who's the brat? Don't tell me you've actually taken another apprentice. I thought you had foresworn taking on anymore after your last one died. Though this one seems like a downgrade from your previous student."

Jiraiya grunted as he struggled to hold the kid back, "I wouldn't…be too sure of that…damn it! I need you to calm down Naruto!" Said blond growled at him but finally relented and sat back down, "This kid will surprise you Tsunade, I wouldn't underestimate him."

"Whatever," Tsunade scoffed, "Hey brat, what's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," The blond shinobi said with a glare.

Tsunade's eyes widened. _So this kid is Kushina's brat?_ "You seem to have some kind of issue with my words. Can't take the truth?"

"What truth? Yours? Why should I listen to some old drunk who looks like she washed out a long time ago," Naruto smirked when he saw Tsunade getting pissed. "Ero-sennin, we should probably get going, a pathetic alcoholic old lady like her could never be Hokage. She simply doesn't have what it takes."

"What was that you gaki!" Tsunade slammed her hands on the table, "Listen here! I'm the granddaughter of the Shodai and the grandniece of the Nidaime! I'm more than capable of being Hokage if I so desired!"

Naruto began to chuckle before it turned into a laugh, "I already know of your heritage and I have to say, for someone with such a strong lineage, you're a big disappointment. You sit here wasting your days away drowning in sake. Really, your ancestors must be disgusted with the bitter old drunk you've become."

"That's it gaki! Let's take this outside!" Tsunade stood up and walked out of the front door.

"Fine by me you old hag," Naruto got out of the booth and followed Tsunade outside.

Jiraiya sighed, "Great, I somehow should have figured this would happen. C'mon Shizune, we need to make sure someone's there to pick up the pieces after this is all over."

Naruto and Tsunade stood across each other in the middle of the street. The blond Genin was glad that it was so late at night and no one else was there, that meant he could really go all out, which was good because Naruto knew that to even get a hit on a Sannin he would need to use all the tricks in the book.

Tsunade looked at him and smirked as she held up a finger, "One finger is all I'll need to beat you."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, he did not like being underestimated like that, but like his battle with Kisame he would make an exception._ Okay so I've got three advantages over her. The first is she is seriously underestimating me. The second is that she is really drunk, that will make her sloppy. And the third is she's obviously a decade or so out of practice so she won't be as strong as Jiraiya._

"Tsunade you really don't need to do this. Why don't you just calm down and we can talk things through," Jiraiya suggested.

"There's nothing to talk about Jiraiya, and this gaki needs to learn his place," Tsunade glared at the Toad Sannin.

"She's right Ero-sennin, crabby old drunks like her need to learn that drowning themselves in alcohol only makes the situation worse," Naruto shot back.

Tsunade ground her teeth as she glared at the much younger blond, "Before we get this little fight started, I just have one question. Why do you care about the Hokages so much."

"What kind of stupid ass question is that?" Naruto scoffed, "It should be obvious. Being Hokage is my dream!"

Tsunade's eyes widened as she heard that, and for just a second she could see the figures of her dead lover Dan, and her little brother Nawaki, both of whom had the same dream as the blond before her, standing behind him.

The images disappeared quickly since Naruto, seeing her distracted had decided to start the fight off. He charged at her with speeds that greatly surprised and shocked Tsunade, coming in quickly with an attempt to smash a fist in her gut.

However, Tsunade was not a Sannin for nothing, and swatted the attack away with one finger as per her boast. With Naruto now off balance she flicked him in the head with the same finger, only to be shocked when Naruto went up in a burst of smoke.

It was then that another Naruto came in through the smoke. Tsunade reacted on instinct and attempted to finger flick him. However, due to how drunk Tsunade was, as well as the fact that she had not been in a serious fight for nearly a decade and a half, she was far slower than she should be. It also didn't help that Naruto, having speeds that could match those of Rock Lee, was more than capable of keeping ahead of her, at least for the moment.

Naruto ducked under Tsunade's finger and came in, smashing Tsunade in the stomach with a double punch. The legendary healer grunted in pain as she skidded across the ground. The kid hit far harder then she thought he would.

"Looks like the first hit goes to me," Naruto gave her a vicious and bloodthirsty grin. "I have to say for being one of the three Sannin you really suck. I guess your title of legendary sucker isn't just about how shitty you are at gambling."

Tsunade glared at Naruto as she finished healing her bruised stomach. As soon as she was finished she rushed at Naruto. Said blond watched her, despite being out of practice she was still decently fast and he knew that if she got even one hit on him, even if it was from just a finger, he would lose.

Timing himself to her attack Naruto waited until she had lashed out, using a minimal amount of effort to move her hand past his head. It was then that he came in with another punch, but this time Tsunade had sobered up enough that she reacted on instinct.

She swatted his attack out of the way with her other hand, before finger flicking him. However, much like last time Naruto merely disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing himself to be a Kage Bunshin.

It was then she felt someone behind her and saw another shock, a spinning purple? ball of energy that she could name from a mile away was in Naruto's hand as he charged at her. Acting quickly she smashed her finger on the ground and created a fissure that tripped Naruto up, causing the Rasengan in his hand to smash into the ground where it formed a ring, showing that the blond had yet to master the technique.

"I take it you taught him that move Jiraiya," Tsunade turned a glare on the white haired man.

Jiraiya shrugged, "Well of course I did. He's my apprentice isn't he? That kind of implies I need to teach him something."

Tsunade scoffed, "We all know that only you and the Yondaime can use that technique. Teaching it to some kid who has no chance of actually learning it is just stupid."

Before Jiraiya could open his mouth to respond Naruto decided to get back into the picture, "You think so huh? That just goes to show you what you know. I'll have this technique mastered in no time flat. Just you watch hag!"

Tsunade glared at the hag comment before grinning, "Then why don't we have a little wager? If you can master that technique in three days, not only will I come back with you to be Hokage and admit that you've got what it takes to be my successor, but I'll also give you this necklace." Tsunade took a necklace with a green gem out of her shirt.

"And if I lose?"

Tsunade thought about it for a moment before grinning, "You will give up on your dream of being Hokage, give me all of your money and go back to Konoha emptyhanded."

Naruto frowned, he wasn't much for jewelry. The only thing he wore was the necklace Haku had given him. However, as he looked at the necklace he felt something call out to him. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal lady; I'll have this technique down in three days. Be sure to pack your bags in that time because I'm not going to lose!"

"Hey gaki where are you going?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto started stomping off.

Naruto stopped and turned his head to his sensei, "I'm going to start training."

"Gaki, it's the middle of the night. Let's find a hotel, you can train tomorrow," Jiriaya countered with a shake of his head.

Naruto frowned for a moment before sighing, he was not really tired but the man did have a point. "Alright fine, but if I'm gonna miss out on training thanks to this, I expect you to wake up bright and early tomorrow to help me."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "Alright gaki, you got yourself a deal."

"I suggest you don't get yourself too comfortable here hag," Naruto looked at Tsunade. "Given your shitty luck and the fact that I've never lost a bet, you can be sure as hell I won't lose to you here."

* * *

Omake: What would happen if Sasuke never showed up to fight Itachi.

"Well, I have to at least admit that I'm impressed you were able to land a hit on me gaki and to withstand a smack from Samehada, you must have impressive pain tolerance." Kisame said before he turned look at his silent partner, "Oi, Itachi! Weren't we told this kid was the dead last of his class or something!"

"Dead last?" Naruto asked with a laugh, despite the small wince of pain it earned him from his still sore ribs, "Your intel agent obviously sucks balls if that's what he got. His information is about six months out of date."

"You do seem to be more skilled now. However even with your recent increase in skill it will not be enough to deal with us," Itachi said as he looked at the blond Genin.

"Heh, you think so huh?" asked Naruto with a smirk on his face.

That smirk gave Itachi an ominous feeling.

Naruto brought his hands up in a ram seal and gave the two S ranked criminals an insane looking grin, "I'm going to beat the both of you in just one technique. I really didn't want to use this but it seems you've left me know choice." A purple aura of youki formed around the blond shinobi, "Behold! My ultimate jutsu!"

Both Itachi and Kisame tensed as they felt the powerful chakra surrounding Naruto, however curiosity kept them from attacking. What could be so powerful that it could defeat two S-ranked ninja? What technique could a mere Genin know that could beat people of their caliber? What could-

"Harem No Jutsu!"

"What!" Itachi and Kisame both asked as they were surrounded by a large puff of smoke. And when the smoke cleared…

…they were suddenly assaulted by hundreds of beautiful teenage blond girls who began rubbing themselves against the pair of now stiff shinobi, whispering seductively in their ear as they described many of the Icha Icha scenes from the first three books of the series.

Oh, and they were completely naked.

Now, both Itachi and Kisame had always had good control over themselves. Itachi was well known for his cold, nearly dead personality and Kisame, while known to be violent and bloodthirsty knew how to keep himself in check.

However both of them were still men, and still had the same urges that all men had.

And having Kami-only knew how many hot blond female bodies pressed up against them was too much for them, or any man to take.

Thus the pair were blown backwards with a pair of nose bleeds of such epic proportion that they ended up dying from blood loss.

A puff of smoke later and all the blonds disappeared, leaving only Naruto standing there and scratching the back of his head in a confused manner.

"Huh, I guess that technique really is the deadliest jutsu known to man."

* * *

**And there you have it. **

**Now go off and enjoy the story while you're still in the spring time of youth… *Shudders* I can't believe I just said that.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Special thanks goes out to everyone who has read and reviewed my story, with out you there wouldn't be much purpose in posting.**

**This special thanks is for my Beta Senjuto for helping me correct my work.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: You know with amount of chapters I'm pumping out in a week I think I should own Naruto. I mean Kishimoto doesn't turn out this many chapters in a week, so if I can give people more than him, I should own Naruto. Don't you all think so?**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 30: The Deal**

* * *

The next day found Naruto getting himself ready to start training early in the morning. As he finished putting on all of his clothing and equipment a knock came at the door. Walking over to the door he opened it to find Shizune standing there.

"Shizune-san?" He blinked a few times as he wondered why she was here, "Is there something I can help you with?"

Shizune walked into his room when Naruto moved out of the way, placing her hands behind her back in a nervous gesture, "I just wanted to talk to you about Tsunade-sama and this bet you made with her."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What is there to talk about?"

"I don't think you truly know what this bet means. That necklace isn't some random piece of jewelry, it once belonged to the Shodai Hokage."

A grin came onto Naruto's face, "Well if it once belonged to the Shodai then that means I really have to win this bet." Shizune looked startled when Naruto said that. "After all, if it's something that belonged to a Hokage, it's only fitting it finds its way to the future Hokage."

Shizune actually had to smile a bit at the boys confidence and determination, however it soon went back into a frown, "That necklace isn't something anyone can wear Naruto-san. It's a cursed necklace, only Tsunade-sama can wear it. Because when other people wear it, they die."

Naruto blinked a minute before he opened his mouth and started to laugh, much to the shock of Shizune. He wiped an errant tear from his eyes as he spoke, "A cursed necklace huh? That's certainly a new one, but you can't honestly expect me to believe something like that can you?"

"But it's true!" Shizune looked at him imploringly, "Tsunade-sama already tried giving that necklace away to two people. Her younger brother, and her old lover, my uncle. Both of them died the day after it was given to them."

Naruto frowned for a moment before sighing and moving over to the bed. He gestured for Shizune to sit down, which after a little hesitation she did. "Go ahead, I get the feeling you need to get this off your chest so I'll listen. Just don't expect it to change my opinion about this bet."

Shizune frowned a bit before going back to a neutral expression as she began her tale, "You see when Tsunade-sama was younger she had a little brother named Nawaki. It was actually his dream to be Hokage, and in order to help him reach his goal she gave him the very necklace you made that bet on. However, the day after she gave it to him Nawaki's team was killed by a band of Iwa ninja. It was so bad that the only way they were even able to identify the body was because of the necklace they found on it."

"After that she had wanted to create a medical program to help keep casualty rates down. But since we were in the middle of the Second Shinobi War the Sandaime had opposed its creation, stating that Konoha did not have the resources necessary to create such a program. My uncle Dan however, agreed with her. Out of all the people who heard of the program he was the only one. Eventually the two started dating and Dan told Tsunade-sama how it was his dream to become Hokage. Because of that Tsunade-sama decided to place her faith in him, and she gave him the necklace. However, a day later the two of them had gone on a mission and Dan was…"

"I see," Naruto said as he saw Shizune wipe a stray tear from her eye. They stayed silent for a while after that until Shizune spoke again.

"That's why you have to call off this bet Naruto-san. That necklace is cursed; it will only let Tsunade-sama wear it."

Naruto looked at her for a moment before snorting, "If that necklace is cursed then I guess I'll just have to break the curse, won't I?"

Shizune looked up at him in shock, "What?"

"There's no way I'm letting something like this go. I'm not going back on this bet, especially now that you've told me this." Naruto stood up as he looked at Shizune, "I'm going to win that bet, she's going to give me that necklace, and she will come back to Konoha, even if I have to drag her sorry ass back kicking and screaming. Your master has lived in the past for far too long; it's time she faced up to reality and move on. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bet to win."

Shizune watched as Naruto left. When the door close an odd smile came to her face, "Maybe he can do it."

* * *

"You're later than I expected you to be gaki."

Naruto grunted as he came upon the clearing where Jiraiya was, "Shizune-san wanted to talk to me about backing down from this bet. Now let's get started."

Jiraiya nodded, "Alright then, show me how far you've come on the Rasengan."

Naruto held up his hand and Jiraiya watched as a purple ball of chakra formed in it. Honestly it was a most curious sight to him, he had never seen purple chakra before and he had to wonder why Naruto's was like that. His thoughts were taken from him when he watched the ball explode and had to hold in a wince when he saw the burn marks on Naruto's hand.

"As you can see I can only hold the shape for about three seconds, after that my power simply fluctuates and the jutsu loses its form." Naruto sighed as he clenched his hand for a few moments until his healing factor kicked in. "I don't even know what the problem is, it can't be my chakra control, while it's not the best, it's far better than most. But I don't know what else it could be. This is seriously one of the most frustrating jutsus I've ever had to try and make. It's like some kind of road block is on me for this one part, like I'm trying to look left and right at the same time. It's seriously beginning to piss me off!"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto for a few seconds before speaking, "You know, technically it is possible for you to look left and right at the same time."

"Huh? How the hell would I do that? It's not like I've got two heads on my shoulders, or that my eyes have the ability to look in opposite directions."

"Idiot," Jiraiya rolled his eyes as he made a Kage Bunshin then looked left while his clone looked right. "See, I'm looking left, while my clone looks right."

Naruto blinked for a few seconds as he looked at Jiraiya after his clone dispelled. After a moment or two a large grin came to his face, "Ero-sennin you're a genius!"

"Well of course I am, I am the great Jiraiya-sama after all! Hahahaha…" He trailed of for after a while before scratching the back of his head, "So um…why am I a genius?"

He did not get an answer as Naruto created a Kage Bunshin and held out his hand. He began to channel his youki through his hand, creating a spinning ball of energy. However, Naruto only dealt with the rotation and power aspect of the jutsu. Meanwhile Naruto's clone began applying the shape, making sure that the sphere that held all of the destructive energy was stable.

Jiraiya watched in a mixture of amusement and shock as Naruto created a perfect Rasengan in his hand, _Unbelievable! This kid found his own way to create the jutsu from just what I said._

"Not bad at all gaki, I can't believe you actually mastered the Rasengan like that."

Naruto frowned as he looked at Jiraiya, "What do you mean mastered? This jutsu is practically useless as it is now. I not only have to make a clone just to create it, but it also takes several seconds to form. If I was fighting anyone above Chunin-level they would slaughter me before I could form the jutsu."

Naruto created another clone and sat down, holding out his hand as they began forming the Rasengan again. "This jutsu isn't mastered until I can create it with one hand and in less than one second. Until I can do that, I won't even consider this jutsu as being a viable option for combat, much less something to show that old hag so I can win that bet."

* * *

(Back in Konoha)

"Are you alright Tenten-san?"

Tenten looked over at her teammate Neji as they walked towards their respective homes. They had both just finished visiting Lee in the hospital, a surprising turn of events considering Neji had never liked Lee in the first place. Though she had to admit that her Hyuuga teammate had been a lot different since his battle and complete beat down at the hands of one Uzumaki Naruto.

"Yeah I'm fine. Why do you ask?" It was actually kind of odd, having her teammate, who had always been a prick to everyone being nice to her for a change.

"Because you look distracted," Neji shrugged indifferently. "And you're a terrible liar; I can tell something is bothering you."

Tenten frowned for a moment before sighing, "I haven't been able to find Naruto ever since the Sandaime's funeral service. It's like he dropped off the map. I tried looking for him a little while ago, and apparently he left with Jiraiya of the Sannin to go on some kind of mission."

Neji looked at Tenten for a moment as he digested the information she gave him, "And you're upset that he did not come to find you and tell you he would be leaving, correct?"

"Well…yes," Tenten admitted. Actually she had been downright furious, as the training field she and her team used could attest to, when she had found out that he had left without telling her. Ever since she had seen how lost and vulnerable he had looked at the Sandaime's funeral she had been worried for the blond. That he would just up and leave without even letting her know was frustrating, reminded her much of the time he came back from his first C-rank.

"I would not be too upset Tenten. If he was with Jiraiya-sama then it must have been a mission of great importance."

Tenten glared at the white eyed prodigy, "I know that! But he still could have given me the common courtesy of at least saying goodbye! He's always doing this! Being completely inconsiderate of the feelings of others, especially when they're worried about him!"

Neji decided not to say anything more on the subject. He knew that when his teammate got on about something very little, if anything at all, could ever get her to change her opinion.

"Perhaps, but there might have been extenuating circumstances," Neji changed direction towards the Hyuuga compound, "I would not be too harsh until I received all of the facts Tenten."

* * *

(Tanzaku Gai)

Naruto dispelled his Kage Bunshin and sorted through the information in his head. Holding out his hand he tried to make the Rasengan one handed, only to fail. The jutsu was getting increasingly frustrating, especially since he had been at this for two days and nothing he tried seemed to let him master it. Though, he was pleased to see he no longer burnt his hand when the jutsu dispelled.

Of course it did not help that he refused to use his Kage Bunshin anymore than he already was on the jutsu. For whatever reason he felt it was imperative that he get this down on his own, otherwise it would be like he had cheated on the bet.

That was not to say that he did not have Kage Bunshin working on other things while he did this. Currently Naruto had about three hundred clones doing their normal routine. Since he had mastered many jutsu as well as the highest form of chakra control he knew, he had taken to splitting them off into other tasks.

One was to start working on his own jutsu, he already knew the functions of hand signs so they were trying to brainstorm for new ideas. He was actually having them try to find a way to make a jutsu similar to Kakashi's Chidori except with wind. Since while Jiraiya said that the Rasengan made the Chidori look like child's play, they were also two very different jutsu, with the Chidori being a piercing attack and the Rasengan being a grinding attack.

The others were simply continuing with his wind manipulation. Trying to find different ways of utilizing wind for combat, as well as working on mastering his wind jutsu to the point where he could do them without hand seals.

Sighing Naruto created another Kage Bunshin and held out his hand, creating another Rasengan before dispersing it and making it again.

A little ways away Tsunade stood hiding behind a boulder as she watched him train.

The next morning Naruto awoke with a groan, opening his eyes he blinked a few times and frowned when he found himself on his bed.

"How did I get here?" He wondered as he did not remember walking back from the training ground. In fact the last thing he remembered was experimenting with the Rasengan when…

"Son of a bitch…" Naruto muttered as he sat up in his bed. "Note to self, do not try and make a big as spinning ball of youki without adult supervision."

Naruto stood up from his bed and was about to go to the bathroom when he ended up tripping over a lump in the room. He was about to curse again when he heard the lump groan. Looking over he found Shizune lying on the floor, making it obvious that it was she he had tripped over.

He went up to Shizune and gently shook her awake, "Shizune-san? Shizune-san?"

Shizune let loose another groan as she blinked her eyes open, "Naruto-san?…" Her eyes promptly widened as she shot to her feet, scaring the shit out of Naruto and knocking him on his ass. "You're awake! What day is it?"

Naruto blinked for a moment as he rubbed his soar backside, "It's Saturday Shizune-san. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Saturday?" Shizune looked at Naruto in surprise, "But…that means you've only been out for a few hours! Tsunade-sama said it would take at least two days for you to wake up from the damage you did to your body!"

"Damage?" Naruto asked before remembering that his experiment with the Rasengan had sent him flying through a boulder and smacking him around something fierce. He shrugged the knowledge off, "Well considering what I contain you shouldn't honestly be too surprised…" He trailed off for a moment as he looked at her, "You do know I contain the Kyuubi right?"

"Of course, but what does that have to do with…" she trailed off as she realized what he was saying. It was then she remembered what had happened last night, "Tsunade-sama! We've got to stop Tsunade-sama!"

"Woah! Slow down," Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, keeping her from leaving. "You're saying the hag did this to you?"

Shizune nodded, "That's right, and we have to catch up to her before it's too late!"

"I take it she's meeting with the Hebi-douche Orochimaru today then?"

Shizune looked at him in surprise, "Yes, but how did you know?"

Naruto shrugged as he let go of her shoulder, "When we got here I smelled snakes at the destroyed castle. Only two people I know of have that smell and one of them is in Konoha."

Shizune nodded at that as she started making her way to the window, "We have to find Tsunade-sama before it's too late to stop her!"

However, as Shizune left to go out the window a kunai implanted itself right next to her head. Naruto and Shizune turned to see Jiraiya hunched over and slightly pale.

"Where's Tsunade?" His voice was raspy as he slinked over to the pair.

Naruto looked at the man for a moment, "Damn Ero-sennin! What the hell happened to you?"

"Tsunade slipped me a micky," Jiraiya grunted. "I should have known better when she asked me to drink with her last night. She's never asked me to do that with her in all the time we've known each other."

"And thus you make my point about becoming putty for whatever chick who so much as bats her eyelashes at you Ero-sennin," Naruto grinned as Jiraiya gave him a mild glare.

Meanwhile Shizune had gone back inside to get some pills which she proceeded to crush in a glass of water and give to the white haired sage, "Here you go Jiraiya-sama. I'm afraid it's not much of a cure, but it should at least help you out."

"Thanks Shizune," Jiraiya rasped out as he downed the glass.

"This is just great," Naruto groaned, "So what exactly does the Hebi-Douche want with baa-chan?"

"Orochimaru wants Tsunade-sama to heal his arms for him. He offered to return Tsunade-sama's most precious people to her by bringing them back from the dead. Today is the day they're supposed to meet."

Naruto grimaced, "I hadn't realized such a thing was possible. How you feeling Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya crushed the glass in his hands, "My chakra is still completely out of whack but it will have to do. Shizune-san is there any way to find Tsunade?"

Shizune nodded as she grabbed Tonton and jumped down to the ground with the two Konoha ninja following her after that, "Tonton we need you to find Tsunade-sama, think you can help us out?"

The small pampered pig oinked in what sounded like a yes before it wiggled its way out of Shizune's grip. It sniffed the air a couple of times before turning to Shizune and oinking at her, right before it started running off. Shizune turned to look at the other two, "Tonton has her scent, let's get going!"

The pair followed Tonton back to the old destroyed castle, only to find it was even more of a wreck then when they first saw it. They noted that the destruction was much newer then before, and Naruto noted something else when he took several sniffs of the air. "The scent of snakes is much heavier than last time, I can also smell sake and antiseptic which means the old bat was here too. And judging from the mass amounts of new destruction I would hazard a guess that she turned him down."

"That might not be so good for her," Jiraiya grimaced. "The hebi-teme always has a backup plan of some kind, so we need to find her before things get too hot for her to handle."

The trio plus one pig were off once again, following the scent of snakes and alcohol when they reached a clearing. Within that clearing they found Tsunade with blood caking her face and being beaten on by the person Naruto recognized as Kabuto, the Genin from the Chunin exams.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune shouted as she ran over to her mistress.

Naruto did not quite know what was going on, but he already figured out enough to know what he had to do. Reacting on instinct the blond pointed his gauntlet at Kabuto and fired off several dozen senbon that had a powerful poison on them, courtesy of Anko, at the white haired traitor. He forced Kabuto to jump back and allow Shizune to go up to her master and start wiping away the blood.

"I have to admit I'm surprised to see you here Kabuto, though from your headband it's not hard to figure out what's going on eh, traitor?" Naruto walked in front of Shizune and the currently unresponsive Tsunade.

"Hello Naruto-kun, I'm not surprised you were able to guess this, Orochimaru-sama spoke highly of your intelligence," Kabuto pushed his glasses up his nose.

Naruto narrowed his eyes dangerously as he looked from Kabuto to his master. Now that he was up close the blond could see that Orochimaru's arms were blackened and oozing blood, "Well it looks like Hokage-Ojisan really did a number on you didn't he Pedo-teme?"

"Kukuku, you are quite amusing Naruto-kun," Orochimaru chortled as he looked at the boy. "I must say you really are quite an impressive specimen."

"Coming from you I'm not really sure if that's a compliment or not," Naruto shot back. He turned his head to look at Tsunade who was still completely out of it. "Ero-sennin what's wrong with baa-chan? Is it some sort of weird genjutsu or something?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "Tsunade has hemophobia, she's afraid of blood, and even the mere sight of it messes her up. She'll be unresponsive for at least a few hours."

"You're kidding," Naruto looked shocked. "You're telling me the greatest medic and healer in the elemental nations is afraid of blood! What kind of medic-nin is afraid of blood!"

Jiraiya sighed, "It's a long story and right now we don't really have time to talk about it, in case you haven't realized."

Naruto looked a bit embarrassed by that and turned his attention back to the two ninja before them, "Right…"

"Kukuku I would ask what you two are doing here, but it seems painfully obvious," Orochimaru chuckled.

Jiraiya held a hand out in front of Naruto, "Kid, this fight is going to be in a level beyond you. Protect Tsunade while Shizune and I deal with Orochimaru and his glasses wearing partner."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya for a second before sighing, "Fine, but if things get hairy don't expect me to just sit on my ass."

"That's fine, Shizune will handle whitey over there while I take care of Orochimaru," Jiraiya looked over at Shizune who gave him a nod and switched places with Naruto.

Orochimaru looked amused by their conversation, "You think you can take me on Jiraiya. We all know that you have always been the weakest of the three of us. And it's a good thing you're not sending Naruto-kun over to me; after all, he can't do anything if I don't want him to."

"If you're talking about that little hickey you tried to give me then you're shit out of luck pedo-teme," Naruto said as he pulled away his cloak and shirt over his neck, revealing unblemished tanned skin. "That cursed seal might have taken hold on someone who's drowning in his own darkness and delusions of grandeur like Sasuke-teme, but I don't have such a problem."

_Unless you count my deranged other half._ Naruto did not mention that out loud and just grinned as he saw Orochimaru look at him in shock, and then anger.

"It matters not. You were merely a pawn that I was hoping to use. All that truly matters in the end is that I get Sasuke-kun."

"Well that's good I suppose, I really didn't want to be your ass muppet anyways, I prefer members of the opposite gender," Naruto shot back.

Orochimaru scowled. "I see he picked up Jiraiya's 'wit'. I'm getting rather tired of this, do it now Kabuto!"

Kabuto pulled off the bandages on one of Orochimaru's arm and the Sannin's blood down the summoning tattoo that was found on it, "Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

Kabuto and Orochimaru could now be found on top of a giant three headed snake that was quickly heading for the group of Konoha ninja.

Jiraiya went through his own hand seals as he tried to summon, only for there to be a small puff of smoke and Gamakichi to pop out, **"Huh? Oh, hey there! How ya doin?"**

Naruto sweat dropped, "Are you serious Ero-sennin? I can do better than that! You need to get in the game!"

"Give me some room gaki!" Jiraiya scowled as he went through a set of hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground, "Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of The Underworld)!"

The ground in front of him liquefied and turned into a murky and muddy looking substance, disabling there movement. Jiraiya cursed, "Damn it! It wasn't deep enough to drown them! Looks like Tsunade's drug hasn't worn off."

"Fuuton: Kamikaze No Tatsumaki!" Jiraiya looked over to see a tornado erupt from Naruto's fist and smash right into the snake, shredding its head to small pieces.

"Not bad gaki!" Naruto grinned at the compliment before jumping back towards Tsunade, taking Gamakichi with him, as Shizune rushed towards Kabuto.

Naruto watched as the two fights kicked off, with Jiraiya and Orochimaru moving further away as they battled. He turned his main attention towards the fight between Shizune and Kabuto, watching as the pair of medic-nin fought in their own styles. Shizune was more of a distance fighter, using a senbon launcher similar to his own and poison type jutsus, not to say she was a slouch at taijutsu, but when Kabuto used his chakra scalpels in close Naruto knew who was better there.

He made sure to watch the fight and analyze the white haired traitors fighting style in case he needed to jump in. Which the opportunity soon came when Kabuto managed to use **Doton: Mogurakure No Jutsu (Earth Release: Hiding Mole Jutsu) **to move underground, after Shizune had released a cloud of poison gas, and had managed to get behind the woman and severe the tendons of her Achilles heel.

Naruto made two quick clones to keep Tsunade safe while he made his move.

Kabuto was just about to land a finishing blow on Shizune with his chakra scalpels. However, before he could a foot suddenly implanted itself into the side of his head, sending him flying back with a great deal of force. He managed to right himself so that he landed on his feet, even still he was forced to use chakra as he skidded across the ground, creating two small trenches with his feet.

Naruto kneeled down next to Shizune who was trying to heal her wounded heals, "You alright Shizune-san?"

"I'm fine, thank you Naruto-kun," Shizune said, grimacing a bit as her wound refused to heal quickly enough.

Naruto noticed this and created a Kage Bunshin who, much to the woman's protest lifted her up in a bridal carry, "Take a load off while I deal with this guy Shizune-chan." The blond cracked his neck a bit as he prepared for a fight.

Shizune did not get a chance to respond as the clone Naruto ran off with her, heading towards Tsunade as Kabuto came closer. "That was very admirable of you Naruto-kun; getting yourself involved in a battle you have no chance of winning."

Naruto scoffed, "I wouldn't make the same mistake of underestimating me that everyone else seems to enjoy doing these days."

Kabuto smirked as he pushed his glasses up, "Oh I'm not. I know very well what you're capable of from Orochimaru-sama and your little display during the Chunin Exams. However, I'm on par with Hatake Kakashi, while you are still a Genin, a talented one but still just a Genin."

"Well then, let's see if I can't get you to sing a different tune after I break off my foot in your ass," Naruto flicked wrists and summoned a pair of kunai into them, not that Kabuto could see with his large cloak covering his form.

"Very well then, why don't you show me how you intend to do this. I'm in need of some new entertainment after all," Kabuto activated his chakra scalpels.

"Gladly!" Naruto threw both kunai and went into a set of hand seals. "Kunai Kage Bushin No Jutsu!"

Two kunai became twenty as they headed for Kabuto who began to dodge them with relative ease. When they all passed he just scoffed.

"I hope you can do better than that!" Kabuto ran at Naruto, not catching the small smirk on the blonde's face.

Thanks to the fact that Naruto's hands could not be seen under his cloak, Kabuto had no clue that Naruto was manipulating his kunai to come back with chakra strings. It was only years of training that saved Kabuto from being impaled from behind. He swerved out of the way of the kunai, rolling to the left and coming back up on his feet.

Unfortunately for him, Naruto knew better than to play around with someone who Orochimaru trusted enough to help in his missions, and was already right in the traitor's face. Naruto launched a knee at Kabuto that the older teen was simply too slow to block. It hit him in the face, and there was a sickening crunch as the cartilage of Kabuto's nose broke, and then he was sent reeling backwards.

Not wanting to let up and allow Kabuto any time to actually get his act together, Naruto linked his fists together and thrust them out, "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!"

There was a ripple of air that flew at high speeds towards Kabuto, smacking him and sending him flying backwards where he skidded along the ground. Naruto watched as Kabuto got up with a small trickle of blood running down his mouth, "That was a pretty good hit Naruto-kun. Orochimaru-sama was right about your skills. It's only too bad that mark didn't stick or I would have been able to let you live."

Naruto rolled his eyes as he watched Kabuto heal himself, "So you say, but I have yet to see you land a hit on me. From what I can tell you're a medic-nin and close combat specialist who uses chakra scalpels to defeat your opponents. Whereas I on the other hand, would be considered a mid-to-close range taijutsu and ninjutsu specialist, though I have a fair few long range attacks; all I need to do is not let you get close enough to utilize those scalpels of yours and I'm good."

"You say that like it's going to be easy. Do not forget that I happen to be a Jonin-level shinobi Naruto-kun," Kabuto stood up all the way as he finished healing, he knew now that he could not afford to take Naruto lightly.

"Could you stop calling me '-kun', seriously it's creepy enough when Gai and Lee call me that, but at least I know they're straight…" Naruto paused. "Well Lee's straight seeing as he has a crush on Sakura. Anyway, the last thing I need is for someone who likes to be used as an ass muppet for some pedophilic snake with a fetish for little boys to call me that."

Kabuto scowled, "Don't talk about Orochimaru-sama like that! You can't even hope to understand his greatness and power!"

Naruto grinned, "You know from the way you're defending him it seems like I've struck home. Perhaps there is more to what I said than I thought, seeing as how you never denied my accusation."

Kabuto rushed Naruto, moving surprisingly fast. The blond was more than glad he had trained with Jiraiya who was far faster. Reacting before Kabuto could get too close, Naruto sent several kunai at him, already beginning two sets of hand seals using one handed seals for each hand.

"Kunai Kage Bushin No Jutsu! Raiton: Kaminari Shuriken!" The kunai quickly multiplied into several dozen right before they all burst with lightning that rained down at Kabuto as they passed.

The medic-nin was forced to do his best to dodge the attacks, allowing Naruto enough time to make several clones that he sent out to engage Kabuto.

* * *

Shizune looked at her master and sighed. She had managed to clean all of the blood off of her master, but Tsunade was still not responding to any outside stimuli. She looked at her Achilles tendons which were now healed if a bit swollen. Despite her proficiency as a medic-nin she was not as good at healing muscle groups as she was other areas.

She looked back over towards the battle, worried about whether or not Naruto would need her help. She was pleasantly surprised to find that he seemed to be holding his own against Orochimaru's right hand man. She watched as Kabuto was sent sailing backwards and rolling along the ground. Shizune was sure that if Kabuto were not a skilled medic-nin, he would have fallen by now.

Tsunade had likewise taken to watching the battle, not that she could do much else. With her being completely incapable of actually moving any muscle in her body, and having already been facing the area of the battle since the beginning, she was naturally subjected to watching the fight play out. When she had first met the blond she had been utterly enraged by his attitude and the disrespect that he showed her. However, when they had their first battle, she had been completely caught off guard when he showed that he was more than he looked. It also did not help that in that first battle, he had reminded her so much of both her younger brother and her dead lover that it almost hurt.

She had then watched him train after the bet and was once again shocked by his method, using Kage Bunshin to speed up the process of his training, as well as how he had created a Rasengan using a Kage Bunshin to help his control. Tsunade had been even more impressed when he did not use that same method of mass Kage Bunshin training to actually use the Yondaime's prized jutsu one handed, but rather attempted to accomplish it the honorable way.

**"****Man look at that! Naruto-nii is kicking some serious ass!"**Gamakichi watched with a grin on his face.

This boy reminded her so much of the two people she had cherished the most that she could practically see them standing behind the blond; from their dreams to become Hokage, to their determination. Tsunade clutched the necklace around her neck, _Just one more time. Let me believe just one more time._

* * *

As soon as Kabuto had defeated all of the clones Naruto came back into the picture, launching a kick into his opponents gut. It was to Naruto's shock that Kabuto turned into a pile of mud, _Damn it!_

Naruto twisted to the side as Kabuto came up behind him using the Mogurakure No Jutsu. He managed to dodge a potentially fatal blow, but was still hit in the arm. He hissed a bit as he jumped back, letting his left arm dangle limply.

"You see now don't you?" Kabuto asked in a mild tone, "You're no match for me, you may be able to compete with some of the Jonin out there, but not one of my level."

"Keep talking buddy. It will only make the look on your face that much more priceless when I wipe it off," Naruto tried to stall for time as his impressive healing factor worked his magic.

"I suppose I'll just have to beat you even more to prove my point," Kabuto activated his scalpels again and moved to engage Naruto.

The blond soon found himself on the defensive as he did his best to keep out of reach of Kabuto's scalpels. Using a modified version of the Hebiken that Anko used. He was fortunate it was different enough from Orochimaru's standard style that Kabuto could not use the Snake Sannin's taijutsu as a basis or Naruto would have been hit by now. As it was Naruto was able to dodge all of the incoming attacks while his arm finished healing.

Ready to fight back Naruto made a Kage Bunshin and Kawarimi'd with it, giving him a small amount of breathing room. As Kabuto charged towards him Naruto came up with a plan to beat the medic-nin.

Reaching into his pouch Naruto pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it in front of himself, letting the smoke overtake his position. Kabuto ceased his charge knowing it would be foolish to just head right into the smoke screen as it was probably what the blond wanted. Instead he stayed on guard, waiting to see what Naruto's next move would be.

It came in the form of several shuriken being tossed at Kabuto, forcing him to jump away and to the left. After that, six Kage Bunshins shot out of the smoke screen, engaging Kabuto in a fierce taijutsu battle. The battle was a lot tougher than Kabuto had expected. While a Kage Bunshin would always go up with just one hit, they also had almost all of their originator's abilities with somewhere around half of their physical prowess being reduced thanks to that same one hit kill factors. It also did not help that their teamwork was impeccable.

Kabuto managed to duck under a strike from one of the clones on the left, when he suddenly found the knee of another clone right in his face, sending him stumbling back. He channeled medical chakra to his nose as two more clones came at him from the left and right. He tilted his body back as he let the attack from the clone on the left fly past his head. Then swerved to the left as the other Kage Bunshin attacked with a kick.

By this point the white haired medic had gotten used to the way the clones would attack. There would always be at least two of them coming in from the left and right, they would attack at the same time and when Kabuto managed to dodge them, another clone would be waiting in the wing, either behind him, or right in his face and already attacking. This would normally leave no time for Kabuto to attack. However, this time he prepared himself, and has he dodged the swing from a clone on the right, a left, right combination from the clone on the left; Kabuto spun around and swatted away the attack from the clone behind him. Because he was using chakra scalpels the block effectively killed the clone, making it go up in a puff of smoke.

After that he managed to defeat the other clones with little effort. However, it was right after he beat the last Kage Bunshin that two pairs of hands shot up from the ground and grabbed him, "What the-!"

Two more Kage Bunshin appeared behind him and latched onto his hands, forcing them away so that he could not use them for attack.

Finally he saw Naruto in front of him, just several feet away with a grin on his face. Kabuto grimaced a bit but kept his smile up, "So it looks like I underestimated you more than I thought."

He tried to activate his chakra scalpels and frowned when he found himself incapable of directing chakra to his hands.

Naruto's grin widened, "Damn right you did and now it's too late for you to do anything. I'm sure by now you've noticed that you can't use those blasted chakra scalpels of yours." The grin widened a bit when he saw Kabuto's eyes widen, "That's right, my clones placed a pair of Chakra disruption sealson your hands. I would have just had them disrupt your whole system but they don't have the chakra necessary for that. Not like it matters anyway, I just need you to stand still and be my guinea pig for this new jutsu I learned. I've never used it on a human before so you'll have to tell me what it feels like, if you survive."

With that said Naruto held out a hand and began charging his youki into it. Kabuto's eyes widened as he recognized the famed jutsu that the blond had just created and began to struggle even more, not that it did any good, while he may have been a tad faster, Naruto was a lot stronger as were his clones. Naruto began a slow pace towards Kabuto, picking it up into a light jog before it turned into a full on sprint. When Naruto got close he thrust his hand out, "Rasengan!"

Naruto ignored the gore that splattered across his face as the jutsu tore into Kabuto's skin and muscles. The medic-nin was eventually sent flying straight into a nearby boulder that shattered upon impact. Giving off a toothy grin Naruto turned around and walked towards Tsunade with a purpose. He held out both hands, one of them empty except for some of the blood that Kabuto had got all over him, and the other holding a perfectly spinning sphere of purple youki.

He stopped right in front of a stunned Tsunade who was staring up at him in shock, "Well baa-chan it looks like your title of Legendary Sucker holds true. I believe that necklace is now mine so pay up."

* * *

"Huh, would you look at that," Jiraiya grinned as he saw Kabuto get sent flying from Naruto's attack. "It looks like the gaki is even better than I thought he would be. What do you think teme?"

Orochimaru looked from Naruto to Jiraiya and then back again. He gritted his teeth, "Such power does not belong in the hands of one I cannot control. He must die before he becomes a hindrance to my plans!"

Orochimaru flew towards Naruto with Jiraiya following close behind in an effort to stop him. Unfortunately for Jiraiya, Tsunade's drug had yet to ward off. Therefore, he was unable to dodge Orochimaru when the Snake Sannin latched a tongue around his ankle, pulling the Toad Sannin towards the ground where he landed with a crash. Orohimaru continued on unimpeded as his sword stuck out of his mouth, hoping to catch Naruto while the boy's back was turned.

Naruto's grin dropped as his senses went off, which was fortunate as it allowed Naruto to dodge the incoming attack. What was unfortunate was that Naruto despite being fast was no match for a Sannin. He managed to dodge any grievous injuries, but the blade still managed to impale him, going right through his collar bone.

All eyes widened as the Kusanagi blade was found going straight through Naruto. Naruto himself held back a yelp of pain and looked down to see the sword sticking through his shoulder. His eyes flashed red for a moment and Naruto let out a roar that sounded more demon than human as he whirled himself around, forcing the blade out of him. Gripping his shoulder Naruto dropped to his knees as he felt his healing factor fighting against the poison.

**'****Naruto-kun!'**

_'__K-Kyuubi?_' Naruto was surprised to hear the vixen's voice after several days.

**'****I'm right here! Hang on one second, I'm flushing the poison!'** The red heads voice sounded more frantic then he had ever heard it as she began actively channeling her youki into the wound to flush the poison faster.

_'__How long will that take?'_

**'****About five minutes to flush the poison, the wound will take longer to heal though because this type of poison causes necrosis.'**

Naruto gave a mental nod and sent his thanks to Kyuubi when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the hand to see it glowing green with medical chakra. Following the hand he saw that it belonged to Tsunade who was looking at him with concentration and worry.

"Baa-chan?"

Tsunade grunted, "You okay gaki?"

Despite the stinging Naruto gave her a grin, "Hah! It will take more than a little poison to keep me down!"

Tsunade actually found herself smiling at the brave face Naruto put on, not quite realizing that what he said was true, even if Kyuubi had refused to heal him his own natural healing would keep him from dying, it would just take longer.

As Tsunade continued her work, Naruto saw Orochimaru coming at them from behind Tsunade with the Kusanagi still sticking in his mouth. Not really thinking about what he was doing Naruto pushed Tsunade out of the way. This move while brave and managed to save Tsunade from fatal injury, it could not save Naruto from getting wounded. The Kusanagi blade managed to pierce Naruto on the right side of his chest, nearly nicking his heart.

Naruto heard both Tsunade's scream on the outside and Kyuubi's scream inside of his mind. However, it was too hazy to actually make out what they were saying out. Instead he looked up from the sword that was piercing him to see the smug face of Orochimaru. It was then that something inside of him snapped.

With a loud roar that was anything but human, Naruto pulled back his fist and launched it at the now shocked face of Orochimaru. The attack hit dead on and everyone could hear the squelch as the pale skinned man's face caved in. The man had let go of the Kusanagi as he was sent rocketing away, skidding along the ground and creating a trench.

Naruto looked down at the sword, grabbing onto it and yanking it out before he threw it in the dirt. When he looked back up his eyes were not the blue that most people saw, nor even the red that signified Kyuubi's youki being used. They were purple with black slits running down the middle.

His transformation soon became more than just his eyes as his whisker marks began to thicken, becoming jagged lines much like when he was using Kyuubi's youki. His ears became pointed at the tips, making them look akin to elf ears. His nails grew thicker, longer and sharper along with his canines. However, it was his hair that had the most drastic change, going from its golden blond to deep blood red and lengthening. It swept back over his forehead and then began to move down, segmenting into ten separate spikes that looked reminiscent of tails.

Everyone there was too shocked by this transformation to do anything more than gape. None of them had ever seen this kind of thing happen before, it was similar to the transformation that the Inuzuka went through. But they could easily tell it was much different. They would have chalked it up to using Kyuubi's youki, however it did not give off the same feel as Kyuubi's power. It still held bloodlust, but it was much more manageable and was not quite as powerful either. Still it was enough that everyone in the clearing were in awe of the amount of pure energy the boy radiated.

However, Naruto noticed none of this, and as he looked at Orochimaru and reared his fist back. With a quick thrust his fist came forward, before launching out a large purple claw made purely from youki. It ran straight for Orochimaru who after watching the spiky haired blonde's transformation in shock managed to pull himself together and attempted to dodge the claw. However when he moved said appendage followed and the Sannin was far slower than he normally was thanks to the pain in his arms and his battle with Jiraiya, allowing the youki appendage to latch onto him and pull the man towards the now redheaded Genin.

Naruto's left hand flashed out in a spear tip and managed to slice straight through Orochimaru like butter. It was only thanks to the Snake Sannin opening his mouth and regurgitating himself like a snake shedding skin at the last second that he did not get speared through the heart.

Everyone watched as Naruto turned to Orochimaru, waiting to see what he would do next. Said blond turned to look at the pale skinned man, and took a step forward only to fall flat on his face as he passed out, his body going back to normal.

The action seemed to snap everybody out of their stupor and caused Orochimaru to rush Naruto in the hopes of killing him. However, he was intercepted by both Jiraiya and Tsunade, with the latter smashing a fist into his face and the former standing in front of Naruto in a guard position.

Orochimaru stood up where he was and glared at Tsunade, "Why are you protecting that gaki Tsunade? You owe him nothing!"

"Why am I protecting him?" said woman looked at the unconscious, now blond again, Genin who was being attended to by Shizune and her eyes softened. They hardened an instant later as she turned back to Orochimaru, "I'm protecting him because I'm Senju Tsunade, granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage, grandniece of the Nidaime Hokage, and as of today I am the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato!"

* * *

With a small groan Naruto opened his eyes. The first thing he realized was that he was in the seal, as evidenced by the walls with the seals all over them meaning he was in Kyuubi's house. He sat up and looked around for all of five seconds before he spotted said vixen standing at the foot of the bed with a blank expression on her face and her arms crossed.

"Kyuubi," Naruto said as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, glad that he could not feel the pain of what ever had happened to him. "Did you bring me here?" When the woman did not answer him but just continued to stare he sighed, "I suppose you're still upset, though that does beg the question of why I'm here."

**"****You're here because I brought you here,"** Kyuubi finally said, **"Because I had to heal your sorry ass for doing something so foolish as to get in front of a sword without defending yourself!"**

"Huh, so that's why I'm unconscious," Naruto said, rubbing his chest as he remembered the sword that pierced him. "I suppose I owe you my thanks, though from the look on your face I doubt you really care what I say so I'll save my breath."

Kyuubi bared her teeth at him, **"Do not give me any lip you damn **_**brat!**_** You are so lucky that I'm inside of you right now! Without me you would be dead!"**

However Naruto had no intention of letting this woman walk all over him, "Without you I might not even be in this situation now would I?"

Naruto once again found himself pressed to wall as Kyuubi glared at him, **"Shut up! I'll admit that maybe some of this was my fault! Maybe had I found some way to counter that man's…" **she stopped herself before moving onto a different venue, **"Had I not been forced to attack Konoha none of this would have happened. But it did happen, and it's not as if I wanted to attack your pathetic excuse for a village, or be sealed inside of you! But I did attack Konoha, and I am sealed inside of you!"**

Her glared intensified as she saw Naruto looking at her with an uninterested look, **"The past does not change the fact that your damn recklessness nearly got us killed! And if you do not stop this foolish act I am going to make you regret it!"**

"You can't threaten me Kyuubi," Naruto stated, "we both know that your power here is not what it would be outside thanks to the seals…don't try and…ack!"

He was cut off as Kyuubi used her impressive strength to slam him into the wall, causing the entire room to shake. Now that her youki had managed to fully restore itself Kyuubi let it loose and Naruto paled, realizing that her power was now far beyond what he had felt before. The amount of power she was releasing was enough that Naruto did not even think of how he might be able to contain it.

**"****You ungrateful little monkey!"** Kyuubi roared as she reared a back a fist covered in red youki.

Naruto closed his eyes as he waited for the strike to hit him, had he not been frightened out of his wits he might have realized that she could not do much to him for fear of killing herself. However right now none of that was on his mind as he waited for Kyuubi's fist to pulverize him…

Thus, when several minutes had passed and his head was not a bloody smear on the wall, he became curious and opened his eyes. The half demon blinked in surprise a few times as he saw Kyuubi's fist still reared back, her other hand still around his throat. However his greatest surprise was when his eyes landed on Kyuubi's face. Tears of frustration were trailing out of them, falling down her cheeks and she seemed to be having some kind of great internal struggle with herself.

After several more minutes she dropped Naruto, letting him fall on his ass. Looking up the blond saw Kyuubi take several steps back before she too sank to the ground and her body began to shake uncontrollably.

After several seconds Naruto began to tentatively move towards the redhead, wondering what was going on with her. As he closed the distance he was surprised to see teardrops falling onto the floor, and heard the small chocked sobs that were coming from the woman.

"Kyuubi?" he asked, only to gape when Kyuubi looked up and he saw her eyes, now getting slightly puffy. They were not the same eyes he had usually seen on the vindictive and arrogant woman, eyes that spoke of great arrogance and had a teasing, sadistic and vicious quality all mixed up in one. No these eyes were confused, depressed and made her look incredibly vulnerable.

He opened his mouth to speak but Kyuubi beat him to it, **"Why can't I hate you?"**

"…What?" asked Naruto in confusion.

"**I should hate you. Everything you stand for is my anti-thesis; that damned selflessness of yours. You're the person I was sealed into and that damned kindness of yours almost got me killed,"** Kyuubi looked at him and her face was twisted in a look of anger, sadness and frustration. **"I should hate you for being me container, for being who you are."**

The red headed woman bit back a chocked sob as she closed her eyes and look back down at the ground, **"So why? Why can't I hate you? Why do I feel this way! What is it about you that makes me feel this way!"**

Naruto listened to the woman in growing confusion. He did not understand what she was talking about, her words were jumbled and it seemed obvious to Naruto that she did not even know what she was feeling. But there were two things he got from her.

The first was that she did not hate him; he was both surprised and not so surprised. True they had not started on the best of terms, but during the one month period before the Chunin Exams they had gotten along decently, well enough that Naruto was no longer bothered by her teasing and snide remarks; and had even began to tease back with the fledgling flirting skills he possessed, something he would never do if he had hated her. However even with all of that, Kyuubi had been fairly adamant in letting him know he was beneath her.

The second thing was that she had some kind of feelings for him. What those feelings were Naruto could not say, he would readily admit that he did not know much about women in general and Kyuubi was by far the most confusing woman he had ever met. Not only that but it was also blatantly obvious that Kyuubi herself did not know what she was feeling, though he could understand that.

Kyuubi had always been selfish, she may not be evil in the sense that others had often thought of her as, but she had always been selfish. She used others to achieve her goals; that being to live a life of luxury befitting what she thought was her status, essentially how she thought Kami should be treated were he/she on earth. She never cared about others, she never liked others and the closest thing she had ever come to being nice was when she was ordering people around like slaves, at least if her words about her life before being sealed were to be believed.

He continued to look at the vixen who by now had wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to control her shaking. Crawling over to her he gently placed his arms around her form, ignoring how she stiffened in his grip.

**"****Wh-what are you doing!" **the shock in her voice was so profound that Naruto would have laughed were the situation not so damn confusing. Truth be told, he was not even sure what he was doing.

"I'm hugging you, what does it look like?" he brought Kyuubi closer to him and placed her head under his chin, "Don't bother asking me why cuz I don't know…and don't bother telling me not to, because I'm not going to listen. Just shut up and accept it."

He waited for several long moments to see what Kyuubi would do, expecting either some kind of attack or at the very least some verbal comment about him being beneath her. It was something of a relief when she did none of those, instead he felt a pair of arms wrapping around him.

**"****Don't think that just because I'm letting you get this close means anything," **Kyuubi sniffed as she relaxed into the blond. **"And don't tell anyone about this or I will cause you untold amounts of suffering."**

Naruto chuckled a bit, "Who would I tell? I can just imagine that going over well with the people of Konoha. Oh yeah Kyuubi, well she's really one big softy. You'd be surprised how sensitive she is, no really she actually the nicest, fluffiest person you would ever meet."

Kyuubi snorted as she tried to find a comfortable position and ended up sitting in the blonde's lap, her head resting on his shoulders. She took a small moment to analyze the novel experience. She would freely admit that she had never been in this position before, the few humans who had tried to touch her usually ended up losing a limb and most were to enthralled to do anything more than drool. However it wasn't a terrible experience, Naruto was a hanyou and therefore a cut above any human. Plus he was radiating this incredible warmth that was actually beckoning to Kyuubi; it gave her an odd comfort that she had never experienced. A part of her wondered if she could find some way to retain this feeling.

They stayed that way for a little while until Kyuubi decided to bring something up again, **"Do you remember what happened during this last battle Naruto-kun?"**

Naruto cracked open the eyes that he had subconsciously closed and frowned, "What about the last battle?"

**"****I mean do you remember the transformation you went through after that man stabbed you?"**

Naruto gave a slight shake of his head, "No…all I remember was that teme puncturing me with his sword. After that my mind went blank and then I woke up here. Why? What kind of transformation did I do?"

Kyuubi frowned as she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him for a moment. After a while she tried to explain what she could, **"Truthfully, I don't know. It looked similar to my own transformations. I have three different states of transformation. The one I am in now I like to call my Hanyou state. While in this state you can see my tails and ears, most of my power is also released in this state, except I can't cause natural disasters with a flick of my tail. The other two states I have are my human state and my kitsune state, both of which should be self-explanatory."**

Naruto nodded, "And you're saying I have something like that?"

Kyuubi shrugged as her head went back on Naruto's shoulder, **"As I said, I don't really know. It was similar to mine but also different. It could be one of your abilities that you gained when you became a hanyou, but I don't really know. The tomes I read said nothing about the abilities that a hanyou may have. And for all we know this could be something unique to you."**

"I see…" Narutp paused, "We'll worry about that later. Until we figure out what's going on with my body, there's not much we can do."

**"****I suppose you're right."**

Silence prevailed again for a few minutes until Naruto spoke up in soft voice, "Are you still mad at me?"

Kyuubi closed her eyes and sighed, **"I was never mad at you. I was just…" **she paused for as she tried to sort out her feelings in the jumble of emotions she had,** "worried I guess. You blocked me out so completely that I could not even tell what you were feeling."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow that went unseen by Kyuubi, "You were worried about me?"

Realizing what she said Kyuubi's eyes snapped open and she looked up at Naruto. She opened her mouth to make some kind of excuse when she saw the look in his eyes. Snapping it shut she tried to think of something to say before sighing, **"…Yes, I was worried. Tell anyone I said that and not even Kami will save you from my wrath…" **she paused for a moment before continuing,** "I had always been able to tell what you were feeling, it's a side effect of the seal. However when you cut me off I could not feel anything, it was like the other times when I had been sealed…"**

"You were sealed inside of more people than just me?" asked Naruto in curiosity.

Kyuubi swore as she realized she was giving him more information than she had ever intended, she briefly wondered if his was because of their close proximity or that damned annoying feeling of comfort the blond exuded. She resisted the urge to growl as she spoke again, **"Yes, but I would prefer not to speak about it. Maybe someday, I'll tell you, but not today."**

Naruto looked at her for a moment before nodding, "I guess I can live with that and…I'm sorry for ignoring you; I won't do it again…I promise."

The red haired vixen could not contain her smile. If there was one thing she learned about Naruto it was that if he promised something, you'd better believe he would do it.

**"Don't worry about it…"** A small gleam entered her eye as she spoke again as she realized he had given her an opening to get some kind of compensation for his stupidity. **"However, I do think you owe me some compensation for worrying me so much. Especially after this last stunt you pulled."**

Naruto blinked for a few seconds before shrugging, he supposed it was fair since he had almost gotten her killed through his actions, "What do you want from me?"

Kyuubi paused for a few seconds as she thought about what she wanted. It had to be something feasible, she couldn't ask for her freedom seeing as how even if he was willing to she was not sure he _could _give her freedom. She also knew he would not accept being her slave, not only did her charms not work like they normally did but he was far too strong willed. And she was sealed so it would not really matter anyways.

As she thought a little more an idea came to her, **"Okay, what I want you to do is quite simple."** When she was sure she had Naruto's attention she continued, **"I want you to spend more time with me. When you go to sleep your mind doesn't need to rest in the same way your body does, since most of it stays active anyways. From now on I want you to come into the seal whenever you sleep and spend your nights with me."**

"N-Nights with you?" Naruto squeaked as his face did a Hinata and turned so red one might think he popped a blood vessel. A small trickle of blood also escaped his nose as his mind went straight down the gutter. Never let it be said that Naruto was not a hot blooded male.

"**Not like that Naruto-kun,"** Kyuubi sighed in exasperation, though a part of her was not…unreceptive to the thought of intimacy with the blond. The thought had actually passed through her head once or twice, loath as she was to admit it. He was intelligent, he was strong and would only get stronger as time passed; he had that odd warmth that she could still feel as he held her. And most importantly of all, he was not human. If she ever wanted a relationship or intimacy with anyone, Naruto was the only person that she could feasibly be with. The thought left an odd resonance in her mind, she may have joked about sex a few times but she had never truly desired it. It something humans did and there had never been anyone who she would consider worthy of such an honor.

She shook her head of the thoughts and focused on the now, **"I just want you in the seal with me so I have someone to talk to. It gets awfully…"** she paused before finally admitting another issue she had, **"lonely here in your mind."** She did not mention there was actually another voice in his mind. Kyuubi did not like talking to her anyways.

"I didn't think you felt lonely," Naruto commented.

Kyuubi frowned before deciding that since she was being honest, she might as well explain herself. **"I am the only one of my kind Naruto-kun. Yes, there are other Bijuu but they are mindless beasts compared to me. They are creatures of instinct, even humans have a more complex thought process then they do. The other Bijuu are terribly stupid and the only thing they can do is cause mass amounts of pointless destruction, the few that I have seen actually tried to attack me. They cannot hold an intelligent conversation, and from what I understand they only gain a form of intelligence after they have been subdued by whoever they are sealed into and by that point…"**

"I see…" Naruto frowned as he thought about her request for a moment, and though surprised decided to agree. Not like he had any better way to spend his nights, "I can do that."

**"****That's good,"** Kyuubi smiled a bit before frowning. **"Now I'm afraid you need to wake so the people who are with you stop worrying about you so much."**

Naruto nodded as he looked at Kyuubi, "I'll come back later tonight okay?" He received a nod before fading out of his mindscape.

Kyuubi sighed as she picked herself off the ground, she felt so undignified by the events that had transpired just now. But at the same time she was almost glad for what happened.

With nothing left to do she crawled in her bed and relaxed as best as she could with the thoughts that were in her mind.

* * *

Naruto stifled a groan as he woke up in the real world. Opening his eye the blond was greeted with a very interesting sight, "You know Baa-chan, as lovely a way as this is to wake up I don't think you want me to see this."

Tsunade who had been leaning over him and running tests looked down at Naruto in confusion. At least she did at first. Her eyes promptly widened and a blush actually came to her face when she saw that her leaning had inadvertently caused her extremely large bust to fall into Naruto's face. Giving him a show that Jiraiya would kill for.

She hurriedly leaned back and glared at him, "Gaki, you are so lucky you're injured right now, or I would pound your face in for being such a pervert."

"I'm not a pervert," Naruto frowned as he denied the accusation. "I'm a growing boy whose hormones are beginning to get out of control due to my teenage body growing and puberty, nothing perverted about that, it's completely natural."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Nice medical dissertation, but it doesn't make a difference, you're still a pervert."

"And I guess this is because all men are perverts?" Naruto questioned in a sarcastic tone.

"Of course."

Naruto rolled his eyes as he attempted to sit up, only to wince a bit as his chest stung, "Damn…I'm still tender there."

"You shouldn't move yet brat. That sword did quite a bit of damage to you. Not only the stab wounds themselves, but the poison had been causing the cells of your muscles, bones and tissue to die. In fact by all rights you shouldn't even be alive." Tsunade tried to push him back down, however Naruto held firm until she relented and let him sit up.

"Don't worry, while I won't deny my ass was lucky, I'm feeling better now. Just a bit tender is all," Naruto rubbed the spot where he was stabbed and was surprised to find a scar. "Huh…I guess the wound was so bad it couldn't heal."

"That would be due to the poison," Tsunade said. "Kyuubi's healing factor simply wasn't enough to regenerate the wound in time to completely heal it so there's going to be a scar."

"Well that's fine with me, that means I get a cool story to tell about how I got this scar," Naruto grinned, causing Tsunade to sweatdrop.

"Right well, now that you're awake there is something you, me, Jiraiya and Shizune need to discuss," Naruto watched as Tsunade stood up and walked outside.

_I wonder what she wants to talk about?_ a thoughtful frown marred the blonde's features before the two Sannin and Shizune came in with Tonton in her arms.

They all gather around him with Tsunade sitting back on the chair she had been in when he woke up, Jiraiya leaned against the wall at the end, while Shizune sat down on the bed next to him.

"How do you feel Naruto-kun?" Shizune asked with a smile.

"I feel fine Shizune-chan, thanks for asking," Naruto grinned back at her.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better gaki. However, now that you're awake there's something we need to discuss," Jiraiya crossed his arms and held a serious expression on his face.

"What do you want to talk about Ero-sennin?" Naruto tilted his head to the side with an air of confusion.

_KAWAII!_ The two females in the room nearly squealed at how cute they thought the look made Naruto, and both had to suppress the urge to glomp the boy.

"That transformation you did, I need to know what that was. I know for a fact that it wasn't the Kyuubi," Jiraiya fixed the boy with a mild glare.

Naruto bit his lip for a moment, "Honestly, I'm not sure what it was…"

"But you have an idea," Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Well…"

**'****It's alright Naruto-kun.'**

_'__Kyuu-chan?'_

'**Go ahead and tell them, I think you can trust them with this. They may be human but they seem to be somewhat trustworthy…and if you don't tell them, they may assume I'm able to take control of you.'**

Naruto squirmed a bit before sighing, "Well, um, Kyuu-chan and I think it has something to do with my Hanyou abilities."

"Hanyou abilities?" Jiraiya wondered out loud.

"Kyuu-chan!" Tsunade interrupted anything Jiraiya might have said. "Are you telling me that the Kyuubi No Kitsune, the greatest tailed beast is a girl!"

"Um…yes?" Naruto eyed the blond wearily. It turned into a sweatdrop when Tsunade stood up and uncharacteristically pumped a fist in the air.

"Yes! This proves that women are superior to men in every way! Hah! The strongest demon is a female; that has completely made my day!"

**'****You know, I think I like her, for a human she isn't bad,'** Kyuubi chuckled in his mind.

_'__Erm…right.'_

Jiraiya coughed to get everyone back on track, "You were saying something about Hanyou abilities?"

Naruto grimaced a bit, "Yes. Because of Orochimaru trying to place his gay ass hickey on me in The Forest of Death, Kyuubi was forced to divert at least four maybe five tails worth of her youki into my body. However the human body is not made to handle that amount when it's actually flooding your body."

Tsunade frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well as you know when a human has a demon sealed inside of them they are able to utilize said demon's youki. However, when they use it the youki is doing nothing more than moving around them, it's not actually inside of their bodies when they use it, hence the shroud you see when a Jinchuuriki uses their bijuu's youki."

"I thought it had to travel through the chakra coils when you were using it," Jiraiya commented with a thoughtful frown.

"Yes, but there is more than just the chakra coils within the human body isn't there? Kyuu-chan said that when the cursed seal tried to infect me that it tried to latch onto more than just my chakra coils, but also my muscles and organs in order to gain control over me."

Naruto shrugged, "I don't really know what it was trying to do or why it would do that, all I know is that Kyuu-chan had to divert her youki into my body to stop it from spreading so I could defeat it. However the seal mutated and something happened within my body, fundamentally changing my DNA to match that of a demon's."

Tsunade blinked as she tried to process what Naruto just said, "So, you're not human? What about you're human DNA?"

Naruto flinched when she said not human but still answered her questions as Kyuubi did her best to explain, "I'm half human, half demon, hence a Hanyou. I still have all of my human DNA within me, and from what Kyuu-chan said it's the dominant gene that would get passed down if I ever decide to have kids. However my demonic DNA was added onto me because of the overflow of Kyuu-chan's youki in my body."

"And how long have you known this?" Jiraiya asked in a disgruntled voice.

'Since I woke up in the Forest of Death," Naruto said in a soft voice.

"Then why didn't you tell Sarutobi-sensei or me?"

"Because I was afraid," Naruto turned away when he spoke, not wanting to look Jiraiya or the others in the eyes. "I was afraid that if you, Ojisan or anyone else found out I was no longer human that you would hate me."

Jiraiya's eyes softened at that as he realized Naruto had only done what anybody in his position probably would have done. It was bad enough when the boy held the Kyuubi inside of him, but now he was a demon, well, half demon anyway. And if the general populace of Konoha ever found out it would easily make his life hell.

Shizune who was sitting right next to him did not really understand much other than that Naruto was at least half demon; however she knew that the boy before her was not evil in anyway. She scooted closer to him and wrapped an arm around the blond, startling him into looking at her.

"I don't think it matters Naruto-kun," She gave him a smile. "Even if you're not fully human you're still one of the kindest people I know."

Naruto looked at her for a moment before smiling. Closing his eyes he leaned into the black haired woman, "Thanks Shizune-nee-chan. That means a lot to hear someone say that."

The other two smiled at the scene before Tsunade spoke up, "I've never heard of a half demon before."

"Nor will you," Naruto said, cracking an eye open as he stayed within the comforting embrace Shizune was giving him. "According to Kyuu-chan the last Hanyou to exist in this world lived around several thousand years before she was born."

Everyone looked surprised by that information, but filed it away and decided to get back to the task at hand.

"Well since you woke up pretty late in the evening we won't be leaving until tomorrow," Jiraiya got off the wall. "I suggest you get some more sleep gaki."

"Leaving?" Naruto asked.

"That's right," Tsunade said as she stood up. "Tomorrow we'll be going back to Konoha." She favored him with a smile, "After all you won our bet."

Naruto blinked in confusion for a second before he felt something cold on his chest. Looking down he saw the Shodai's necklace sitting next to the one Haku had given him. "Huh, I guess I did, didn't I?"

"That right's, so get some rest. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning," Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune left with pig in tow, closing the door and leaving Naruto alone.

_Well not really alone,_ Naruto reminded himself as he lay back down, closed his eyes and entered his mindscape. One last thought passed through his mind before he entered he found himself in the forests of his mind. _It's nice to know come people still accept me for who I am, rather than what I am._

As his mind went into the mindscape, he never noticed the two necklaces on his neck glowing with a light resonance for several seconds before they stopped.

* * *

**Here you are, this chapter is something of a turning point for Kyuubi. No, she does not love Naruto, she still doesn't even really like Naruto, but she does not hate him and considering who we're talking about that's a huge step.**

**Anyways let me know what you think.**


	31. Chapter 31

**I would like to thank everyone for reading my story, its an awesome feeling to know that people actually enjoy my writing.**

**I have an awesome Beta in Senjuto and would like to thank him for being awesome and helping my writing.**

* * *

**Disclarimer: while I don't own Naruto I will tell you what I do own. This story, which I like better then Naruto because my Naruto isn't an idiot. I don't know about all of you but I hate it when the main character is stupid, and not naïve stupid, just stupid.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 31: Homecoming**

* * *

It took a total of five days for the group of four people and one pig to reach Konoha. They could have gone faster of course, but both Jiraiya and Tsunade wanted to go slowly. Though they were for entirely different reasons; Tsunade seemed to want to just take her time and enjoy her 'freedom' before she became tied down to a desk, while Jiraiya simply wanted to hit on Tsunade before she became tied down to her desk.

Though at least one of their reasons were similar.

This desire to hit on Tsunade, which was less flirting and more of him just blatantly asking her to strip or flash her tits often endeared white haired man to said woman's fists, much to Naruto's amusement, Shizune's chagrin and Tsunade's annoyance. Of course, none of them had expected any less from the self-proclaimed super pervert of the Elemental Nations.

During that time Naruto had also taken to spending a lot of his time with Tsunade and Shizune, talking and getting to know the two better. He ended up getting along extremely well with both of them, much to Jiraiya's annoyance. When Jiraiya expressed his annoyance at Naruto getting along with all the women, Shizune simply stated that when the blond spoke with them he did not blatantly stare at their chests. Tsunade had simply hit him hard enough to send him flying several dozen feet in the air.

Aside from that Naruto had also begun to spend more time with Kyuubi and had learned several interesting facts about the vixen.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_As night came Naruto found himself standing outside of the entrance to Kyuubi's home. He knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds as he heard shuffling on the other side. When it opened he saw Kyuubi standing there and blinking at him for a moment._

"_Hey Kyuu…" Naruto said unsurely. After their last encounter Naruto felt confused about what his relationship with this woman was and thus, was not really sure how to talk to her._

_Kyuubi seemed to notice this however and smirked as she opened the door wider to let him in__**, "Hello Naruto-kun, come on in."**_

_Naruto walked into the house, listening to Kyuubi shut the door behind him before she moved over to the bed and sat on it. He raised an eyebrow when she patted the spot next to her, but relented and sat down in the indicated spot, "So what do you want to talk about?"_

_Kyuubi gave a shrug, __**"I'm not really sure to be honest; I've never actually taken the time to have an intelligent conversation with anyone. And I know everything there is to know about you so talking about yourself is kind of pointless."**_

_Naruto frowned for a moment, "Then do you mind if I ask you about yourself?"_

_**"**__**About myself?"**__ Kyuubi questioned as she looked at him, __**"What do you mean?"**_

_"__I mean…" Naruto paused for a moment before continuing, "…can I ask you about your past. You don't have to tell me everything," he added at seeing her look, "but I know very little about your history. Well, except from what I've heard from the history, but that doesn't really tell me about you."_

_**"**__**No I suppose it doesn't,"**__ Kyuubi's face scrunched up for a moment in a thoughtful expression that Naruto found surprisingly endearing. It relaxed a moment later, __**"Very well, ask your questions and I will tell you what I can…however I may not answer depending on the question."**_

_"__Fair enough," he started, only to stop as Kyuubi set her head in his lap, "W-what are you doing!"_

_**"**__**What?"**__ asked Kyuubi as she looked up at him, __**"Do you have a problem with this?"**_

_"__Well…I-I suppose not, I just did not think you were into um…well this," Naruto gestured to the vixen. "You've always seemed to abhor physical contact of any kind."_

_**"**__**I don't hate it…"**__ Kyuubi said before as she struggled to find a comfortable position, __**"it's just that I've never found anyone worthy of having physical contact with."**_

_"__And I am?" asked Naruto with an eyebrow raised in surprise._

_**"**__**You're coming closer than anyone else has,"**__ Kyuubi replied as she finally got into a good position and snuggled deeper into the blonde's lap, eliciting a small squawk of embarrassment form Naruto. _

_**"Awww, does Naruto-kun like that?"**__ she teased as she moved her head, causing the blond to jump._

_"__Wh-What the hell are you doing Kyuubi!" Naruto shouted as he jumped out from under the red head._

_Kyuubi frowned as she set herself on her elbow and looked at the blond who was now off of the bed and staring at her like she was some kind of diseased animal. __**"What? Did that bother you? I thought you would have liked being so close to such a beautiful woman."**_

_She frowned as she wondered if she had done something wrong, according to those Icha Icha books Naruto had read this kind of thing was how members of the opposite sex acted around each other. And she had seen more than enough perverted men in her lifetime to know that they all loved girls who acted like this._

_"__It has nothing to do with me liking it," Naruto exclaimed, "I still don't really know you. You can't expect us to be that close…physically without even knowing each other."_

_Blinking a bit Kyuubi tilted her head in confusion, __**"Then how do we act around each other?"**_

_Naruto gave her an exasperated look, "You've lived for at least two thousand years and you don't know how to act around people? I thought you would have known what to do considering you've always hid amongst humans."_

_Kyuubi bristled a bit when Naruto said she 'hid' but knew he was not saying she was being a coward and let it slide, __**"Naruto-kun, the humans I was around were nothing more than slaves. Most of the time I had their mind completely warped and they were able to do nothing more than follow my orders. The few humans who tried to talk to me when I did not want to were usually either charmed and became mindless drones, or I got rid of them when they became persistent."**_

_Naruto felt a slight amount of disgust when he heard what Kyuubi did to people but let it slide since they were trying to…he paused. What were they trying to do? Start a friendship? Become comrades? Learn to accept each other? Or were they just trying to tolerate the other?_

_He shook his head and dispelled the thoughts for now since they were not relevant to the situation, "Since we're just starting out it would be best if physical contact was kept to a minimum. Once we get to know each other more and if we end up becoming more comfortable with each other then we can think about physical contact."_

_He tried to dispel the thought on how odd it was that he was teaching the Kyuubi No Kitsune about human relations and interaction._

_Said woman frowned for a moment before relenting, __**"Very well, we'll do this your way."**_

_Not like she knew any other way to interact with others, at least none that would end up with her in a favorable position. She patted the spot next to her again and watched as Naruto hesitantly sat back down._

_She looked at him for a moment before speaking again, __**"So what would you like to know?"**_

_Naruto scratched his chin in thought, "Well, how about we start from the beginning. Like how were you born?" _

_Kyuubi looked at him for a few seconds and for a moment Naruto thought she was not going to answer. However a second later she began to speak, __**"I suppose I could tell you that. To be honest, I have no real clue on just how I came into being. The first thing I remember when I…first woke up I guess you could say, was being in the middle of a forest surrounded by trees and all kinds of wild life. I remember finding a small pond and looking into the reflected surface to see myself looking at a small fox no larger than a kit, with nine tails swishing behind me."**_

_**"**__**However, I knew right from the beginning that I was not just an ordinary fox, and I didn't need the fact that I had nine tails to tell me otherwise. I had knowledge in my head, knowledge of the human language, knowledge of the different creatures of the world and all the general things that most humans learn in school. Aside from that, all the other animals of the forest avoided me like the plague, they instinctively knew my power and knew I was dangerous. From the very beginning I knew what I was. I was a chakra beast, a being made of compressed chakra that had somehow gained a form of intelligence."**_

_**"**__**I remember traveling the forests for several years after that, eventually I had grown into the size of a large horse. Around that time I was unsure what to do with my life. I knew neither where I came from nor where I was going."**_

_Naruto frowned as he watched Kyuubi's shoulders slump for a moment and saw an odd reflective look in her eyes. Deciding that maybe a little contact was okay between them he put an arm around her shoulder, "That must have been lonely."_

_Kyuubi looked up at Naruto with a startled expression, but it soon gave way to a smile that looked decidedly out of place on her, as if she did not really know how to give an honest smile, __**"I suppose it was. But then, I was always alone. Even when I took on a human guise I was alone, the only being of my kind. It was something I got used to over time."**_

_"__What about the other Bijuu?" asked Naruto._

_Kyuubi scoffed. __**"Please do not lump me in with those brutes Naruto-kun. I had not known about them for several hundred years, and the only reason I found out was because I met one and it tried to eat me. The other Bijuu were nothing more than mindless beasts, causing untold destruction and pointless death. They are all nothing more than extraordinarily simple minded creatures with a large amount of power. I think I remember telling you this Naruto-kun."**_

_"__What about you? You've never caused pointless death and destruction," There was a hint of irony in the blonde's voice._

_**"**__**Not of my own making,"**__ Kyuubi shot back. __**"I have never liked doing pointless things, or things that were beneath me. Killing humans as a past time was simply beneath me, because humans in general were beneath my notice. Instead of killing them, I decided to find a use for them. Humans are such short-lived creatures, and while some are intelligent, most are notoriously weak-willed and stupid. I found enjoyment in getting them to serve me. As I already told you, I would often disguise myself as the daughter of a Daimyo or some other rich noble. I would use simple illusions and charms that I had created to seduce men and have them wait on me hand and foot. I found it much more appealing than running around blasting everything into oblivion."**_

_**"**__**Now I believe I've talked about myself enough, if you want to find out more you'll have to impress me enough to tell you."**_

_Flashback end…_

* * *

It was actually really interesting learning more about the demon inside of him. Naruto was positive that no one else knew these things about Kyuubi and to be honest it made him secretly pleased. Although she had yet to tell him anything other than what she remembered of her birth. She had apparently been serious when she had told him he was going to have to find some way to impress her, something he, as of yet, had no clue how to do.

As Naruto and the others arrived into Konoha it was to see the interesting sight of all the shocked faces that the villagers were sporting upon seeing none other than Tsunade walking within the village walls again. As they all walked through to the Hokage tower Naruto decided to listen into the smattering of whispers that came from the local populace.

"I can't believe it. Tsunade-sama is back!"

"Now we have both Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama!"

"It is great tidings for the future to see our two strongest ninja in the village."

"Hey isn't that the Uzumaki brat?"

"What is he doing with such distinct shinobi?"

"Maybe Tsunade-sama managed to use her grandfather's Mokuton and is finally reigning the brat in."

Naruto snorted as he listened to the last few bits of conversation before they were away from the major population, _'Can you believe this shit Kyuu-chan?'_

Within the mindscape Kyuubi frowned as she sat on her bed, her tails swaying in a bit of agitation. **'Of course I can, humans always hate and fear things that are beyond their comprehension. It takes a lot of effort to get a human to change their opinion about something, especially on a subject they have believed for so long like them thinking you are me in human flesh. Honestly, the stupidity of humankind is one of those things that never ceases to amaze me. This is one of the reasons I've always held contempt for humans.'**

Naruto frowned, _'Well they weren't all bad.'_ He had heard a few people who had suggested that Naruto had taken part in returning Tsunade to the village, but they were in the extreme minority, meaning only one out of every five people or so.

At least the ninja of the village were paying him respect. He had seen many of the ninja who had passed him nodding their heads at him in a sign of respect. Obviously they had seen more of his actions during the Chunin Exams and invasion afterwards.

**'****That's still too low after everything you've done. You defeated Sabaku No Gaara and the Shukaku! You were the sole reason this village is still standing and not several hundred feet under sand.'**

Naruto sighed, _'Can't win 'em all so soon I guess. Whatever, I prefer challenges anyways.'_

Within the seal Kyuubi stopped her mouth in mid rant as Naruto's words registered in her ears. After a few moments pause she shook her head, **'I really have found a one in a million container in you haven't I Naruto-kun? You're so different from everyone else…" **she paused for a moment before sighing,** 'You truly deserve far more than these lowly humans could ever give you.'**

Naruto blushed a bit, _'Wow, laying it on a little thick aren't you?'_

Kyuubi growled, **'Shut up, I was trying to be nice!'**

_'__Sorry, sorry, you know I was just teasing,' _Naruto let out a mental chuckled that rung across the mindscape. _'These humans don't give me the respect and kindness I deserve huh? Maybe that's why I have you.'_

Kyuubi felt her face getting oddly hot and cursed at the known yet at the same time unknown to her, feeling, **'Charmer…'**

Naruto chuckled again and cut the mental conversation as he and the others entered a meeting room within the Hokage Tower. Much to the disgruntlement of Tsunade it was to find Homura and Koharu waiting for them.

"Welcome home Tsunade-sama," Homura greeted with a smile. "It is good to see you back."

Tsunade resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she plastered a diplomatic smile on her face, "It is good to be back…for the most part. There are still a few painful memories when I look at this place, but I guess those will pass with time."

The elders who had frowned at the start of her little speech soon turned back to smiles, "That is good to hear, though I do regret that this place still holds pain for you Tsunade-sama." Koharu said, "Now to get started we are planning on having your announcement and coronation for the position of Hokage later tomorrow, that way you will have time to re-familiarize yourself with the village since much has changed in the time you have been gone."

Naruto stopped the sigh that threatened to escape him as the elders got on with their boring speech about who knows what. He briefly wondered why he was still here. It was not like they needed him or anything. His mission was done, and really he just wanted to sleep.

"Hey baa-chan, you don't need me for this part do you?" asked Naruto, getting the attention of everyone in the room. The reactions he received from the elders were somewhat amusing. Homura's jaw had unhinged itself for all of two seconds before he glared at the blond haired boy. Koharu was similar her reaction, only it was much more pronounced as the sagging skin of her jaw quivered.

Tsunade noticing the reactions of the two elders sighed, "Go on brat, get some rest."

"Thanks Baa-chan, I'll see you and Ero-sennin later. After I get in a good sleep on my crappy mattress," Naruto took off, leaving the room behind.

As Naruto began walking out of the Hokage Tower he came upon an interesting scene.

"Konohamaru get out of there now!"

Two Chunin, by the looks of their flak jackets were pounding on the door to the Hokage's office. Standing beside them were Moegi and Udon who were looking rather worried. The two Chunin who were continuing to pound on the door and demanding Konohamaru to come out were answered by several pepper spray pellets hitting them on the head and caused their eyes to tear.

"What's the problem here?"

Moegi and Udon both turned to see Naruto, "Boss!"

Moegi ran up to Naruto as he walked over to them, "Boss! Konohamaru-kun has locked himself inside of the office! He refuses to come out!"

"Oh does, does he?" asked Naruto as he walked up to the door and the two Chunin who were still hacking and wheezing, "You two may want to stand back."

Naruto did not wait for an answer as he ran up and heel kicked the door, smashing it in and sending it flying to the far side of the wall. Several blunt kunai and smoke pellets were launched at the blond, but Naruto released a blast of wind and sent them also flying to the far wall.

Naruto strode into the room and quickly picked up Konohamaru by his scarf, bringing him out kicking and screaming.

"Hey! Let me go! Let me go! I don't wanna leave!"

"Shut up ya gaki," Naruto conked him on the head before disappearing within a Shunshin.

The pair reappeared on top of the Hokage Monument and Naruto set Konohamaru down before sitting down himself. The blond looked amused as Konohamaru pouted and looked away from him, "You know if you're gonna act like some spoiled gaki then this is gonna be a lot harder."

When Konohamaru remained silent Naruto sighed, "So what's your problem kid?"

"Nothing…" Konohamaru mumbled out.

"Don't give me that. Either you tell me what's wrong or I'll be sure to hang you on the flag post outside the Hokage's Tower in nothing but your underwear." Konohamaru paled at the thought of that, and he knew from experience that when Naruto said he would do something that it was not just some idle threat.

Sighing Konohamaru looked out over the village and tears began to leak from his eyes, "My Ojisan died Boss, he died to protect this village. But everyone's already moving on with their lives. It's like my Ojisan didn't even exist! They're just forgetting about him! Moving on, we even have a new Hokage! But I don't want to move on! I don't want to forget about my Ojisan boss! I can't!"

Naruto ran a hand through his hair at the kid's near hysterical voice; a part of him could not help but wonder if he was that stupid and naïve as a child.

**'****Do you want me to answer that?'** Came the sly voice of the vixen in his mind.

_'__No thanks, I can do without having my awesome child hood image of myself destroyed.'_

Naruto place a hand on the younger kids shoulders, "Listen Ko, no one has forgotten Hokage-Ojisan. You're forgetting that he ruled this place for many years. In fact he has the longest reign in the entire history of Konoha. He has done so many things for this village that it will be impossible for others to simply forget him. When someone touches as many lives as he did, people don't just forget about it when that person is no longer around; even with him gone his memory will always remain in the hearts of those who live here."

"Really?" Konohamaru sniffled a little bit.

Naruto smiled at the kid, "Of course!" His smile turned a little wistful. "And you know what…I think Ojisan was happy with the way he died." Naruto looked at the little boy who had shock on his features, "Ojisan was getting up there in his years. I never wanted to admit it to myself since I always saw him as this eternal pillar of strength. But you know, there were times when I was in his office and I caught sight of just how truly tired he looked. We normally don't see it but he was getting weary. He held the title of Hokage for somewhere upwards of fifty years and he kept this place strong through the Second and Third Shinobi War, while fighting in another one. I get the feeling he was getting tired of it and wanted to pass on the torch of Hokage to someone else."

"But how could that have anything to do with him liking the way he died!" Konohamaru shouted as he stood up. "My Ojisan was murdered!"

"He died protecting the village Ko," Naruto said in a rare and quiet voice. "He died protecting the people of this village and battling against an enemy ninja. He died like a Hokage, nobly sacrificing his life to protect this place even though he was getting on in his years. Can you think of a better way to go?"

Konohamaru looked at Naruto for several minutes before he sighed and slumped down next to the blond, "Well when put it like that…that's pretty deep boss."

Naruto grinned as he threw an arm around Konohamaru's shoulder, "Ko, you'll find that when you get to be as awesome as I am, deep shit like this just rolls off the tongue. Now, are you gonna mope and bitch like Sasuke-teme anymore?"

"I wasn't that bad was I, Boss?" Naruto laughed at Konohamaru's petrified voice.

"Ko you were so bad that if you hadn't been hiding in the Hokage's office while you decided to brood the teme's fan girls would have probably thought you were him. Now," Naruto stood up and gave Konohamaru a pat on the shoulder and sent the kid on his way.

Naruto was just about to leave when a new voice spoke up.

"You know that was quite the speech you gave the young boy, very moving if I do say so myself."

Turning around Naruto found himself staring at an old man who looked to be around Sarutobi's age. He was wearing a white robe with bandages wrapped around his left eye and right arm. He walked with a cane held in the other arm. He had several scars on his face which had a crop of messy brown hair.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man as he analyzed him. _I didn't even sense his approach until he was right on top of me. That kind of skill is above most Jonin now a days._ It was the one thing he had always been good at it was stealth and detection. That this man could get so close to him and not be found until he revealed himself meant he was good.

However Naruto did not sense any hostile intent and so he gave the man a grin, "Well thanks but it was nothing really. I just happen to be totally cool and amazing at this kind of thing."

"Indeed," The man seemed amused but Naruto could not really tell. The blond watched as the bandaged man walked up to him and looked out at the village. "Tell me boy, did you mean those words back there?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You know, if you're going to talk to me the least you could do is give me your name…"

"Ah, my apologies Uzumaki-san, my name is Danzo," The now named man looked towards him.

"Well it seems you already know my name," Naruto looked at him and decided that since he had no hostile intent he could sit back down. "Since you were up here spying on me I take it you wanted to talk."

"You are quite perceptive." Danzo looked at the boy, "It seems your academy records are greatly biased towards you."

"No no those were actually pretty accurate, I was an idiot back then." Naruto grinned, "Amazing what six months of actual training can do."

If Danzo was surprised by that information though he did not show it, "I was wondering if you would be interested in helping me to protect this beautiful village. I have a need of strong individuals who are willing to do what is necessary to get the things that need to be done, done."

Naruto stared long and hard at the man before speaking, "From the sounds of your speech it sounds like you're offering me a part in a branch of a military, your military. And if you're asking me when I'm alone like this then that means you do not have the Hokage's approval. I've read about you in some of the history books I've read." He took a moment to shudder, even if it was his clones doing it the memories were still torture. "You are Shimura Danzo, former commander of Root, a branch that was separate from the standard military and did not answer to the Hokage, though Root was 'supposed' to be disbanded a long time ago."

Danzo's one eye narrowed just a bit, "I see you're able to come up with a few sound theories when only given a few facts."

Naruto shrugged, "It's a skill. I'll tell you right now that I have no interest in joining your forces. However I won't tell the Hokage about them either, since I can tell that you are at least sincere in your desire to protect Konoha. I would however, suggest being more careful with whom you try to recruit next time."

With those parting words Naruto left within a Shunshin.

"Hmmm…Uzumaki Naruto, you are a most interesting character. I will look forward to seeing what you do in the future."

* * *

Naruto sighed as he finally got into his room. He would not admit it to anyone who asked but he was tired. The mission to find Tsunade had been like all the other missions he had been on, more trouble than it was really worth.

Not particularly caring enough to actually get undressed the blond shinobi simply flopped down on his bed where he decided to sleep for at least sixteen hours and spend time with Kyuubi in his mindscape.

* * *

(Sixteen something hours later…)

Naruto groaned as he heard a knock on his door, though it was more like a loud banging then anything. Grunting Naruto got up and made his way out of his room and over to the door. When he opened it, it was to find one Higarashi Tenten staring him down with an intense glare.

"Erm…hey Ten-chan, can I help you?"

Tenten's mouth became a thin line, "You left, you left without saying goodbye."

Naruto took a small step back as Tenten took one forward. _Oh great, not again! What is it with this girl and getting angry at me?_ "Well I-"

Tenten did not seem interested in listening to what he had to say as she stomped into the room and began making him back up, "Not only did you leave but you left on a mission to find Tsunade-sama and you didn't even tell me!"

_Uh oh._ Naruto knew he was in deep shit now, "Well just to be square, I didn't even know I was going to be looking for her until like, two days into the mission."

"That's not the point!" Tenten poked him in the chest, making him take a step back. Unfortunately, his couch was right behind him so when he tried to take a step back he ended up falling backwards onto the couch. Now that it seemed to stop the bun haired girl in her tirade as she moved around the couch to glare at him upside down, which was actually kind of comical, "Give me one good reason I shouldn't turn you into a pin cushion!"

"Uh…because now you get to see your idol every day?" Naruto spoke in a questioning tone.

Tenten looked at him for several long minutes before sighing, "Honestly Naruto-kun, what am I going to do with you?"

Realizing the danger had passed for the most part Naruto sat up right on his couch, "I'm not sure what you're implying Ten-chan."

"No of course not," Tenten chuckled a bit before sitting on the couch. Before he knew what was happening the bun haired girl was right next to him with stars in her eyes. "So what's Tsunade-sama like? I bet it was so incredible being with such a powerful and strong kunoichi. Did you get see her do anything amazing? Do you think you can introduce us?"

"Uh…" Naruto leaned slightly back as Tenten continued to pound him with questions that he had no answer too, mainly because she was asking them so quickly he could barely keep up.

"Ten-chan you need to slow down!" Naruto tried to get her to stop talking, "You're talking too fast."

Tenten realized what she was doing and blushed, "Sorry Naruto-kun, I'm just so excited that Tsunade-sama is here."

_She won't be excited once she learns that baa-chan is nothing but an old drunk,_ Naruto decided to keep that thought to himself so as not to ruin the poor girl's pre-concept notions of her hero.

"Well how about later I introduce you to her," The moment Naruto said that he instantly regretted it as Tenten got hearts in her eyes.

"You would do that for me? Really? Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Tenten latched onto Naruto's neck and began to squeeze the blond-haired boy, who soon enough began turning blue.

"Oh thank you so much Naruto-kun, you have no idea how much this means to me, I…Naruto-kun?" Tenten looked at her blond-haired companion to see him passed out with a blue face and swirls in his eyes. "Naruto-kun!"

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she sat at her desk and rifled through some papers. There was so much for her to do. She had to deal with the estimated casualty ratings, damage reports, re-familiarizing herself with the shinobi of the village and set the village budget as well as relegate missions for the ninja. That's not even going into all the meetings she had to go to since they still needed to deal with the Suna situation.

As she was leafing through the piles of paper work her eyes landed on the recommendation sheet for the Chunin Exams. Picking it up her eyes scanned it and she felt herself smirk.

She signaled for her ANBU, making a man wearing a bear mask appear before her, "Get me Uzumaki Naruto!"

* * *

"Man I can't believe you got to see a battle with all three of the Sannin!" Tenten whined, "I swear Naruto-kun, you're so lucky."

Naruto chuckled a bit, "Believe me, there is nothing lucky about the shit I get into."

After Naruto had woken up from the death grip Tenten had placed on him the pair had gone out to get some ramen. Having paced himself this time Naruto was only on his fourteenth bowl while Tenten was finishing up her first. As they ate he had told her all about his mission to bring Tsunade back. Well, not everything. He neglected to tell her key parts, like him getting stabbed twice and some other things that he felt would destroy the girl's image of Tsunade.

"I don't know how you can say that. I mean you got to meet the Sannin, you're being trained by a Sannin and you always seem to go on so many adventures," Tenten concluded.

"Yeah, and I usually end up getting my ass kicked by people who are ridiculously stronger than me." Naruto shook his head, "It's nowhere near the adventure you think it is."

Tenten pouted at that and was about to say something when a masked ANBU appeared within a Shunshin right next to them.

"Uzumaki-san, Tsunade-sama would like to see you."

Naruto looked at the bear-masked ANBU and sighed, "Alright, tell her I'll be there shortly."

The ANBU nodded and disappeared. Naruto turned to Tenten, "Looks like I'm gonna have to cut this short, I'll see you later okay Ten-chan?"

Tenten gave soft, depressed sigh. She had been hoping to spend a little more time with Naruto, "Yeah I'll see you later."

Naruto placed a hand over hers and gave it a soft squeeze before disappearing in a Shunshin.

* * *

"You called baa-chan?"

Tsunade turned her head and gave Naruto a disgruntled look as she saw him crouched on the window sill, "Gaki, haven't you ever heard of a door?"

Naruto snorted as he stepped into the office, "Doors are for losers baa-chan." He sat down in front of Tsunade's desk and gave her a grin, "So what did you need to see me for?"

Tsunade looked at him and grinned as she tossed him a scroll, "I wanted to see you to congratulate you on your promotion gaki."

Naruto unsealed the contents of his scroll and grinned as he saw the green Chunin flak jacket, "Awesome! I knew they would have to promote me after I kicked ass in the Chunin Exams!" Naruto resealed the jacket since he did not really feel like wearing something so bulky. "So does that mean I'm going to be getting better missions than those D-rank terrors?"

Tsunade smirked, "Of course, with the village in the situation it's in we need all the help we can get. As a Chunin you'll be instructed to go on higher ranked missions with other Chunins and Jonins. You will also be called upon to lead Genin on some missions since most of their Jonin-senseis are being assigned to tougher missions."

Naruto nodded before frowning, "What about Team Seven?" He was not really sure whether he really liked being on that team or not. Kakashi was nice enough, and occasionally the other two were, but they never really had any serious team dynamics.

"You'll still go on occasional missions with them too. But because you're a Chunin you will only be with them when I assign a higher ranked mission," Naruto nodded at the woman's answer.

"Makes since, is that all you need me for?"

Tsunade nodded, "Yep that's all gaki. Come back in a day or two and I'll have a mission for you."

Naruto stood and jumped back onto the window sill, "I'll see you later baa-chan!" He jumped out just as she threw a paperweight at his head, laughing as he landed on a roof below.

"Damn gaki," Tsunade grumbled under breath.

* * *

Naruto soon found himself in the Forest of Death, having decided that since he had gotten his sixteen hour sleep it would be a good idea to start training. As he walked into his usual clearing the blonde's senses went on high alert, forcing him to jump out of the way as several snakes came at him.

"Kitsune-bi!" Naruto opened his mouth as he channeled his youki into a single point there. The swirling purple energy could be seen as a condensed ball in his mouth, right before it burst into a light blue flame and shot out, destroying the snakes before they could do anything else.

While he had been launching his attack, the blond had followed the snakes' trail to see where they had been. He created his youki whip and sent the purple string of energy up into the tree branches where the leaves were thickest. This had the inherent effect of making Anko, who had been watching him almost as soon as he entered the forest, jump out and land on the ground some distance away.

Said woman launched several kunai almost as soon as she hit the ground, began going through a set of hand seals and calling out a jutsu, "Kunai Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"

The kunai multiplied into several dozen, all of them heading towards Naruto. However, the blond was not deterred in the least as he unsealed his bo staff and began spinning it in an ever increasingly complex pattern. As he continued he charged wind chakra through the staff and unleashed a blast of wind with every movement he made. Unlike a sword, where this would have made a cutting motion due to a blade's sharp edge, the staff created gusts of wind that knocked the kunai off course.

When all of the kunai had been cleared Naruto resealed his staff and launched a kunai of his own from the gauntlet on his wrist. At the same time he made several one handed seals that caused the kunai he sent to multiply into ten. Naruto smirked when he noticed the slight widening of Anko's eyes, signifying her surprise at his ability to do a technique without saying the name. It didn't last long however, as two kunai slid into the snake mistress's hand and she began deflecting and dodging the projectiles.

While she was doing that Naruto was running in close and by the time she had finished dodging had his two hands linked together by their thumbs and thrust them out, "Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!"

The air shimmered as the wind in the shape of Naruto's fist hit Anko and sent her flying into a tree, where the force of her impact created a large crater.

Naruto was not surprised when Anko turned into mud. Nor was he surprised when several snakes shot out from some bushes a dozen feet away and latched onto him. A second later they sunk their fangs into him and Naruto exploded.

"You know that was pretty close."

Anko's eyes widened as she heard Naruto's voice behind and jumped away just in time to dodge his next strike. Using one hand as a springboard she flipped herself up and spun in midair, tossing a kunai at the blond who merely caught in between his fingers.

Landing back on the ground she eyed the blond a moment before favoring him with a smirk, "You know you've gotten pretty good. Six months ago had this fought like this it would have been over almost before it began."

"What can I say," Naruto grinned as he rolled the kunai in his hands between his fingers. "I had an amazing teacher; a crazy, sadistic, psychotic bitch, but an amazing one." He sent the kunai flying back at Anko, who caught it in her hand and returned it to him at an increased speed.

"You say such kind things about me gaki," Naruto grinned as he sent a kunai from his launcher to intercept Anko's.

"You know you love it."

Anko stuck her tongue out before thrusting out her hands, "Sen'eijashu!"

Several more snakes were launched out. However, Naruto had come to expect that and had unsealed his katana and ran straight at the snakes. He sliced right through them before continuing on to Anko who grinned and let two kunai fall into her hands as she met his charge head on.

She blocked the first strike with her left kunai, and then sent out her right hand in a slash that would slit Naruto's throat. However, the blond was quick enough to disengage his blade with Anko's and intercepted the attack. Using his strength Naruto pushed her back and then spun around, swinging his blade in a horizontal slash at waist height. Rather than block the slash, which she knew would send her off balance due to the blonde's increased strength, jumped back and let the blade pass through the spot she had been.

The battle paused and the two eyed each other wearily, before on some unspoken signal they charged again. Naruto came in with an overhand swing that Anko blocked with one kunai, grunting as she felt her knees buckle behind his strength, but she stayed strong as she lashed out at him with her other kunai. Naruto jumped over her attack, flipping himself around in midair and aimed a slash at Anko's head. The purplette seemed to have plans other than getting her cranium split down the center however, as she ducked under the slash and rolled forward.

She came up on her feet and spun around just in time to block the attack that came at her, but was forced to channel chakra to her feet to keep from sliding back. They clashed again, Anko's two kunai meeting Naruto's katana as they attempted to push each other back. However, Anko seemed to have planned this as she suddenly took away her blades, letting Naruto fall off balance as she lashed out with a kick, taking his legs out from under him.

Naruto hit the ground with a 'oomph', landing on his back before he was forced to roll out of the way when Anko tried to stomp a mud hole in his stomach. He pushed himself into a series of flips as he tried to gain some distance. As soon as he landed on his feet he was forced to dodge several kunai as Anko began charging him, launching them as she closed the distance.

Naruto resealed his katana as he inhaled a deep breath, "Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

He blew out a huge gust of wind, forcing Anko to stop and ground herself with chakra, lest she get blown away. When the attack ended it was for Anko to see Naruto already next to her, and it was only instincts that saved her from getting hit.

As Naruto's fist came in Anko swerved her body just ever so slightly to the side, letting it pass by as she used her left hand to swat it away. This had the benefit of knocking Naruto off balance and letting her take a shot at his throat. Thankfully Naruto was able to see the attack coming and was saved by creating a Kage Bunshin without hand seals before Kawirimi'ing with it.

"Heh, you really have gotten better gaki. That last attack would have gotten anyone below Nai-chan's level," Anko smirked when she saw a grinning Naruto come out of a bush to her right.

"As I said, I had a good teacher." Naruto walked up to her, "So any reason you attacked me, other than to greet your favorite gaki?"

"I heard you went on a mission with a certain white haired pervert to find Tsunade-sama," Naruto chuckled a bit, knowing she was looking for details.

"I did, it was pretty interesting to say the least. If you want I'll tell you more about it over some dango and sake. Just let me make some Kage Bunshin to do some training."

* * *

Anko grinned, "Alright gaki, and since we're going to have sake maybe we can see how well you can hold your liquor."

Naruto grinned as he downed another shot of sake. He looked over at his drinking partner in amusement, "Had enough Anko?"

Anko tried to glare at him, but considering she was seeing quadruplets, she was not quite sure which one to glare at. Yet even drunk she could see that infernal smirk on his face, after all it was magnified by four, "Ho- how come your not…wasted…you should be a lightweight!"

Thanks to Kyuubi and his own demonic properties Naruto was not even sure he could get drunk. Not that he was going to tell her that, she might accuse him of cheating, "This just goes to show you how incredible I am. I'm talented at anything I set my mind to and that includes drinking you under the table."

"Oh yeah!" Anko growled out before downing another shot. Naruto merely smirked as he followed suit.

Twenty minutes and kami only knows how many shots later Naruto was laughing his ass off while Anko was passed out on the table, snoring lightly while a small amount of drool escaped her mouth. Naruto stood up and picked up Anko, being mindful not to get her drool on his shirt. Walking over to the bar he got the attention of the owner who worked there, a man named Kenshin, who after having Naruto come in with Anko regularly for the past few months no longer held any animosity towards the blond.

He looked at the passed out woman in Naruto's arms and smirked, "Something I can help you with?"

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, put our night on her tab." He gestured to the snoring Anko.

Kenshin chuckled, "You know she's gonna kill you right?"

"Meh, I can deal with it," Naruto shrugged.

"Well alright, if you're sure," Kenshin said before handing him Anko's bill.

Naruto held it between his fingers and grinned as he disappeared within a Shunshin.

* * *

Omake: Payback's a bitch

"Ooooh my fucking head."

Anko woke up with a groan as she held onto her head, trying to get the damned thing to stop pounding. Blearily she opened her eyes to find that she was in her apartment.

"What the hell?" She didn't remember coming here. The last thing she remembered was…

"That damn gaki. Who the hell drinks like that their first time?" Anko muttered as she got out of bed. Ignoring the sense of vertigo she felt for a moment the purple haired woman stumbled her way out of her room and into her kitchen. She was about to search the pantries for her hangover cure when she caught sight of it lying on the table.

Frowning since she did not remember putting it there Anko picked up, looking at it before she shrugged and went over to get a glass of water to take the pills. As she finished taking the pills Anko set the glass of water down on the table, the effects of the hangover cure already working. She was just about to up and leave when she noticed the sheet of paper that had been lying under the pills.

She picked it up and felt her eyes widen as she read it. Crumpling the piece of paper she growled.

"NARUTOOOOO!"

Somewhere across Konoha, Naruto, who had been about to start his day smirked as he heard the shout ring across Konoha. "That will teach her to mess with me…corrupt my mind with a sense of perverseness and not get away with it, ha I think not." He had planned for this day ever since Anko had corrupted his mind with her perverted books.

Grinning he made his way to a training ground further away from the Forest of Death, knowing he would have to avoid that place today. "Maybe I should go train with Ten-chan and her team?"

* * *

**Here we are, let me know your thoughts.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thank you everyone for continuing to read and review my story, I appreciate the comments, especially the ones that make my head so full of hot air that I could probably power an entire city with it.**

**Another thanks goes to Senjuto for helping me by betaing my stories.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: does anyone else who writes fan fiction ever get tired of doing these disclaimers, if you do please raise your hand. By the way, I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 32: Suna Siblings**

* * *

It was early in the morning and Naruto was grinning to himself as he threw aside the curtain to his favorite ramen stand. Taking a seat at his stool his grin widened as the heavenly aroma of ramen hit his nose. "Oi! Teuchi-ojisan! I'm ready to get my fill and make up for lost time!"

Both Teuchi and Ayame came out from the back and one grinned while the other smiled, "Well look who came back from the dead. You know we haven't seen you for a while. We were wondering where our favorite customer went."

"Yeah, Ero-sennin had me tag along while he went to go bring back Tsunade-baa-chan, remember?" The blond clapped his hands together, "Now I believe I'll start off with four bowls of Miso, two bowls of beef, one bowl of shrimp and…oh what the hell, two bowls of vegetable!"

"Comin' right up!" Teuchi grinned as he went to make the ramen. Meanwhile Ayame leaned over the counter and propped her face on the butt of her hands, giving the boy who she had known since he was six a grin.

"So anything new happening Naruto-kun?"

Naruto clicked his tongue for a moment in thought, "Not too much…oh! I did get promoted to Chunin yesterday!"

"Chunin huh?" Ayame turned her head to look at her dad, "You hear that tou-san! Looks like our little Naruto just got promoted to Chunin!"

"I guess that means the first one will be on the house then!" Teuchi shouted back as he came in with a bowl of steaming ramen, "Here ya go kid!"

"Oh hell yeah!" Naruto grabbed onto a pair of chopsticks and with a shout of 'Itadakimasu' dug in.

"So what do you think you're going to be doing now that you're a Chunin?"

Naruto looked up at Ayame as he finished devouring his first bowl of noodles, causing the ramen waitress to giggle as she saw a few noodles hanging out of his mouth. He slurped them up before giving her a grin, "Well I won't really be a part of Team Seven anymore. Tsunade-baa-chan told me that she's going to have me gain more experience by moving around teams, sometimes I'll be with Jonin and other Chunin and other times she's going to have me leading squads of Genin."

"Does it bother you that you won't be with that Sakura girl anymore," Truth be told, Ayame never liked Sakura because of the way she treated Naruto.

"Not really." Naruto shrugged, "I got over her a long time ago, well, a few months ago. In any case there are girls a lot better than Sakura out there."

"You mean like that blond Kumo kunoichi who came here a few times," Ayame grinned a bit, amused to see Naruto blush. "She came here quite often you know, asking questions about what kind of person you were and what kinds of ramen you liked."

"Yeah I kinda figured you two were the ones who gave her that information," They were really the only ones who knew anything solid about him besides Sarutobi, who was dead, and maybe Anko and Tenten.

"Then there's also that girl with the buns, Tenten I think her name was right? You hang out around here with her quite a bit."

"That's true. But I don't think I'm in a relationship with either of them," Naruto got his blush under control quicker than normal. "Though I won't deny both of them are really cool to hang with."

_Not to mention both are hot,_ He thought to himself, not sure whether saying that out loud in front of a girl was a good idea, after all so far most of the females he knew exploded over the simplest things.

**'****You just don't know when to keep your mouth shut is all,'** Kyuubi's voice came up after hearing his thoughts.

_'__Hey! I'll have you know I've gotten a lot better at that!'_

**'****Oh really?' **Kyuubi grinned as she combed her tails.

_'__Of course! I haven't said anything to upset anyone in the past week!'_

**'****What about Anko?'**

Naruto shivered as he remembered how angry she was with his prank, _'That was different, she deserved it. And I knew what I was doing.'_

**'****Yeah until her snakes tried to turn your balls blue.'**

Naruto couldn't keep the scowl off his face, he could feel Kyuubi's smug grin as he cut the connection.

"Are you okay Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked up to see Ayame looking at him with some concern. He gave her a reassuring grin, "Of course I am Ayame-nee-chan! Now time to tackle that ramen!"

Ayame giggled a bit as Naruto began destroying the next poor bowl of ramen that was set in front of him.

* * *

"Good morning Baa-chan!" Naruto ducked under the customary paperweight that was thrown at his head as he hopped off the window sill.

"Disrespectful gaki…" Tsunade muttered with narrowed eyes, "What do you want, can't you see I'm busy?"

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, because sitting here drinking sake is really hard work right?"

Tsunade gawked at him, "How did you…" She flushed as she saw him tap his nose and remembered he could likely smell the sake on her from a mile away. "Right well, what are you here for?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak before he saw something that made him frown, "Baa-chan, did you know all the piles of your paperwork are in the wrong stacks."

"Huh?" Tsunade stared at him blankly, "What the hell are you talking about brat?"

Sighing Naruto created a Kage Bunshin that began rearranging the stacks of paperwork on her desk, "You've mixed up the stacks for mission scrolls and all the paperwork is in the wrong order. The first one on the left is where all papers on internal issues within Konoha go, the next one is for external issues like alliances and the third one is anything that the council gives you."

Tsunade blinked in a dumb manner as she watched the younger blonde's clone organizing her papers, "How do you know all of that gaki?"

Naruto shrugged, "I would often spend several hours a day here when I was younger, hanging out with Ojisan. When I had started announcing that it was my dream to be Hokage he let me help him file papers and what not. I was even allowed to pick out missions for teams on occasion."

"Right…" Tsunade watched the clone finish its work and go up in a puff of smoke, "So what can I do for you?"

"I was actually hoping to get a mission from you."

"You're very fortunate then," Tsunade smirked. "We have a surplus of missions available due to the state of our village after the invasion. Hold on a sec while I find you a suitable one."

Naruto watched as Tsunade rummaged through a few piles before finding one she seemed to like and tossed it to him, "You are the escort the Kazekage's children back to Suna and give the Sunagakure council the new terms for our alliance. You will be staying there until they sign the terms before returning. Any questions?"

"Nope, I think I'm good. So where do I meet them?" Naruto pocketed the scroll.

"We've actually given them a hotel room until I could find someone to be their escort," Tsunade wrote the directions on a sheet of paper and handed it to the blond. "Make sure you're all packed and ready to go, I want you to head out within the next hour."

Naruto gave Tsunade a two fingered salute, "I'll get right on that…by the way, Kage Bunshins really help take the work load off of paperwork."

Naruto left after that, letting his last sentence sink in. When it did Tsunade grinned, "I think I love that gaki."

She created a Kage Bunshin and had it start working on her paperwork. Meanwhile she grabbed a hidden bottle of sake and went over to the couch.

* * *

Temari flipped another page of the magazine she was reading as she sat on the couch. It had been about a week since she and her brothers were let out of jail and given a place to stay until they could be sent back to Suna. And in all honesty, she could not complain about being forced to stay there.

In the time they had been here she had finally managed to get closer to Gaara. After her and Kankurou's little brother had apologized she had been able to talk to him a lot more. Not that he really said anything, but he no longer threatened to kill her when she was near and listened as she talked. She was still a little wary of him, but her joy at finally having her youngest brother coming around overrode any fear she had from his previous psychotic disposition.

A knock at the door interrupted her reading and she looked over at her brothers. Kankurou was sitting on a chair a little ways away, tinkering with Karasu after he had been allowed to have it back. Gaara was sitting on the couch next to her, watching some kind of anime on the TV.

"Who's gonna get that?"

Kankurou grunted as he looked up, "Not me."

"I'll get it," Gaara stood up and made his way over to the door. He opened it up and blinked when he saw who it was, "Can I help you Uzumaki?"

The other snapped their heads over when they heard the name, remembering it from the Chunin exams.

Naruto grinned as he looked at Gaara, "How have you been Gaara?"

Gaara raised an eyebrow, the only sign of being surprised by the blonde's friendly disposition, "I have been fine Uzumaki…" he paused before remembering that it was polite to ask how someone was doing in return. "And how are you?"

"Oh you know same old same old. I can't really complain." Naruto looked over at the other two. "I'm actually here because baa-chan's given me the mission to escort you back to Suna."

"Really?" Temari asked as she walked towards the pair, "I'm surprised it took so long for her to send us back. She's been here for a week."

Naruto shrugged, "I guess she was busy doing other things, though I didn't really ask her. Anyways, how long will it be before you guys can get ready?"

"It should only take a few minutes," Temari said. Naruto nodded as Kankurou and Temari grabbed their scrolls and other equipment before he led them outside.

As he and the now former Kazekage's children made their way to the west gate the two gatekeepers, who Naruto noticed were the two who had henge'd themselves into younger versions of themselves during the Chunin exams, grinned. Walking up to them Naruto revealed his missions scroll to the pair, "Chunin Uzumaki Naruto with a mission to escort the Sabaku siblings back to Sunagakure."

Kamizuki Izumo, a man wearing standard Chunin garb, had brown hair with one bang hanging over his face and a bandana style head band, nodded as he marked the group down on the ledger he had next to him. Meanwhile Hagane Kotetsu, who was also wearing the Chunin get up but had spiky black hair, a goatee and a bandage over his nose grinned, "Well if it isn't the kid who almost cleaned out the entire Chunin Exams! How've yeah been?"

"And you're the pair who had used those poorly disguised Henges at the beginning of the exam to bar entrance to those who couldn't see past a genjutsu." Naruto grinned as the two looked a bit sheepish, "I've been good. Now that I've got my week long break over with from my mission with Ero-sennin I decided to get my groove back on."

"Ero-sennin?" Kotetsu questioned as he handed the missions scroll back.

"Yeah, you know Jiraiya. Big man, white hair, kabuki clothes, carries a large scroll around on his back." Naruto shrugged, "Ero-sennin."

The two gate guards looked at each other before shaking their heads, "Kid you must have balls of steel to be calling one of our most powerful ninja by such a name."

"Oh come on! The guy's a self-proclaimed 'super pervert' so of course he's going to get a name that's appropriate for him. Just like Tsunade's an old woman who hides behind a henge, therefore, her name is baa-chan."

The gate guards plus the Kazekage's children behind Naruto minus Gaara, sweatdropped at hearing the blond call two of the most powerful ninja Konoha had ever produced by such derogatory names. "I take that back kid, your balls must be made out of some kind of titanium to be saying stuff like that," Kotetsu shook his head. "Man if Tsunade-sama heard you call her by that."

"Who's to say she hasn't," Naruto grinned before leaving with the Sabaku siblings.

As the group walked away the two Chunin watched the blond go. Izumo shook his head before chuckling, "Well with his reputation I suppose we shouldn't have expected anything less."

Kotetsu nodded as he grinned, "And now that we've seen what he's made of I have no doubt the kid will go far."

* * *

As the group hopped through the trees, Naruto remembered his first escort mission to Nami No Kuni and had to thank Kami that the people he was escorting were ninja and could move quickly. However, that still did not keep Naruto from feeling bored as they traveled on in silence. And so, being who he was the blond decided to make conversation with the group, "So how have you guys been since the invasion? Konoha didn't treat you too roughly I hope."

"We wouldn't have had to be treated at all if it wasn't for you," Naruto heard Kankurou's mumble and turned to him with a grin.

"Actually, you guys can thank Yugi-chan for knocking you out. All I did was keep your attention on me," Naruto shrugged. "Besides that, had you guys not actually tried to fight me and just taken Gaara and left I doubt it would have happened."

"Yugi-chan?" Kankurou blinked as he tried to place the name to a face. "Wasn't she that hot blond Kumo chick who beat you in the finals?"

Naruto nodded, "Yep! I'm surprised you remembered."

Kankuro gave a lecherous grin, "Who could forget a fine piece of ass like that! Ow!" The Puppet user rubbed the back of his head and glared at Temari who had hit him with her fan.

"I suggest you stop making perverted comments around me Kankurou," Temari threatened as she held up her fan. "Unless you want to learn just how painful it is to sit with a metal fan shoved up your ass!"

Naruto chuckled a bit before getting a curious look on his face, "So how far is Suna you guys?"

Temari looked at him as she moved alongside to speak better, "If we keep going at this speed it's about three days away. Have you never been this far out of here?"

Naruto shook his head, "No. In fact I've only been out of the village twice now. Once when I went on a C-rank escort mission to Nami No Kuni, and recently when I had to bring Tsunade-baa-chan back so she could be Hokage."

"I can't believe you would actually call the strongest kunoichi in the Elemental Nations something like that," Temari shook her head.

Naruto grinned at her, "As I said to the gatekeepers, I call 'em as I see 'em."

As the day continued Naruto kept up a steady stream of conversation, mostly with Kankurou and Temari since Gaara was not very talkative though he did make the occasional comment. As nightfall came Naruto had the group stop and set up camp. He sent a clone out to get some firewood and catch some food.

While everyone ate Naruto noticed Gaara was looking at him. Turning to the red head Naruto decided to see what he wanted, "Something on your mind Gaara?"

Gaara looked at him for a moment as if debating what to ask him, "I was just wondering, what was your life like in Konoha?"

"You mean was it similar to yours?" Naruto asked as he took a bight out of his fish.

Gaara nodded and Naruto leaned back a bit in thought, "Well I don't know how bad you had it. But my life up until I made Genin was pretty desolate. I never had anyone to hang out with or talk to. All the adults hated me, and that hate was passed onto their children. I remember being kicked out of shops, or being overpriced for basics goods like food, not to mention most of the food had been rotten by several months. Most of the adults would glare at me as I passed them on the streets. In the academy, most of the instructors did their best to ignore me, never answering any of the questions I had, berating me when I got something wrong. If it wasn't for the Hokage and a few others who saw me for me, I probably would have ended up like you had."

Gaara nodded while the other two siblings stared at each other before Temari looked at the two, "What are you guys talking about?"

"He's like me," Gaara said, as if that explained it all.

"Like you…?" Temari looked over at Naruto. "Wait! You mean you're a Jicnhuuriki?"

Naruto looked at the blond for a moment before deciding to answer, "I guess since Gaara's one too I can tell you. Though I would appreciate it if you didn't inform anyone else, this is an S-class secret after all. Yes, I am a Jinchuuriki like Gaara."

"Which one do you hold?" asked Gaara.

Naruto gave the red head a grin, "Oh me. I hold Kyuu-chan."

"Kyuu-chan?" Kankurou questioned with wide eyes. "Are you telling us that Kyuubi, _the_ Kyuubi is a girl!"

Naruto nodded while Kankurou looked bug-eyed, Temari looked shocked before looking smug, and Gaara just looked confused, "I didn't know Bijuu had genders…"

Naruto looked over at Gaara. "From what I understand they don't. Kyuubi is special I guess you could say in that she somehow gained a human form, which just happened to be female. I'm still waiting to hear the story on that one."

**'****All in due time Naruto-kun,'** Kyuubi smiled within her seal as she re-read Icha Icha tactics, not like she had anything better to do at the moment. **'You still have to earn find some way to earn my respect before I give up more information.'**

_'__That's not fair Kyuu-chan!'_ Naruto felt like whining.

Kyuubi rolled her eyes, **'Tough.'**

Naruto sighed as he looked at the three Sabaku Siblings, "Yeah, she refuses to tell me anything about herself unless I find some way to earn enough of her respect that she'll give me the information."

Gaara looked at the blond in confusion, though it was hard to tell with his blank face. Naruto mused that the redhead would be a great gambler with that poker face, "So you get along with your Bijuu?"

"Of course; though I only actually met her recently, like a little less than two months ago. And even then it wasn't until a little over a week ago that we really started to get along," Naruto wondered how much time had passed since he had his beef with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, so much had happened since then. "Though, I suspect you can imagine my surprise when I wake up and see a hot vixen with two fox ears looking at me."

Kankuro looked at Naruto with an odd expression, "You mean to tell me that not only is the Kyuubi a chick, but she's a 'hot' chick?"

Naruto grinned, "Amazingly hot, the tails and ears just add an exotic quality to her."

**'****Now who's laying it on thick?'**

_'__What? I just decided to try my hand at my newfound ability to charm women.'_

**'****Nice try,' **Kyuubi responded dryly, **'but while I do not have experience with actual flirting, I have been at this far longer than you.'**

Naruto chuckled a bit before he paused at hearing a grinding noise. Looking over to the source he saw Temari glaring at him, "Is something wrong Temari-san?"

Realizing what she was doing Temari put on a sweet smile that Naruto could tell was forced, "No, nothing's wrong."

Naruto looked at her for a moment before shrugging her disposition off as some kind of thing women do. There was silence for the rest of the meal before everyone went to bed. Gaara surprised his siblings when he offered to stay up and take watch, claiming he couldn't sleep anyways. Deciding it would be a good idea to speak with a fellow Jinchuuriki without the others Naruto said he would stay up as well.

"So was it bad for you, living in Suna?" Naruto asked as he looked at the red head who sat a little ways away from him on another tree branch.

Gaara looked over at Naruto before looking back into the forest, "Yes. I remember the looks everyone gave me back in Suna. Unlike you, people had come to fear me. When I was younger I had tried many times to get the children my age to play with me, but because of my sand's natural defense they had feared me. It didn't help that the rest of the population hated and feared me."

Naruto could only barely make out the sad quality the red heads eyes took as he spoke, "The only person who had ever shown me any kindness was my uncle, Yashimaru, who had been ordered by the Kazekage to keep me from being a menace to others. But that ended when Yashimaru had been ordered by the Kazekage to kill me, feeling that I was a failure as a weapon."

Naruto was barely able to hold in a gasp at hearing that. It was now blatantly obvious to the blond why Gaara had ended up the way he did. If the Sandaime had ordered someone to assassinate him, he would have no doubt become a psychopathic killing machine as well, "Why didn't he refuse the order?"

Gaara looked back at Naruto, a part of him wondered why he was telling the blond so much, but another was relieved to be able to get this off his chest and he felt that Naruto would be able to understand. "He said that it was because he secretly hated me, that it was my fault my mother, his sister had died."

"That was when you came up with the idea of relying only on yourself huh?" Gaara nodded and Naruto leaned back against the tree trunk, "Well I can certainly see why you came up with that. If Hokage-Ojisan had ordered my assassination, I probably would have done the same."

The pair was silent for a while, each giving into their own thoughts before Gaara decided to ask a question that had been bothering him since his defeat, "Do you think I can be like you?"

"Hmm?" Naruto opened his eyes and turned to look at Gaara, "Like me?"

"Yes. Can I be like you? Do you think it will be possible for me to gain the strength that comes from protecting people who are precious to me? Will I gain precious people?"

Naruto looked down in thought for a second before giving his fellow Jinchuuriki a large grin, "Of course you will! All you have to do is work at it!" Gaara looked shocked, at least as shocked as was possible for Gaara as Naruto jumped onto his branch, "It may be hard since a lot people in Suna probably still fear you, but it's far from impossible."

The blond plopped down beside Gaara, "Besides, you already have three people who are close to you."

"I do?" Gaara stared at Naruto for a few seconds, "Who?"

"Well there's your two siblings for one," Naruto tilted his head towards the pair of tents where his brother and sister were. "They may have been afraid of you, but you can tell from the fact that they never left your side that they still love you."

Gaara thought about that for a moment. It was true, no matter how bad he had gotten or how many times he had threatened them his two siblings had stayed with him, well as much as they could. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right!" Naruto laughed, "And then you've got me as a friend as well."

"You?" Gaara stared at him, and this time Naruto could see the surprise clearly evident on his face. "You would be my friend? Even after I tried to kill you and destroy your village?"

"I don't see why not." Naruto shrugged, "Besides it's not like the village was destroyed or anything, and you didn't kill anyone…" the blond paused for a second, "Well I don't think you killed anyone, you seemed far too busy with my clones." He shrugged, it did not really matter, "Everyone deserves a chance at friendship and happiness. Your Kazekage never gave you that chance, and I know how you feel. Therefore, it's only right we be friends. And besides, we Jinchuuriki need to stick together! Right?"

Naruto saw Gaara's lip twitch slightly and figured it was the red heads way of smiling. "I would like that Uzumaki-san."

"Good." Naruto stood up, "Though if we're going to be friends you need to stop with the Uzumaki crap. Just call me Naruto."

"Very well, Naruto."

A little ways away Temari had zipped her tent down a little bit and was listening in on the conversation. When it ended she crawled back inside of her sleeping bag as a smile made its way on her face, "Thank you, Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

Back in Konoha Team Seven was currently doing their usual D-rank missions. They would usually do around two or three a day due to the fact that a lot of the village needed to be repaired. As the finished up and walked towards the mission room Sakura looked up at her sensei, "Kakashi-sensei, I was wondering why Naruto isn't doing these missions with us?"

Kakashi looked away from his book to look at the pinkette, "That's because Naruto is a Chunin now." He ignored the shocked look from Sakura, though he also caught the jealous look from Sasuke. "I'm surprised you hadn't realized it yet. With the performance he showed during the Chunin exams it was obvious he was going to be promoted."

"Does that mean he won't be doing any more missions with us?" The thought was kind of odd, Naruto had been a part of Team Seven since its founding and not having him here felt wrong to Sakura in some way she could not fathom.

"He will still do missions with us on occasion," Kakashi replied carefully. "However, because of his status we have him doing higher ranked missions."

Sakura seemed to accept this and nodded. But Sasuke had clenched his fists as he thought of the blond going on higher ranked missions. _I should have been allowed to become a Chunin! Why is Naruto always surpassing me! Ever since we became Team Seven it's been like this! I feel like I'm standing still while the dobe continues getting stronger!_

He held his neck for a moment as he felt the cursed seal pulse before the one containing it forced the power back down.

* * *

After three days of traveling through the forest Naruto and the others came upon the desert. The trip had been relatively easy and nothing major had happened. Naruto had continued talking with the three Suna ninja in an effort to get to know them better.

He had even decided to disregard his first meeting with Kankurou and start over, though he still made fun of him for stealing his sister's make up much to the amusement of said sister and Gaara, not that you could actually tell from the latter. With Gaara he would often talk about their past experiences as Jicnhuuriki. He had learned from the redhead that unlike Naruto, he did not get along with his Bijuu and that even as they continued talking Shukaku was screaming for the blonde's blood.

Naruto figured something was wrong with the seal, a containment seal, especially one holding a Bijuu, should be strong enough to contain it completely so that it could not harm the container in any way. Kyuubi had agreed with this as she explained some of what she knew about the blonde's own seal and Naruto offered to take a look at it when they got to Suna.

His conversations with Temari were a little awkward. He refused to neglect talking to her, and would often ask question about what it was like being in Suna and some of her missions. However, he had never forgotten what she had tried to do to Tenten. And even though he felt no animosity towards her, was a little distant all the same.

Temari found it awkward for a similar reason. Now that he was actually paying attention to her she felt bad about the way she had treated his friend, but could not work up the courage to apologize.

"Dear sweet Kami! It's so hot out here!" Naruto griped as he and the Suna trio ran through the desert, "How the hell can people deal with this Kami-forsaken heat!"

Kankurou smirked, seemingly finding amusement in the blonde's plight, "Can't take the heat?"

Naruto glared at the puppet user, "Of course not! I come from a forest! Let's see you change from sixty and seventy degree weather to one hundred and above!"

Temari gave a small giggle while Kankurou snorted in laughter, "I can't believe you kid, someone strong enough to beat Gaara is complaining about being hot. Suck it up; you're a man aren't you?"

"More of a man than you, makeup boy," Kankurou growled before Naruto smirked. "You of all people have no right to comment on my gender, seeing as how you steal makeup from that cute sister of yours."

Temari felt a small blush coming on her cheeks that no one but Gaara noticed.

"What was that?" Kankurou ground out, "You want to say that again!"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Naruto gave an amused grin.

Before Kankurou could erupt Gaara interrupted them, "As amusing as it is to see you two squabble, we'll be arriving in Suna shortly."

Only a few minutes after Gaara informed them of that they had arrived at Suna's main entrance. After letting Temari deal with the gate guards they were told to meet a man named Baki at the Kazekage Tower. As the group made their way through the gates and into the village proper the first thing that Naruto caught was the looks of fear on the villagers' faces. He knew this fear was not directed at him, he could already see their eyes on Gaara as they backed away from them.

Naruto found himself disgusted by the people, had it not caused more problems he would have probably beat the shit out of them. "You know I don't know whether to find it amusing or disgusting," The Sabaku siblings turned to look at the blond as he shook his head. "Why is it that people seem to fear Jinchuuriki when it's others like the former Kazekage who are the ones that create them. It never made sense to me, calling people like Gaara monsters when all people like him are is a bi-product of power hungry fools."

Naruto had spoken the words loud enough that everyone around him could hear them. The blond took the time to note people's expressions, some looked disgruntled or hateful at the comments on their former leader, others had not changed from the fear they exuded of Gaara. But Naruto also noticed a few thoughtful faces amongst the crowd. With some doubt planted in the minds of some perhaps there was hope for some change.

He looked over at the Sabaku siblings and grinned at their shocked expressions, "Well, just stating my thoughts. Sorry."

The rest of the walk was silent as they made their way to the Kazekage Tower. Like everything else the tower was made of sandstone. It was a large dome like structure that was situated in the center of the village.

Within the seal Kyuubi shook her head at the typical Naruto action, **'You know Naruto-kun; that was a very kind thing you did.'**

_'__You think so?'_ Naruto questioned. _'Well I just figured I should help in some way you know?'_

**'****I know,'** Kyuubi said as she thought about her container and his desire to help others. She knew that she would never help another for no reason other than that it was the right thing to do; it actually kind of impressed her. Most beings, herself included were very selfish. **'You continue to impress me. I think for that I'll tell you a little about myself when you come into the seal tonight.'**

Naruto perked up at that, _'Really?'_

**'****Of course,'** Kyuubi's voice betrayed her amusement.

_'__Cool,'_ Naruto looked up and noticed they were entering the Kazekage's office. _Showtime._

As the four walked in they saw a man with the standard Suna Jonin outfit, which was basically the same as Konoha's except tan and dark brown instead of blue and green, sitting in the office. He had a veil covering the left side of his face and dark black eyes. Naruto recognized him as the trio's Jonin-sensei.

"Baki-sensei!" Temari said in surprise.

Baki looked up and smiled, "Hello Temari, Kankurou, Gaara, it is good to see you three are well."

Gaara stepped forward a bit, "Likewise sensei, I'm pleased you were not killed during the invasion."

Naruto noticed the slight widening of Baki's eyes, the only sign of him being surprised. However the man was not a Jonin for nothing and covered it up quickly, "Thank you Gaara." The man turned towards Naruto, "I was informed by a carrier hawk that you have the new terms for the alliance."

Naruto nodded as he stepped forward, digging into his pouch and handing the scroll over, "Yep, here it is."

"Thank you," Baki took the scroll and set it on the desk. "The Council will hold a meeting tomorrow in order to go over the terms of our alliance but it may take a day or two before we actually sign it. If you want I can get you a hotel while you wait."

Naruto opened his mouth to accept the offer but Temari decided to interrupt, "Actually you can stay with us if you want."

Her two brothers looked at her in surprise. Naruto did as well, blinking a few times as he registered her words, "Are you sure? I mean I don't want to be a burden or anything."

"You won't be a burden," Gaara said. "I agree with Temari, and we have more than enough room to accommodate you."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave a grin, "Well if you guys are sure I wouldn't mind staying. It will be nice not being alone for a change."

"If that is the case then the only thing left for me to do would be to congratulate you three on your promotions." The three Suna ninja looked at Baki in surprise, well Kankurou and Temari did, Gaara just raised an eyebrow as usual. "The three of you did very well, and even though Kankurou did not fight his match we have decided to promote all of you."

"You guys know what that means don't you?" everyone looked at Naruto who had a grin on his face, "We need to have a party to celebrate!"

* * *

"Kaki narase sonzai wo  
Koko ni iru to...  
Arata na tabi ga ima hajimaru"

"Kawari yuku kisetsu no naka wo  
Ikinuku tabi ni bokura  
Chie to tsuyosa wo te ni ireta kedo"

"Nagareteku jikan no naka ni  
Okizari ni shita omoi wo  
Wasureta koto sura wasurete ita"

Naruto, Temari and just about everybody else watched in a mixture of amusement and shock as a drunk Kankurou and Gaara sang Karaoke at one of the local bars. Well it was more of Naruto being amused and everyone else being shocked.

The blond looked over at his companion for the moment and grinned, "How come you're not up there with them?"

Temari looked at Naruto and smirked, "Because unlike them I can hold my liquor. Neither Kankurou nor Gaara have ever drank anything before."

"I didn't know you drink?" Naruto took a sip of his sake, relishing the nice slow burn it gave on its way down his throat. He reminded himself that he would have to take the toad boss's offer of a drink when he summoned him the next time.

"I don't often," Temari shrugged, following her fellow blonde's actions. "But I have on occasion during some of my diplomatic missions. I was the only one that was usually sent due to the fact that Gaara was always more than likely to kill who ever hired him and Kankurou well…just look at him."

Naruto did and did not bother holding in the laugh that escaped, "Yeah I can see why you wouldn't want him on a diplomatic mission. Honestly with that makeup and cat suit I'm more afraid of him than I would be of Gaara."

Temari smiled, "That's just because you can beat Gaara."

"Maybe," Naruto shrugged. Honestly if they fought again and Gaara was actually sane he was not sure who would win. Plus they were in a desert now, Gaara had a whole country of sand that he could bury the blond under if they fought here. The thought of being buried under several thousand square miles of sand made him shudder.

"You know I don't think I ever asked this," When Temari was sure Naruto was paying attention she continued. "How long have you been a Genin?"

Naruto blinked at the odd question but figured she was just trying to make conversation, "About six months all told…well maybe seven now."

"That's it?" Temari's eyes widened a bit, causing Naruto to chuckle. "You must be some kind of super genius to gain enough strength to take on Gaara after only six months as a real ninja."

Naruto grimaced, "Please don't call me that. Unlike most geniuses, I actually trained hard for my skills. In fact, my training would probably kill most people."

"You don't like that title?" Temari asked, curious.

"It's not that I dislike…geniuses," Naruto grimaced again. "It's just that every year in Konoha some new 'genius' comes out of the academy. Seriously both Neji and Sasuke were considered geniuses of their year, and I kicked Neji's ass, badly I might add. And I'm pretty sure that Sasuke would not stand a chance against me either. Yet everyone thinks he's like the second coming of the Yondaime Hokage or something, though I think that's just because he's the 'last of the Uchiha clan'." Naruto ended his speech in quotation marks.

Temari giggled a bit, causing Naruto to grin. He looked back over at Kankurou and Gaara, sweat dropping as he saw the two were really out of it, yet they still managed to keep singing. "I think it's about time we got them off the stage, I'm pretty sure Gaara is actually scaring the villagers more than usual."

* * *

Later that night Temari had led Naruto to her large mansion as two Kage Bunshin were shouldering Kankuro, who was passed out from drinking, and Gaara who was still awake but muttering something about teddy bears. As Naruto's clones set the pair down in their beds the real Naruto looked at Gaara with a thoughtful frown.

_'__Hey Kyuu-chan, how come Gaara's not recovering from the alcohol like I do?'_

Kyuubi yawned a bit before answering, **'That's because aside from you being a Hanyou, Shukaku's power is different from mine. Each Jinchuuriki comes with different abilities given to them by their Bijuu, Shukaku gives Gaara his sand shield while I gave you regenerative abilities.' **She gave a dismissive flick of her tails, **'Don't worry about him too much, he will still recover in a few hours or so.'**

Naruto nodded before he left the room and found Temari waiting for him, "Let me show you to your room Naruto-kun."

Naruto blinked as he heard the added suffix but was not given time to think on it as Temari grabbed him by the hand and led him to where he would be staying, "Here we are. This is where you'll stay until you leave."

"Thanks Mari-chan," Naruto grinned at the girl.

_Mari-chan?_ Temari felt her face heat up at the nickname. Truth be told while Temari was considered to be one of the most beautiful kunoichi in Suna, she had never really gotten an opportunity to date anyone. While in Suna everyone knew her as 'the demon's sister' and stayed away from her, and when she went out she only seemed to attract perverts. Naruto was different, she could tell he was still kind of perverted but it did not seem to rule over him like it did most males. And he was not actually hitting on her; she could tell that for the most part his ability to make her blush had been unintentional. Because of this being around Naruto was always kind of awkward, though not always in a bad way.

She watched as Naruto opened the door and bit her lip. "Wait."

Naruto turned around and raised an eyebrow at the now pensive female blond, "Yes? Something wrong?"

"No I…" Temari paused before looking down, "I wanted to…apologize." She looked up and saw Naruto's confusion so decided to elaborate, "When I was fighting your friend, that girl with the buns, I was overly cruel. I'm sorry."

Naruto looked at her for a while and Temari began to squirm a bit. Being the daughter of the Kazekage she never really had to deal with this kind of thing, and had never apologized to anyone so she was a bit uncomfortable.

After a few seconds however Naruto merely gave her a soft smile, "It's fine, I'm not angry or anything. I mean, yeah I was at first, but I don't like to live in the past. Besides," Naruto grinned, "I could never stay mad at such a beautiful girl."

Temari blushed as Naruto made his way inside the bedroom she had given him.

* * *

The next day was for the most part filled with boredom. Because Naruto was something of an ambassador he was forced to listen to the Suna Council nit-pick over the new alliance agreement, despite the fact that everyone knew they were going to sign it anyway. The agreement would actually help improve their village far more than the previous one did; it made Naruto wonder why they were so adamant on arguing over the damn thing.

Thankfully Baki had told him that he only needed to be at the first meeting as a formality and that he would not be forced to sit through the negotiations after that.

Sometime after the first meeting Naruto found himself back in the Sabaku mansion looking over Gaara's seal. As he did a frown made its way on his face, "Well I was right, the seal while not terrible is far too weak and shoddy to properly contain a demon."

"So what's wrong with it?" asked Temari who was sitting next to Gaara and watching the proceeding events.

"Nothing," Naruto shrugged, "There is technically nothing wrong with the seal. Like I said it's just weak, too weak to hold back the power of a demon."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Temari looked worried, if there was nothing wrong with the seal then how could they help Gaara?

Naruto looked at her and grinned, "Well unfortunately because I'm not a seal master I can't do anything. I mean I could try, but the chances of me breaking the seal and killing Gaara are too high to risk it. However, Ero-sennin is supposed to be a premiere Fuuinjutsu master. I'll have him make a run by Suna when he's out of the village and take a look at the seal. It should be possible for him to place a seal over the one Gaara has now to limit the amount of freedom the Shukaku has in Gaara's mind. That would also allow Gaara to get some sleep since the only reason the blasted sandbag can whisper to him is thanks to the seal being so damn weak."

As everyone digested what Naruto told them, said blond took out several sealing tags, "In the meantime he can use these. Ero-sennin helped me make them for me if I ever lost control of Kyuu-chan's youki while training in it."

Gaara sat up and pulled his shirt back down before taking one of the seals. He looked at it before turning his gaze to Naruto, "What is it?"

"That my friend is a youki suppression seal," Naruto grinned. "Ero-sennin and I developed it when we were searching for Tsunade-baa-chan. What it does is forcibly suppress the demonic youki of a bijuu, these things can only go suppress about three tails worth of power, but for Shukaku they should work like a charm. Those will allow you to sleep until Jiraiya comes to check out the seal."

"How many of them do you have?" Gaara looked at the seal and everyone could see the small amount of hope in his eyes.

"On me? I only have about five, but I know how to make them so I can create as many as you want so long as I'm given the necessary supplies." Naruto clicked his tongue for a second before grinning, "Give me enough ink and sealing paper and I'll make a two year supply; that should be more than enough to last until Ero-sennin comes."

Temari and Kankuro looked from Gaara over to Baki, who, while shocked that this boy was so willing to help (Of course after hearing him call his Bijuu Kyuu-chan he supposed he shouldn't be), nodded. "I can arrange that. While sealing is not very renowned in this village we should be able to get the necessary supplies."

"I think I'm going to take one of these now and get some rest," Gaara stood up.

"Alright, just make sure to attach it to your skin, your Suna No Yoroi has to be turned off or it won't work."

"Thank you Naruto," Gaara surprised everyone by giving a small bow of gratitude before he left to get some sleep.

Naruto stretched a bit as he stood up, grinning in satisfaction as he felt his bones pop, "Well that was fun. Now I just have to wait for the council to sign that damned alliance, and if there anything like the floozies in Konoha that could take a while."

Everyone had a laugh at that while Naruto hummed, "So what exactly do you guys do for fun over here? I mean I would go out drinking again, but makeup boy was such an embarrassment the last time, what with being a lightweight and all that singing he did."

Temari laughed while Kankurou growled, "Hey! My singing is awesome! Did you see me up there! I was rocking the house!"

"If by rocking you mean the spastic swaying motions you were making while piss drunk then yes, you were rocking the house," Naruto grinned.

Temari covered her mouth to hold in her giggle while Kankurou looked about ready to pop a blood vessel. The blond Suna Kunoichi stood up, "If you want I can offer you a tour around the Suna."

Naruto looked over at the girl and grinned, "I would like that Mari-chan."

* * *

The pair of blonds found themselves walking around Suna with Temari pointing out anything she could of think of that looked interesting. Though, Naruto wondered how she was able to even see where certain things were since the girl currently had her head on his shoulder and her eyes were closed, it was like she had some kind of sixth sense or something. Not that he was really thinking too heavily on that, having found most of his attention on the girl whose head was on his shoulder and whose arms were wrapped around his.

_That and the fact that she has my arm smashed between her pillows_, Naruto thought, fighting a bit to keep the blush off. Really he felt he should have been used to this by now, what with all the crap he went through with Anko, and then the flirting that Yugito had done with him when they were together. _I mean, I had my ass pinched in public. You really can't get much friendlier than that. Well I suppose you could, but…gah! Mind out of the gutter Naruto!_

Forcibly suppressing the admittedly lewd thoughts that had entered his head the blond took a moment to look around. They had somehow managed to locate a park. Really it was just a basic kid's playground with a few objects of children entertainment like a see-saw, a swing and a small climbing structure.

"Oh, I haven't been here in forever!" Temari said as she let go of Naruto's arm and sat on one of the swings. She looked over at Naruto and hid a grin as she gave him a pout, "Naruto-kun, do you think you can give me a little push?"

Naruto blushed a bit, finding the way she bit her lower lips and bat her eyelashes to be absolutely sexy, _*Sigh* Maybe Anko was on to something when she said any kunoichi would be able to wrap me around their finger…especially since I have yet to see an ugly kunoichi._

"S-sure," Naruto dutifully ignored the giggle Temari let out as he walked behind her and began to push her. This would continue on for some time with Naruto pushing Temari while said Suna Kunoichi kicked her legs out on the upswing. They stopped when the sun began to set and Temari got another idea.

Temari looked at Naruto with a predatory grin that made the blond gulp, _Why do I feel like a antelope being stalked by a lion?_

"How about we go out to dinner?"

* * *

A little while after that Naruto and Temari had walked around Suna until Temari had picked a place where she wanted to eat. It was nothing really fancy, just a simple restaurant that thankfully for Naruto had ramen.

As Naruto ate his food, using a lot more poise than came naturally since this could very well be considered a date, much like his time with Yugito, he looked up at Temari. "Hey I was wondering something?"

Temari looked up at Naruto, "What is it?"

"Well, I was just curious why you don't have a boyfriend," Temari narrowed her eyes a bit at the reminder. It was fortunate for Naruto that he had continued, "I mean, you're such nice and pretty girl I just found it odd that you wouldn't have one."

Temari's eyes softened and a blush stained her cheeks. She looked at him for a second and was surprised to see nothing more than honest curiosity, "What makes you think I don't have one?"

Naruto blinked at the question before answering, "Well, if you did, I doubt you would have asked me out to dinner. I mean if I was your boyfriend and saw you with some guy I would probably kill them."

If anything the blush that was spread across her cheeks became more prominent, but a smile came on Temari's face as she answered the question.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out," At her fellow blonde's look of confusion she laughed. "I'm the daughter of the Kazekage, a lot of the males in Suna are put off by that and even our shinobi have some issues getting passed it. If that's not enough I'm also Gaara's sister."

Well that explained things well enough for Naruto who nodded in reply, "The only people who have actually shown an interest in me were some of the sons of rich nobles and Daimyos that I had met and escorted. There have even been a few Daimyos themselves who have _expressed_ an interest in me." Temari said the words expressed with distaste and Naruto heard a mutter of 'perverted old men' added on at the end.

"I suppose that would keep people from actually trying to get to know you."

"What about you?" Temari asked suddenly enough that it startled Naruto, "I mean, you were awfully close to that bun haired girl I fought _and_ that Yugito girl."

Naruto blushed a bit before getting himself under control, "Well they're not my girlfriends per say…I don't have a girlfriend or anything; I'm just really close to those two. Ten-chan was the first friend my age that I ever made and Yugito…" He paused for a moment, not sure if he was allowed to tell anyone about Yugito's status before remembering that Jinchuuriki were looked up to in Kumo, "Yugito is like me and Gaara."

Temari felt surprise at the two statements. Though she now understood why Naruto seemed so close to those two. She had listened in on Naruto's conversation with Gaara when he spoke about his experiences, so of course he would be close to that Tenten girl as she was his first friend. And it made even more sense with the Kumo kunoichi, Yugito, since she could relate to Naruto on a level most others could not. "I suppose that makes sense. So you don't have a girlfriend?"

"No," Naruto shook his head. "I don't, but even I tried to get one there are complications that make it impossible for me to have a stable relationship with anyone."

Temari frowned a bit at the response but it was soon replaced with curiosity, "What could keep you from being in a relationship with anyone?"

Naruto frowned for a moment before leaning in, forcing Temari to do the same, "I suppose since you're related to Gaara its okay to tell you. I doubt you've heard since even Ero-sennin's only found out about this recently, but there's a group of nine S-ranked criminal ninja that are after the Bijuu." He heard Temari gasp a bit and nodded, "Naturally that makes my life even more dangerous than a regular ninja. We don't know what they want them for. However, a group of criminals on that level trying to gain that much power, you can be sure it's anything but good."

Sighing Naruto leaned back in his chair, "I could never give myself to someone else knowing that the chances of me dying are so high." It was not the only reason of course. There was also the fact that even if he did end up in a relationship, anyone he got with would eventually die, whether it be of old age or something else they would die while he would live.

Temari frowned sadly at hearing that, "That sounds like it will be awfully lonely."

"It is, but it's not like I'm just closing myself off. I will do whatever I can to make my precious people happy and that's good enough for me."

"Precious people?" Temari murmured in a questioning tone. She looked up at Naruto and blushed a bit, "Am I one of your precious people?"

Naruto looked at Temari for a few moments before grinning, "Maybe…why do you ask? Do you want to be?"

Temari just blushed while Naruto laughed.

* * *

Later that night Naruto and Temari walked to the mansion and, being the chivalrous bastard that he was escorted the girl to her room.

"Thank you for taking me out," Temari turned around to face Naruto and give him a smile.

Naruto smiled in return, though it was more of a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head, "Hehe, no problem Mari-chan, I liked spending time with you."

"That's good, I liked spending time with you as well," Temari looked down at her feet for a moment as if to gather her courage. When she looked up again Temari leaned in and gave Naruto a kiss on the cheek. She pulled away and smiled when she saw the blond shinobi with a prominent blush on his face as he lightly touched the spot where she had kissed him.

"That was for giving me such an enjoyable time," Temari gave him a wink. "Also, I don't think you should worry about those guys who are after you. You're one of the strongest ninja I know, after all, not many people can beat Gaara. So I know you'll be fine. Good night Naruto-kun."

Naruto watched as Temari closed the door to her room before a smile found its way on his face. _Hot damn, what is it with these girls being so close to me all of sudden? _

**'****Are you complaining?'** came the annoyed voice of Kyuubi. She did not really know why, but seeing her container with that girl or any female really, gave her an unpleasant feeling.

However Naruto did not notice the annoyance in her tone as he spoke, _'Of course not! Who could complain about that? I was just wondering what it is I'm doing differently from what I had done in the academy.'_

Kyuubi shook her head at how dense her container was, **'Does it matter? Now get to your room and come into the seal.'**

_'__Yes ma'am!'_ Naruto made his way to the room they gave him, which he loved due to the fact that it was larger than his apartment. He took off his clothes and jumped onto the bed, not even bothering to get under the covers as he went into the confines of his mind.

* * *

**Whoo, another chapter done. Enjoy.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: Okay so I've gotten tired of doing the disclaimer, therefore I have decided to have a guest star announce it for me. Hit it Lee!**

**Rock Lee: YOSH! Pokemaster12 does not own the rights to Naruto, this unyouthful knowledge often depresses him. However I will endeavor to help my youthful comrade feel better about this. And if I cannot I will run one thousand laps around Konoha on my pinkies! **

**Pokemaster12: Lee.**

**Rock Lee: And if I cannot do that I will travel to Suna and back fifty times with two ton boulders strapped to my back!**

**Pokemaster12: LEE!**

**Rock Lee: And if I cannot do that…**

**Pokemaster12: *Sigh* Why don't you all just continue reading while I try to get this…youthful person out of here.**

**Rock Lee: And if I cannot do that…**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 33: Konoha Dealings**

* * *

The next day was much the same as the first for Naruto only without him having to listen to the council. Instead Temari had woken him up and taken him out to breakfast and afterwards had asked for a spar. He found out that the girl was quite good with Fuuton jutsu and her fan. She and Naruto had eventually swapped some jutsu with each other as well as compared notes on their uses for wind chakra.

He had also spent some time with Gaara. And he could honestly say that he had never had a more… amusing, was the appropriate word, time. Naruto had introduced his red haired friend to the fine dish that was ramen. It was to his surprise and great joy that the Suna Jinchuuriki loved the dish almost as much as he did, between the two of them they had devoured upwards of sixty bowls, causing the ramen stand owner there no small amount of shock, nor joy when he had received the money for making the food.

After that they had walked around the village and talked about Jinchuuriki things, comparing notes on Bijuu. Naruto had also asked about how well his suppression seal had worked and was assured by Gaara that it worked perfectly.

Another amusing thing was all of the looks the pair were getting. Naruto, with his rambunctious attitude was almost always cracking jokes, laughing and just having a good time. Seeing someone like him with Gaara, who said ninja was not trying to kill and actually talking with and listening to said blond telling jokes, was something of a shock for the village populace who was used to having him as a psychotic killer. Naruto actually hoped that this in some way made the people of this village realize that Gaara was just as human as they were, and was deserving of their respect.

Other than that not much else had happened with the soul exception of Kyuubi telling him some more about herself. This time it was about how she had gained a human form. Turns out that the only reason Kyuubi had managed to gain this form was because family of humans.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_**'**__**I had noticed them at the edge of the forest,'**__ Kyuubi said as she lay down in the bed and closed her eyes. __**"I instantly recognized them of course, I had seen quite a few humans before them," **__She frowned for a moment, __**"by that time I had gotten rather tired of having to deal with their constant attacks and had been looking for some way to get them to stop without having to sully my hands with the task of killing them." **__Naruto sweat dropped as he heard the last bit._

_**"**__**I watched as the two adults watched the small little girl running around and as I watched them an idea began to form in my head, if I could look human then those damn humans would never bother me again." **__Kyuubi turned her head to see Naruto leaning against the wall right next to her, __**"I wasn't really sure to go about the task of creating a human body, but as I watched the girl I became curious, I had wondered to myself, what would it be like to be that little girl?"**_

_"__I didn't think you would care to wonder about such things," Naruto commented._

_Kyuubi sighed, __**"I do get curious about some things Naruto-kun. My fox form was not just random chance occurrence. From what I understand each Bijuu's form is based on one or more of the primary aspects of their personality. I am a fox, I was blessed with incredible intelligence and cunning as well as a curiosity about things I see and don't understand."**_

"_I thought cats were the curious ones."_

"_**Cats and foxes are distantly related,"**__ Kyuubi said before frowning, __**"at least I think they are, I never really studied animal anatomy so I could be wrong."**_

_Kyuubi paused for a moment before continuing, __**"Normally I'm able to control my curiosity but at the time my mind was also wondering how I could create a human body for my own use. Anyways, as I watched them my body began to shrink and I began to change. Before I knew it I was an exact replica of that little girl I had been watching."**_

_**"**__**After that I had come out of the forest and mimicked what the girl was doing, seeing me the family decided to take me in and raised me."**_

_"__Do you ever miss them?" asked Naruto, curiosity clear in his voice._

_**"**__**Of course not,"**__ Kyuubi scoffed as she shook her head. __**"I had never really gotten attached to them, they were humans and though I looked like one I was not." **__A smirk graced the redhead's lips, __**"I think they always knew something was different about me, I was much more reserved than their daughter and did not like to be held or even touched. I tolerated it at the time because I was trying to learn how humans interacted with each other, it was one of the key gaps of information I had on humans."**_

_"__You know, you still don't seem to know much about human interaction," Naruto replied dryly._

_**"**__**I didn't say I cared enough to interact with humans myself,"**__ Kyuubi shot back. __**"I had only observed them for the most part. Once I had gotten all the information I felt was necessary I began to manipulate them as I saw fit. I would manipulate my 'parents' into treating me like I was the queen of the house and my sister was essentially my servant and go between for other humans that were not a part of my…family."**_

_**"**__**Once my body began to come into its teenage years I began to expand my influence. I had learned rather early on that the boys would cut off their own arms just to be near me. I ended up using my beauty and charms to influence them as well, my influence continued to expand in the small town I essentially grew up in until I practically ruled it."**_

_Kyuubi shrugged as she ended her story, __**"In the end when I had lived with them for seventeen years learning all I could about how I could best use humans; then I left, and I never looked back."**_

_"__And so your form now is that of the girl who you had gained the image of?" asked Naruto, he did not comment on her life, he knew enough about Kyuubi not to get angry about her manipulative ways. It was just the way she was and there really wasn't much point in getting angry anymore._

_**"**__**No, this is my form,"**__ she replied, __**"as I grew up my looks began to differ from hers and as I changed forms I would take on specific physical aspects of the person I changed into until my form became complete."**_

_"__So you can transform into another person? Did you do that often?" asked Naruto._

_Kyuubi laughed, __**"I have always been changing how I look to suit my needs. I had found out that I hold the ability to shape shift, I believe it is something that only I can do; though you can to a certain extent as well."**_

_Naruto blinked for a moment before he realized what she was talking about, "You mean my Kage Henge?"_

_Kyuubi nodded, __**"Yep! Anyways, this form that you see before you is actually my body's representation of myself. My complete form if you will that I gained sometime around fifty years after I left the people who raised me. I always have this 'base' human form that I return to after transforming into whoever I have previously. Whenever I disengage my transformation this is what I become."**_

"_And what about the tails and ears? Those aren't part of your base form are they?"_

"_**No," **__Kyuubi admitted, __**"but I dislike having to hide them, I did so when I traveled but since I am stuck here I have no need to hide my appendages."**_

_Naruto looked thoughtful as he went over what she told him in his head, "So have you ever transformed into a guy before?"_

_**"**__**Nope. I tried once, but for some reason I was never able to do it,"**__ Kyuubi paused and hummed thoughtfully. __**"I'm not really sure why but my theory is that, when I first transformed into a human, it was into a girl. I grew up being 'raised' as a girl while I was in my first human form. This gave me a female perspective. Because of that, even though I am technically just a mass of youki, I have the mindset of a woman and therefore am a woman."**_

_"__I see…" Naruto clicked his tongue in mild thought, "I wonder why I can transform into a female then?"_

_**"**__**Who knows…maybe you're just more in touch with your feminine side."**_

_"__Yeah maybe I- hey wait! Are you telling me I act like a chick?" Naruto glared at the vixen._

_Kyuubi gave him a cheeky grin that was eerily reminiscent of his own, or was his similar to hers? __**"Well I didn't want to comment but…"**_

_"__That's cruel Kyuu-chan," Naruto sniffed. "Sometimes you're so mean, I think I'm gonna cry."_

_**"**__**Aww, don't feel sad Naru-kun," **__Kyuubi cooed as she modulated her voice, much like she used to when using her beauty and charms to turn men into slaves. Unlike with other males she had used it on, Naruto merely felt a small shiver run down his spine. _

_**"There's nothing wrong with that, and a lot of girls seem to like you so I wouldn't worry," **__the redhead frowned at the thought of other women, unworthy human women pawing at her container for a moment, before shaking the thoughts away._

_That was true, Naruto thought to himself, completely missing the look Kyuubi had as he considered what she said. He had received three kisses from three different girls in the last two months, "I suppose that's true." The blond looked over at the redhead, "Does Kyuu-chan like me too?"_

_Kyuubi looked over at him for a moment, unsure what to do. However when she saw the teasing grin on his face she knew he was trying to goad her, much like she had done in the past. She smirked at the thought that anyone would actually be able to get the best of her. She decided to make sure he knew this by setting her head back in his lap and nuzzling against him. _

_"__Damn it Kyuubi! What the hell are you doing!" asked Naruto in a loud and embarrassed voice._

_**"**__**What?"**__ Kyuubi looked at him innocently, __**"You asked a question, I was just hoping to answer it for you in the way I thought worked best."**_

_Flashback…_

* * *

Yep, good times for one blond future Hokage.

It was the day after that, which the alliance treaty was signed and Naruto was currently standing just inside of Suna's gate as he got ready to go home. "Looks like this will be the last time I see you guys for a while," The blond smiled at the three Suna Siblings.

"I'm glad you're gonna be gone you goddamn cheeky brat," Kankurou said, though there was no real malice in his voice.

Naruto merely grinned at the kid before Gaara stepped in front of him, "I look forward to seeing you again Naruto-san."

Naruto smiled, "Me too Gaara."

He held out his hand. Gaara blinked for a few seconds before realizing what the blond wanted and grabbed the hand, shaking firmly. A moment later Gaara leaned in to whisper in Naruto's ear, "If you hurt my sister I will kill you."

_Did he just play the protective brother card on me?_ Wondered Naruto while looking at the redhead Jinchuuriki in no small amount of surprise. _Well he has been getting more protective of his brother and sister as of late…well maybe not so much Kankurou as he has Temari._

The blond was knocked out of his thoughts as Gaara stepped back and Temari stood in front of him with her hands behind her back and a coy expression on her face. "You take care of yourself Naruto-kun. I expect to see you again when I'm back in Konoha or when you come back here."

"You got it Mari-chan," Naruto thumped his chest. "Next time you come to Konoha I'll take you out to Ichiraku's where they serve the best food in the world!" Gaara knowing the blonde's favorite food licked his lips at the thought of the noodles that had subsequently become his own favorite food.

Temari just smiled, "I'll hold you to that." She closed the distance between them and gave Naruto a hug and another kiss on the cheeks.

"R-right," Naruto stuttered with a small blush on his face. Temari grinned while Kankurou gave a snicker, causing the blond shinobi to glare at the puppet user. It left a moment later as he grinned at the trio, "I'll see you guys later!"

Naruto turned around and let loose, taking off like a jetfighter and kicking up sand as he made his way out of the village.

Naruto had cut through the desert and forests of Kaze No Kuni and Hi No Kuni respectively at a ridiculous pace, making it to Konoha within the record time of one day. Since it was nearly night time and Naruto doubted Tsunade was awake, either from being tired from the day or drinking herself into a stupor, one or the other, Naruto decided to get some sleep before giving his report.

* * *

The next day Naruto arrived at the Hokage's Tower and greeted Shizune at the front desk, "Hey Shizune-nee-chan. How are you?"

Shizune looked up and gave Naruto a large smile, "Naruto-kun, it's good to see you. How was your mission?"

"Meh can't complain," Naruto shrugged before giving a grin. "The company was nice and I got see some new places so over all it was good."

"That's good, you can head on in to give your report, Tsunade-sama should be available," Shizune gestured towards the door.

Grinning Naruto slammed the door open, "Helloooo baa-chan!"

"You're so lucky I'm comfortable brat, or I would have pounded you into the Hokage Monument," Tsunade said from her position on the couch. She was holding a bottle of sake in one hand and a saucer in the other. Meanwhile a Kage Bunshin was sitting on at her desk working furiously on the paperwork.

"I see you're putting my knowledge to good use," Naruto smirked as he entered the room and sat down on the couch next to Tsunade. "You look quite comfortable."

Tsunade grinned as she took a sip of sake, "I have to admit, you're a genius for coming up with this. Shizune can't even complain because I usually finish my paperwork sometime before lunch. So I take it the mission was a success?"

"Of course. Were you expecting any less?" Naruto grinned as he held out the scroll that held the treaty.

Tsunade grabbed the scroll and tossed it to her clone who caught it before setting it down on the desk and continued working. "Not really. So do you want another mission, or do you have other plans in mind?"

"You know I'm not really sure," Naruto stood up and stretched before turning back to the blond woman with a grin. "Since I just did a mission I think I'm gonna get some more training in before going on another mission so soon."

"Alright brat. Have fun but don't cause problems," Tsunade waved him off.

Naruto favored the blond Hokage with a grin, "Me? Cause problems? How could you even think I would do such a thing?" The blond shinobi jumped on the window sill, crouching down before he jumped out, "Later baa-chan!"

Naruto wondered back over to his apartment our favorite blond was in for a surprise when he found Tenten standing on his doorstep, "Ten-chan?"

Tenten turned around and her frown turned into a small smile, "Hey Naruto-kun, how are you doing?"

"Not bad," Naruto walked up to the bun haired girl and favored her with a smile. "I just got back from a mission. How have you been?"

"I've been good. Our teams been pretty busy with missions recently, but most of them are D-rank. Thankfully, Gai-sensei says he'll have us doing more C-ranks soon, once the village's repairs get done."

"Man I'm so glad I don't have to do D ranks anymore, what with being a Chunin and all now." Naruto looked the girl over, "So is there any reason you're here, or was it just cuz you miss me so much?"

Tenten blushed a bit at seeing Naruto's grin but tried to at least make it seem like she had not missed him, "Don't be so full of yourself. I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

Naruto let his grin fall as curiosity overcame him, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Remember when we went on our…date," Tenten blushed as she looked down. "You promised me that you would tell me why you were so hated."

Naruto sighed as he heard this. The truth of the matter was that with all that had happened and all the things he had done since then caused him to forget about his promise. But now that she had brought it up he did remember, "Why don't you come inside and I'll tell you about it."

Leading Tenten inside his apartment Naruto directed her towards a couch while he went into the kitchen, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Tenten looked over to see Naruto looking around in a cupboard, "Some tea would be nice if you have any."

Naruto nodded to himself as he grabbed some leaflets, a tea kettle and two cups, and then proceeded to make some tea. Finishing up he poured the hot water into the two cups and brought them out to the living room, sitting one of the in front of Tenten who thanked him.

For a moment Naruto was silent before he managed to work up the courage to get started, "My birthday is on October 10th, the same day the Kyuubi attacked our village…"

And so he told her, he spoke of the Kyuubi being sealed into him, how he had never learned of this until he had been tricked by a traitor. He told her about his meetings with the Kyuubi and that it was in fact a she, something Tenten had been ecstatic to find out. Apparently it was a big morale booster for Tenten knowing that the most powerful being to ever exist was in fact, female. After that it was the only thing she seemed to care about saying it proved women could be even stronger than men, go figure.

The only thing Naruto did not tell her was that he was half demon. He had just given her knowledge about him holding a demon; he was not sure how she would react to learn he was a demon.

Naruto had even relented and finally told her everything about his A-ranked mission in Nami No Kuni. From fighting the Demon brothers, to meeting Zabuza, meeting Haku and then Haku's eventual death. Tenten could understand why he had not told her, the story being sad enough that she could not even find it in herself to be jealous that he had met a member of the Kiri Shinobigatana Nannanin Shu.

By the end of his tale Tenten could not help but sigh, "Ok, so I do understand why you never told me any of this, and I can see how you would be scared of letting friends know about. But I'm gonna tell you right now…that you're an idiot."

Had Naruto not been seated he would have face-faulted. As it was he merely sweat dropped, "May I ask why?"

"Well for one, my dad told me to never let anyone other than myself judge you after we first met. Another thing is that I know you very well. You can't honestly think I would believe someone who acts as goofy as you is a demon. Though from what you've told me, Kyuubi isn't really bad…" she paused and tapped her chin in thought for a moment before adding, "Though I wouldn't call her misunderstood either. And lastly I can tell the difference between something that's been sealed and the thing it's sealed into. It's like how I seal my weapons in a storage scroll. Just because I seal my weapons in the scroll, does not make the scroll the weapons that are sealed into it."

Naruto smiled at how Tenten seemed to just accept it, were he a lesser man he would probably be crying. Thankfully he wasn't a lesser man; he was one of the manliest men this side of Konohagakure.

_**'**__**You keep telling yourself that Naruto-kun,'**_ Kyuubi piped up and burst his delusions of grandeur.

_'__You're so mean Kyuu-chan,' _Naruto gave the equivalent of a mental pout, _'sometimes I really hate you.'_

_**'**__**Aww, I love you too.'**_

"Naruto?" said blond looked at Tenten who seemed concerned. "Are you crying?"

"Huh?" Naruto rubbed his eyes to see tears. Trying to make a quick cover up he rubbed his eyes dry, making sure to ignore the laughter from Kyuubi echoing in his mind. "Pft! Of course not, I just…got something in my eyes is all."

"Uh huh," Tenten withheld a giggle. "Yeah you do, you've got tears in your eyes."

Naruto scowled when it became obvious that his bun haired friend did not believe him. A few seconds later though it was replaced by a smile before the blond surprised Tenten and engulfed her in a hug.

Said girl blushed a bright red as she felt steam pour from her ears, and she might have actually pulled a Hinata and fainted had she not heard Naruto speak, "Thank you."

The words were soft, heartfelt and somehow gave Tenten a warm feeling that spread from the heart to the rest to her body, "Your welcome." She returned his embrace, deciding that for the moment, she would just enjoy the feeling.

* * *

The following weeks were filled with C-rank missions and training for Naruto. Most of his missions were fairly easy. He would usually lead a squad of Genin, often one of the squads from his graduating academy outside of the village on simple missions. These would normally consist of things like border patrols, escort missions, guard missions, reconnaissance and the very rare bandit hunting. He did go on a few B ranks where he would tackle more bandits and even missing ninja with a group of Chunin and Jonin on occasion, but they were rare.

His training was progressing as it usually did. Naruto had begun diversifying his training even more, not with his Kage Bunshins but with himself. After his morning routine Naruto would usually spend time either sparring with Anko, Team ten or the other rookie teams, which had been dubbed the Konoha nine, having been called that due to the fact that they were all Rookie Genin who had made it passed the second stage of the Chunin Exams despite being in their first six months of active duty.

In fact that was one of the things he was doing right now.

"Gatsuuga!"

Naruto dodged the living drills that Kiba and his dog Akamaru had become as they both barreled towards him. He made sure that neither one of them stayed from his sight to long as he analyzed the dog-nin and his canines moves, trying to discover any weakness he could exploit.

Over on the sidelines were Kurenai, Hinata and Shino, all of whom were watching the battle.

"Naruto is pretty fast," Kurenai commented as she watched the spar. "Very fast actually, I think he has gotten faster since the Chunin Exams."

Shino gave an almost imperceptible nod, "It is obvious that he is going easy on Kiba-san. You can tell by the way he is prepared to leap out of the way long before Kiba-san or Akamaru can hit him."

"N-Naruto-kun has gotten r-really strong hasn't he?" Hinata said, never taking her eyes off the fight. "O-out of all the genin w-who participated in the Chunin exams N-Naruto-kun was the only o-one to get promoted," The other two said nothing but gave a silent agreement.

Back with the battle Naruto had finished analyzing the jutsu Kiba and his dog used. It was a taijutsu move much like the ones Lee and Gai had. Only this one relied on rotating one's body and using the claws that were a genetic trait of the Inuzuka clans Kekkei Genkai to become a drill and tear the flesh off of opponents. While powerful if the jutsu hit, it had a lot of weaknesses. One being that it only moved in a straight line, meaning unless you had something to bounce off of, you could only really use it once. Another was that it was slow to gather the necessary amount of rotation to generate enough power to become a drill. And the last, was the weak spot right in the very center of the drill when it came at you.

It was this weakness Naruto exploited. Waiting until the two came at him from opposite sides in the hopes of catching him off guard, Naruto crouched down and when Kiba and Akamaru were practically on top of him lashed out. He jumped into the air, spinning his body in a corkscrew, and sent a foot towards Kiba and a fist towards Akamaru. The foot smashed right into Kiba's head, stopping his forward momentum and using the generated kinetic force to launch him backwards. Akamaru had the same effect, but being much smaller it was not as pronounced.

"Ouch! What the hell! How come I can't hit you!" Kiba growled as he rubbed his head.

Naruto looked at him for a second before shrugging, "Your jutsu depends on several conditions to be met before it becomes ideal for use. The first is you have to be faster than your opponent. The second is you have to catch your opponent in a position where he can't use the weak spot I just hit."

"And the third?" Kurenai interrupted with her own question as she and the other two Genin came on the field.

"There is no third; so long as those two conditions are met the jutsu should work just fine."

Kiba glared at the blond a bit before sighing, "Since when did you get so smart?"

Naruto gave Kiba a grin, "I've always been smart, everyone else was just too stupid to notice."

_**'**__**Lies.'**_

_'__Aww, c'mon Kyuu-chan! Do you have to ruin it for me?'_

Kyuubi's laughter passed through his mind, _**'Yes.'**_

_'__Spoilsport.'_

Naruto shut off his mental conversation and grinned at the members of team eight, "So who wants to spar next? Or perhaps all three of you should give it a go!"

* * *

Naruto grinned as he walked off the training field an hour later, leaving three unconscious Genin and an exasperated Kurenai behind. As he made his way into Konoha proper he never noticed a small figure following him.

Hyuuga Hanabi watched as the blond who had defeated Neji and nearly won the entire Chunin Exam walked down the street. Much like her sister had before her, the young white-eyed girl had taken to following the whiskered blond around, studying him the way one would study a science experiment.

She continued to follow the blond as he passed around a corner, only to stop when Naruto seemingly disappeared.

"Is there a reason you're stalking me?"

"Kya!" Hanabi let out an undignified shriek as she spun around and saw Naruto standing behind her with an amused expression. The young Hyuuga did her best to gain her lost dignity as she glared at the blond, though that only served to increase said blonds amusement.

"You know if you're going to stalk someone you should do it properly," Naruto tilted his head to the side as he gave the girl a smirk. "I knew you were following me the moment I left the training field." When the girl continued her glare Naruto sighed, "Look, are you gonna stare at me all day or are you gonna tell me why you were stalking me?"

Hanabi flushed but was determined not to let the obnoxious blond get to her, at least not anymore then he already had. "I was not stalking you as you so succinctly put it," she claimed with a huff.

"Oh?" Naruto raised an eyebrow, "So what would you call trying to tail someone without letting them know you following them?"

Hanabi blushed again but it soon turned into a scowl as she glared at him. "You defeated Neji-nee-san," she said, completely ignoring his question.

Naruto blinked as she stared at the girl curiously, "You're related to Neji? Well, of course you are with those eyes. So, how are you related to him?"

Hanabi's right eyebrow twitched, "Obviously, I'm his cousin."

"I see," Naruto nodded, "and you're stalking me because I kicked his ass and you're upset."

"I am not upset!" Hanabi growled as she began to lose her 'Hyuuga cool.'

"Uh huh and I suppose red is your natural facial color," Naruto stated as he looked at the girls red face.

Hanabi's face began to take on a shade of purple as she stared at the blond who was mocking her. She looked like she was just about to explode, or implode, whichever came first. However, she did none of that as she seemed to take a hold of herself and her face regained its Hyuuga look.

"I don't know how an idiot like you managed to beat Neji-nee-san," Hanabi mumbled under her breath. However it was loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"Well if you'd like to find out how I beat Neji, you're welcome to try and find out Firecracker," Naruto smirked as he saw Hanabi's face change colors again.

"What did you call me?" Hanabi asked with a cold glare.

Naruto grinned, "Firecracker, you've got such a feisty attitude I figured the name suited you. Why? Don't you like the name little Firecracker?"

"Don't. Call. Me. That!" Hanabi ground out, punctuating each word.

Naruto just laughed, "Yeah, not gonna happen Firecracker." The blond gave the girl a condescending pat on the head. When Hanabi tried to Juuken strike him the blond disappeared in a swirl of leaves, reappearing right behind her. "Boo!"

"Kya!" Hanabi yelled as she spun around in shock, she had not been using her Byakugan so she had not realized Naruto had reappeared behind her.

"So are your eyes defective or something?" asked Naruto, picking out his ear with his pinky. "Cuz Neji wouldn't have been caught by surprise had I done that."

"I didn't have them on," Hanabi ground her teeth.

"Well, maybe you should turn them," suggested Naruto. "That way I won't feel as bad when I humiliate you."

"RAH!" Hanabi shouted as her Byakugan turned on and she charged Naruto.

_A frontal assault? _Naruto mentally questioned himself. _Is she serious? Even at my dumbest I would never have done something like that against a superior opponent._

Of course, like always, Kyuubi decided to make herself known with a condescending remark. _**'Yes you would have.'**_

'_Kyuu-chan, why are you always so cruel?'_ asked Naruto as he dodged several Juuken strikes, got behind Hanabi and knocker her out with a chop to the neck. He picked her up before she could fall and began hopping onto the buildings.

'_**Just making sure you don't get a big head,'**_she commented idly. _**'So what are you gonna do with her?'**_

'_Just drop her off at the Hyuuga compound,'_ he said.

* * *

Naruto looked over at the eager weapons user in front of him and could not help but smile at the way she was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Since you're so excited I believe we should begin," Reaching into his left kunai holster he pulled out a small slip of paper. He held it out to Tenten, "I'm sure you know what this is."

"Of course," Tenten nodded as she grabbed the slip of paper and began channeling some chakra into it. When she did the entire slip crumbled into dust.

"Hmmm it looks like your element is Earth," Naruto murmured, "I myself am not an Earth-user, however I managed to gain some scrolls for all of the elements in case you were one that I wasn't."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "This is actually a good element for you since you're a weapons user you tend to focus more on long range and offense, whereas the Earth element is a mainly defensive element."

Naruto pulled a scroll out of his cloak and tossed it to Tenten, "That scroll contains the first exercise needed to train your element as well as three basic jutsu I want you to learn. I'll be here if you need help but since I don't know much about your element it will be best to try and figure this out on your own as much as possible."

"I got'cha," Tenten said as she looked at the scroll. She looked up at Naruto for a moment before embracing him, "thank you Naruto-kun."

Naruto felt his face get a little warm, but that did not stop him from returning the girls hug, "Your welcome Ten-chan."

While Tenten began trying to turn a leaf into dust Naruto created several dozen Kage Bunshin and began to spar.

He slipped down low as one of his clones through a punch, grabbing the arm and throwing his clone into another one, causing them both to dispel. Spinning on the balls of his feet he kicked a clone in the face, however, it disappeared and was replaced with a log. Naruto was so shocked to see one of his clones using the Kawarimi that he ended up getting a fist smashed into his face.

"Alright! That does it!" Naruto shouted as he began to go all out on his clones. The battle soon degenerated into a free for all as all the Naruto's did their best to kill each other. Soon enough Naruto had several large rips in his clothes and was bleeding from numerous wounds, his clones really weren't holding back.

"GAH!"

All of the battling blonds stopped and turned to look at Tenten, who looked constipated as she stared at the leaf in her hands.

"Having some issues, Ten-chan?" asked Naruto, startling the girl so badly she threw the leaf up in the air.

"I can't get this stupid leaf to turn into dust," Tenten said with a large pout on her face.

"Aw, don't you look cute with that pout on your face," teased Naruto.

"S-shut up," Tenten mumbled as a blush spread across her face.

"Anyway, try this," he said, kneeling down and grabbing a leaf from the ground. "When I use my element I often think of my wind chakra as two sharp blades grinding against each other to create a finely honed point." The leaf within Naruto's hand split in half down the center.

"Your element is earth, and your exercise is to turn the leaf into dust, I would think that imagining the grainy feel of texture and dust would help you with this exercise."

"You think that will work?" asked Tenten, staring at the new leaf in her hand.

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged, "as I said, I'm not an earth element. I'm just guessing here, but it may help."

Tenten took a deep breath and closed her eyes again, feeling and focusing her chakra. Naruto gave her what encouragement he could, and while she did not manage to turn a leaf into dust, she did manage to dry a leaf out a little bit.

* * *

(A few days later…)

Naruto entered the weapon shop owned by Tenten's father and was able to easily spot said girl sitting at the counter in the back.

"Hey Ten-chan!"

Tenten looked up as the door to her father's shop opened and smiled as Naruto came in, "Hey Naruto-kun! Is there something I can do for you? Or is this just a social visit?"

"A little of both actually," Naruto grinned as he walked up to the register that Tenten was sitting at. "I'm leaving tomorrow for some kind of mission, Tsunade-baa-chan wouldn't tell me what it was. I think I pissed her off when I drank nearly five human sized containers of Mount Myoboku sake without her."

"You really shouldn't call Tsunade-sama by such rude names," Tenten frowned at the blond. She was on the fence of being mad at him for calling her idol such a name, and finding his use of such a derogatory name funny. "And you really shouldn't have drunken all that sake."

Naruto gave a half assed shrug as he grinned, "It's a term of endearment Ten-chan. I called the Sandaime Ojisan, I call Jiraiya Ero-sennin, therefore Tsunade is baa-chan."

Tenten just sighed, "Whatever."

"Yeah anyways. So I suppose first we should get to business," Naruto set the weights he had gotten when he first became a Genin on the desk. "I need to get new weights."

"Why? What's wrong with these ones," She frowned in thought. "These are some of the most durable equipment we have Naruto-kun. They're supposed to last for years."

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he gained a sheepish expression, "Well I kinda reached the maximum amount of weight these things possess. So…"

As the blond trailed of Tenten's eyes widened, "You've already reached the maximum weight limit! Naruto, the maximum amount of weights for these things are two hundred pounds! Each!" There is no way he could have reached that level of weight in just under six months, not even Lee had increased his weights that much in that short a time! It was simply wasn't possible, was it?

"Tenten. Are you forgetting?" Naruto placed a hand on his stomach causing her to flush with embarrassment. She had been told about the benefits of being Kyuubi's container, one of which was the regeneration of his muscles, causing them to be nearly twice as strong each time he ripped them.

"Right, I forgot," Tenten came out from behind the counter and went over to the sections with the weights. Looking at a few different sets she chose the one she felt would work best for Naruto, "This is the best selection of weights we have in stock."

Tenten handing Naruto the box before she opened it up and took one out; unlike his other weights, which actually looked like weights, these ones were dark red wrist and ankle bands with what Naruto recognized as weight seals on them.

"They use a seal to increase the weight," it was a statement.

"That's right," Tenten nodded. "Unlike our other weights that use a chakra conducive, lightweight metal, these ones use seals. Because of this there is no actual limit to the amount of weight you can put on them. At least we have never found a limit; people have to wear them in order to activate the weights so the most we have seen added was six hundred pounds to one of them."

Naruto nodded, "I'm guessing they're expensive?"

"10000 yen," Tenten confirmed.

Naruto had never been so thankful that he had started doing exclusively C and B-ranked missions. The amount of money he had gotten had nearly tripled, giving him a nice sum of cash that he had saved up. It also helped that his two Kage Bunshin Akira and Kian had also made quite a bit of money. He had even managed to get a bank account now where he put most of it away.

"That is pretty pricy, but thankfully I've got cash to spare," Naruto followed Tenten back to the register where she rang him up. After paying for the weights Naruto took a moment to put them on. When he got back up he gave the bun haired girl a smile. "And now that the business is out of the way, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me?"

Tenten's face instantly became a nice shade of red. "L-like a date?" Naruto had never actually asked her out to dinner before. The thought brought a tingling warmth to it that traveled down her spine.

Naruto, noticing the increasing hue on her face tapped his chin, "Well it doesn't have to be if you don't want it to. But if you do I would be more than happy to take you on a date."

Tenten's face seemed to light up for a second before it fell. "…I don't…will it be like last time?" When Naruto turned a confused look on her the weapons mistress elaborated, "I don't want to go somewhere where people will be rude to you because of..."

"Ah," Naruto understood what she meant as he remembered their last date had not gone well due to the waitress. That Tenten was concerned about his happiness brought a small smile to Naruto's face, "I wouldn't worry about that. I've found a place that I know won't kick me out, so if you're still interested in dinner the offer's still open."

For dinner Naruto had taken Tenten to a small but nice restaurant called the _Golden Leaf_. It was a diner style restaurant located on the outer section of Konoha's market district. The place was not fancy or anything but it was nice.

When Naruto and Tenten walked into the front door and up to the desk where the hostess stood they both noticed her stiffen. However, as Tenten began to get worried the blond surprised her when he spoke, "I would like the reserved seat under the name Fuujin please."

The blond allowed himself a small smile as he saw the widening of the hostess's eyes, no doubt having been informed about the names meaning. He also noticed that the woman gave him a smile, though it was obviously forced, "Of course, right this way."

Naruto began walking forcing Tenten to walk with him and knocking her out of her slight shock. They were eventually led to a private booth where the pair sat on opposite sides of each other, "A waiter will be with you shortly to take your orders, have a nice stay."

When the hostess walked off Tenten turned to Naruto, confusion evident on her face, "What was that about?"

Naruto chuckled a bit before explaining, "On one of my recent missions, a B-rank one where the team I was on had to eradicate a small nest of bandits and missing ninja, I managed to find and rescue a woman by the name of Okawa Kikyo who had been captured while traveling. Turns out she's a citizen of Konoha and had been on a trip to find rare ingredients from other countries in order to spice up the menu of this restaurant."

Tenten blinked as the words registered in her mind, "So I take it she's the owner of this shop?"

"No, her husband is the owner, while she works the menu," Naruto smiled a bit. "When Kikyo-san told her husband about how I rescued her I guess he just had a change in heart, because the next thing I knew he had found me after I had been returning from a mission and told me that if I ever wanted a place to eat, I was welcome here."

"I see," Tenten smiled. "That's actually kind of cool. So what about the name Fuujin? What was up with that?"

"Oh that," Naruto gave a dismissive wave. "I didn't want them to lose customers because of me, so he created this private booth. Fuujin is the alias I came up with for when I want to dine here. Since my elemental chakra is wind natured I thought it would be a good idea since Fuujin means Wind God."

Tenten covered her mouth to hide a small laugh, "A little grandiose of a name, don't you think?"

Naruto gave a pout as he crossed his arms, "I wanted something cool, that and I couldn't think of anything else."

This time Tenten let out a rather loud laugh, causing Naruto to puff up her cheeks comically, "It's not funny!" However, this only seemed to make the girl laugh that much harder.

She managed to calm down in time to deliver her order when the waiter came, and after that the two made some more small talk. Most of their discussion was centered on various new weapon designs the two were trying to come up with.

Naruto, having for the most part turned away from pranks with only his sarcasm and occasional torturing of Sasuke and Sakura being the closest thing that could be considered as such, had put his pranking mind to other uses. One of those had been to help Tenten design new weapons or improve old ones. They had come up with several different weapons, a few of which Tenten's father was in the process of making and a few that were unfeasible for the moment and had been put on the shelf.

After dinner they had walked around one of Konoha's parks before Naruto escorted Tenten home, getting a kiss on the cheek good night, much to Kaito's, who had been watching from inside the shop, disgruntlement. After that Naruto went home, knowing that he would need a good night's rest for whatever mission he had to go on tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning Naruto found his way into the Hokage tower. He paused and thought for a moment, should he go through the front door, or the window? Making a decision he channeled some chakra through his feet and jumped up all the way to the window to the Hokage's office. "Good morning baa-chan!" Naruto greeted, ducking under an empty jar of sake.

"Good morning brat/Hey what's up brat!"

Naruto blinked when he heard the other familiar voice in the room, "Anko-nee-chan?" A grin worked its way on his face as he saw the purplette. "Hey! What's up? Am I going on the mission with you?"

"Yes you are," Tsunade interrupted before Anko could say anything, causing said woman to pout. "You guys have two more people who are going to be going with you. We just need to wait for them."

As if on cue the door opened and two people walked in, "Hokage-sama, Izumo and Kotetsu reporting for a mission."

"Izumo? Kotetsu?" Naruto looked at the pair as he scratched his head, "You two are finally getting away from your gate guarding duty?"

The pair looked over at him before grinning, "Hey Naruto." Kotetsu scratched his cheek with his index finger. "I guess we are. A good thing too, I was getting bored guarding that damned gate all day every day."

"I don't see how you can complain," Izumo shook his head. "Guard duty is an important job. We're protecting the citizens of Konoha every day, you should be proud of that."

"Is that what you tell yourself to go to sleep at night," Naruto grinned at the brown haired Chunin. "Seriously dude, I don't know how you people can sit there day in and day out. The monotony must be killer."

"Ahem," Tsunade coughed into her hand to get everyone's attention. "Now that I have your attention." The busty blond woman tossed a scroll to Anko. "Your mission is to escort and guard the Daimyo of Kiba No Kuni (Land of Claws) to Tatsu No Kuni (Land of Iron) and then guard him during a negotiation process he is having with the Daimyo of Ta No Kuni."

"Isn't Tatsu No Kuni that Samurai nation?" Naruto commented as he tapped his chin and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "The one that's managed to maintain its autonomy through all three great shinobi wars?"

"So a B-rank then?" Anko pocketed the scroll. "Well it's not exactly what I had in mind, but I suppose it will do."

"Actually due to the oddity of this mission it will be considered A-rank," Tsunade corrected, getting Anko to turn back to her. "You see the Daimyo from Ta No Kuni has hired bodyguards from Kumo. As you know it's something of an oddity to have two different ninja villages on the same mission, and while we are not on unfriendly terms with Kumo anymore, I certainly would not call us friends either."

Anko hummed for a moment, "I suppose that makes sense. Still I can't see anything going wrong."

"There are a lot things that can go wrong on a mission like this," Naruto gave the woman a smirk. "I mean you're going on this mission right?"

"Oh ho, looks like the brat's grown a pair since he became a big bad Chunin," Anko grinned, licking her lips a tad. "Looks like when we get back I'm gonna have to take you down a peg or two."

Naruto gave a grin to match the purple haired snake summoner, "You think you can still beat me like you used to? You're welcome to try, just don't complain when I kick your ass six ways to Sunday."

"Ha! We both know that you're a thousand years to soon to beat me."

"You know you keep lengthening the amount of years it's gonna take me to beat you every time you say that. You must be in need of an ego boost if you're expanding your yearly limit like that."

Tsunade received several tic marks on her head as she continued listening to the two bickering, and a part of her wondered if it was a good idea to send them on a mission. Meanwhile Izumo and Kotetsu were looking back and forth between the pair, placing bets on who would win this war with words.

"Oh for the love of- Will you two shut up!" Tsunade shouted, her anger getting the better of her as she threw a paperweight at Naruto and a sake bottle at Anko.

Both of them ducked under the thrown objects and turned to look at Tsunade, "Sorry about that boss lady/ baa-chan."

Tsunade rubbed her head as she felt a serious headache coming on from the pair, "Just go…your employer will be at the North gate within the next two hours."

"Alright! Everyone get your shit together and meet by the North gate in two hours!" Anko shouted, raising her fist in the air.

"I'll see you all then, Later Baa-chan!" Naruto grinned as he towards the open window and jumped out. The others left in their own way, Anko shaking her head and leaving in a Sunshin while Kotetsu and Izumo left through the door.

Tsunade sighed and pulled out a bottle of sake, "maybe it was a mistake to let those two take a mission together."

* * *

"Curse that damned brat!" Orochimaru cried out, taking deep heaving breaths as the pain in his arms and now his whole body felt like it was on fire, "Damn him! I'll kill that stupid blond Genin the next time I see him!"

"Orochimaru-sama you must calm down," Kabuto entered the room, frowning at the way his master was thrashing about. "If you keep moving so much you're going to injure yourself even more."

"Kabuto-kun, what have you found out for me?" Orochimaru gasped as he ignored his subordinate's words.

"Not much I'm afraid," Kabuto pulled out a scroll and unsealed the files from it. "This was all I could get, and there was nothing here on Naruto. It seems all information on him is kept completely confidential. Only the Hokages themselves can access those files and with the Sandaime gone…"

"The next one in line is to be Tsunade, and I doubt she would let me look at them," Orochimaru finished Kabuto's sentence in a murmur, his mind working at the possibilities that this new information might hold. "And what of Sasuke-kun?"

"It seems we have some more troubles here as well," Kabuto pushed up his glasses before looking at the information that had been given to him by Orochimaru's mutually beneficial partner. "It seems that Naruto managed to combined two Fuja Hoin seals together to create a more powerful seal. I am sure you have noticed that you can barely even feel the power of the curse mark you placed on him."

Orochimaru nodded, "Yes I had been wondering about that. After finding out that blond brat managed to get rid of his own, I tried connecting to Sasuke's only to feel just a small pulse. Are you telling me that in addition to getting rid of his own seal, he also managed to completely seal off Sasuke-kun's?" The thought left a bad taste in the Snake Sannin's mouth and served to aggravate him further.

"Well not completely, as you said you have been able to feel small twinges from the seal," Kabuto said.

"Hmmm…" Orochimaru frowned as he tried to sort things through. If the seal was closed off as much as he thought it was, then controlling Sasuke from here would be a problem. However, by that same token he knew that there was no feasible way to get him out of the village. Even if he came willingly they would still have to deal with that blond brat, and Orochimaru was not willing to waste valuable resources until he was sure he could procure Sasuke. "For the now there is nothing we can do about Sasuke-kun, not until we find some way to slip him out of Konoha without anyone's notice." The pale skinned man paused. "I want you to gather a list of our shinobi who are not listed in Konoha's registry."

"What do you plan to do Orochimaru-sama?" asked Kabuto.

"Kukuku, you'll see Kabuto-kun, you'll see."

* * *

Omake: What happens in the Forest of Death, stays in the Forest of Death:

Naruto entered one of the deeper and more secluded sections of the Forest of Death after having just gotten back from a C rank mission with Team Ten while Asuma had gone out on another mission. They had gone on a routine reconnaissance mission that had ended with them being forced to terminate a small group of bandits. Despite the minor setback of some douche bags that thought they could take on a group of ninja, the mission had gone off without a hitch.

And now Naruto had some important business to take care of.

"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"

There was a large puff of smoke before Gamabunta appeared within the clearing, **"Eh? Oh it's you. What do you want brat?"**

Naruto grinned at the toad boss, "I remember you saying something about needing to have a drink with you before I can truly be your summoner."

"**Yeah, what of I-"** Gamabunta blinked before he realized what was going on. He gave a low chuckle, which due to his size made the ground shake a bit, **"In that case I'll need you to summon me back in a few minutes while I get the sake."**

Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke while Naruto prepared the seal that, if he was correct in his theory, would allow him to turn off his regeneration and actually get drunk.

* * *

Sometime during the night Team nine had been assigned a mission inside the village, one that was ranked as C-rank due to the place the mission was taking them. Apparently there were some rather odd noises coming from the Forest of Death and no one knew what to make of them. Because Mitarashi Anko was currently away on a mission, it was obvious she was not the reason for this disturbance and some were afraid it may be enemy shinobi or some scavengers of some kind.

It was not quite a well-known fact that Naruto often frequented the place. Out of all the people who knew him, only Tenten and Anko herself knew that the blond trained in the Forest. However, since Tenten knew that there were many things in the forest and the reports claimed it was odd noises that sounded like croaking, she figured it could not possibly be Naruto and thus remained silent.

Gai was in front of the formation, being the one who led the team especially when they were in a potentially dangerous place. He was followed closely by Neji who was their spotter with his Byakugan, and he in turn was flanked by Tenten and Lee. Normally having such a high level mission within the village would have excited the normally excitable Lee. However, given their present circumstances and where they were going even he knew to be cautious, "Neji-kun, can you spot anything yet?"

"Not yet," Neji shook his head while they traveled. "Whatever it is we're tracking it's far out of my range. Where did Hokage-sama say the noise was coming from exactly?"

"She did not know," Gai answered. "Since few ever venture into the Forest of Death the noise was only heard from the outside. No one has any clue where the noise comes from."

"Well I don't hear any noise now," Tenten commented. "All I hear is-wait! Do you hear that?"

They all stopped and listened and found that they could indeed hear something, though it was too far away and garbled to determine what. "I believe it is coming from the northeast," Gai placed an ear on the ground. "Neji activate your Byakugan and let's head in that direction."

Neji did as told and the group was on the move once again. As they got closer to the source the group began to hear the sound far more clearly and realized what it was.

It was singing.

Neji who had his Byakugan active saw something up ahead, "I see something ahead of us. It looks like a-" his eyes widened in surprise and he face-faulted, causing the others to stop.

"Yosh! Neji-kun are you ok? Did you trip over a most un-youthful root or something?" Lee looked around for something that his eternal rival might have tripped over.

Neji ignored them as he began speeding over to the direction of the singing. The others quickly followed him, being forced to catch up. When they finally did they were in the clearing and found a very surprising and very shocking sight.

Ten large barrels of what the group easily guessed held sake, judging by the stench in the clearing, were littered around the area. Sitting near the bottles was one very large and very drunk, toad. Even more surprising was that Naruto was also there, sitting right next to the Gamabunta and he too looked rather wasted. Both Naruto and Gamabunta had a large human-sized saucer right in front of them, and both were singing…pirate songs.

**"****Sixteen men on a dead man's chest…"**

"Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me!"

"Shot/**Shot!"**

The pair picked up the saucers in front of them and began guzzling down the saucers of sake. It was a great surprise to see that Naruto seemed to be keeping pace with the large toad, though there was a little bit of overspill since the saucer was just too big for his mouth so a bit, quite a bit of the sake would slosh over the side. Not that he seemed to care that some of it was drenching his clothes. The pair set there saucers down and laughed. Right before they started singing again.

"Gai-sensei, these two are doing some most youthful singing I have ever heard in my life!" Lee exclaimed as tears ran down his eyes, "I must join them in this youthful excursion and fan my own flames with my youthful singing voice!" Lee ran over to them and began to sing, causing both Naruto and Gamabunta to look at Lee before looking at each other, shrugged and began singing again.

The other three merely watched this…odd sight with weariness, curiosity and embarrassment respectively.

"Um…Gai-sensei," When Gai turned to look at Tenten she continued. "Now that I'm pretty sure we found the disturbance, what do we do?"

"You know Tenten-chan, I'm not sure."

**I'm giving credit of the Gamabunta scene to Kenchi's Sealed Kunai, I got the idea from one of the chapters where Naruto confronted Bunta about his father, and another scene where Team Ten found him training in the Forest and decided to twist it and have them find him while drinking with the large toad boss. That's why I have it as an Omake rather than an actual scene in the story.**

**A/N: I would also like to apologize for my long absence, I'm nearing the end of my time in college, so I'm finding myself busy as hell trying to get my portfolio done, let me tell you it's been a real pain the ass. **

**Despite this I am back, sort of, updates will be sporadic unless I have a spark of genius like the one that spawned the first thirty-two chapters of this story. However, I will do my best to give once a month updates at least, that's a promise of a lifetime, dattebayo!**

**I can't believe I just said that…**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: So here we go… I don't own Naruto. I know, its shocking, its horrendous, it's the most god awful thing you've ever heard… but it's true.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**Chapter 34: I'm a Rappin' Man Fool!**

* * *

The trip from Konoha to Tatsu No Kuni was for the most part, boring in the opinion of our blond hero. Due to the fact that the person they were escorting was a Daimyo, a rather portly man with slicked back black hair and a mustache, they were forced to carry a Jiao, a human powered transport that required four people to lift a portable chair, bed or room by holding onto the poles at their sides or on their shoulders.

This one was covered up by a set of royal blue veils with golden designs running along them. Inside sat the Daimyo of Kiba No Kuni, whom they could only see the silhouette of. Thankfully, Naruto had created Kage Bunshins to carry the Jiao, allowing everyone to set themselves up around it as they walked.

During that time Naruto had taken to speaking with Anko and the two perennial gate keepers. In that time he had gotten to know the two very well, and had also managed to gain great joy out of scaring the holy hell out of them with Anko. He was glad to see that the two Chunin gate guards actually seemed to like him, unlike some of the Chunin and Jonin he had been forced to work with, though the number of ninja actually hating him was surprisingly small.

Naruto was actually very interested in seeing Tatsu No Kuni. Having been forced to do a lot of studying after he graduated, Naruto had read much on the geography and history of various countries of the Elemental Nations. Tatsu No Kuni, while holding no Shinobi village was said to have the most powerful Samurai force within the Elementals. It was due to this reason that the country had been able to remain Autonomous throughout all three of the great shinobi wars, and had an alliance with all nations that made it so when any nation attacked them; the others would have to come to its aid.

While Naruto knew not to expect a fight or anything in the nation, he had high hopes that he could at the very least get a chance to see the countries Samurai forces.

When the group arrived in Tatsu No Kuni and was allowed entrance, they walked through the streets and managed to reach the hotel the Daimyo had booked in advance. Unfortunately they had not been given rooms and so Anko had been forced to get a few rooms in a much cheaper hotel, a few blocks away.

"Alright, since we're here I'm gonna allow us to take a load off," Anko turned to the three Chunin. "I want two people staying outside the Daimyo's room at all times." Anko grinned as she looked at Kotetsu and Izumo, who felt a shiver crawl down their spines, "And since you two are so good at guarding, I've decided that you're getting first watch."

"Wha-"

The two chunin barely had time to speak before Anko had grabbed Naruto's arms and began dragging him out of the hotel lobby, "Come along brat. We're getting some dango."

Izumo looked over at his partner, "Did she just dump us with guard duty?"

"Looks like it," Kotetsu said with an imperceptible nod.

"Man this sucks!"

* * *

Anko grinned as she looked at Naruto around a mouthful of dango, "Nothing better than dango and red bean soup, eh brat?"

Naruto took a sip of his sake, sighing contentedly before he set it down and looked at Anko, "Well I won't deny that I rather enjoy a good platter of dango every once in a while. But I must confess to liking ramen much more."

"You just don't know how to enjoy the finer things in life," Anko shoved another stick of dango in her mouth. "There is nothing better than dango."

"Obviously you have yet to realize that ramen is a far better dish than dango. After all, what can beat a food that has been gifted to us by the gods? Nothing! That's what! And once you taste the delectable noodles and smelled the heavenly aroma from the broth, you will realize that dango cannot compare to ramen."

Anko narrowed her eyes at Naruto as their age old battle seemed to come to the fore, "It seems you're still not budging on this. I thought I had taught you better, but it seems like you need more lessons in order to understand that your noodly dish is nothing but a-"

The purplette was cut off from speaking when a dark skinned boy a few years older than Naruto crashed into their table, knocking it over and spilling Anko's dango all over the floor. The boy groaned as he got up and Naruto saw that he had spiky white-blond hair and red eyes. He was wearing gray pants and a gray hoody with a Kumo flak jacket over it as well as a Kumo headband on his forehead. The blond also took the time to notice that he had a long katana strapped to his back.

A few seconds later a young dark skinned girl the same age as the dark skinned boy came stomping out of a restaurant. She had long red hair and amber eyes. She had a bandana style head band, a gray short sleeved long dress, a Kumo flak jacket and a katana on her back.

The dark skinned boy rubbed his bruised cheek as he looked at his female companion, "What was that for Karui, I didn't do anything."

The now named Karui angrily shook her fist as she glared at him, "Didn't do anything! You keep on running that over reactive brain of yours! If I have to hear you overanalyze something stupid like why grain sake tastes different then rice sake one more time I'm gonna make sure you can't sit straight for a week!"

Throughout this little exchange between the two Kumo ninja, Anko had been deathly still as she stared at her knocked over dango. She soon began to shake, something that the two dark skinned ninja were unfortunate enough not to notice. In Konoha there were a few things about Anko that one learned to never do. The first was to never call her any derogatory names unless you were on her good side, this was something most of Konoha's civilian populace found out early on when a woman had called her a snake whore for a traitor and was seen in the hospital later that day with snake bites all over her body and her nipples looking like they had been bitten off. The second was don't ever try to get in her pants, despite rumors Anko was very selective when it came to who she slept with. The last man who had tried and couldn't take a hint had his balls bitten by a venomous snake and could no longer even get it up, much less reproduce.

The last and most important rule about Anko was never, ever, mess with her Dango.

"But all I said was- GAH!" The dark skinned boy suddenly found himself being constricted by several snakes that had wrapped around his torso and began constricting him. The snakes lifted him into the air and brought him face to face with a very pissed, Anko.

"I hope you're ready to feel a lot of pain brat," Anko gave the boy a sweet grin that spoke of unspeakable horrors and made the dark skinned boy shiver in fright. "Because these snakes of mine are going give you the worst case of blue balls you'll ever see for what you did to my precious dango."

Karui seeing her teammate in danger put a hilt on her sword only for Naruto to step in front of her and shake his head, "What the hell do you think you're doing blondie! Get out of the way or I'll-"

"I suggest you stop talking while you're ahead," Naruto interrupted as he sent a small dose of killing intent Karui's way to shut her up. "If you even try something I can guarantee Anko will just make you suffer with him." He gave the dark skinned girl a grin, "Fortunately for you I know how to handle situations like this, so just stay out of the way and I'll get your friend out of the shit he piled on himself."

Naruto walked over to Anko who was torturing the poor boy by constricting her snake around him. He sighed, knowing this was going to be troublesome but also knowing that it was the only way to get her to stop from killing the Kumo ninja. He channeled chakra into his gauntlet, activating his claws as he slashed the snakes and forced them to dispel. Before the snake summoning Jonin could react Naruto was in front of her, hands on her face as he forced her to look at him, "Anko-nee-chan, what have I told you about attacking others for no reason." He gave her a chiding look that one would expect a parent to give to a child.

Anko did not appreciate the look at all, "No reason! NO REASON! That son of a bitch spilt my dango! How can you even think such blasphemous thoughts! My dango is ruined because of him. My poor poor dango…"

_Oh geez, what the hell?_ Naruto sighed as the woman actually had tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. It was often depressing to see just how much she loved the sweet dish. Trying to resist muttering a quick troublesome he gave Anko a hug and gently patted her back. "There, there Anko, it will be alright. I'll give you some money to buy some more dango."

"But… but…"

"I'll have a kage bunshin give your dango a proper funeral too," Naruto interrupted, already knowing what she wanted to do from previous experience. The last time this had happened she had a funeral service for her dango and had forced Naruto to attend, her eulogy speech had been nearly an hour long and the blond Hanyou had been hard pressed not to fall asleep.

Naruto pulled back and gave his Jonin leader some money, "Go buy some more Dango while I talk to these nice Kumo ninja."

Anko growled at the mention of the Kumo ninja but did as told. She grabbed the money and went back into the dango stand, but not before giving the boy who had been sucker punched into their table another growl.

"I swear she's such a baby when it comes to her dango," Naruto sighed as he created a Kage Bunshin to throw away the dango before Anko got back, then he walked up to the dark skinned Kumo shinobi. "I apologize for my friend's behavior, um…"

"Omoi," The boy answered as he popped a sucker in his mouth. "I appreciate the rescue um…"

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto," Omoi greeted with a nod of his head.

"What the hell was that about?" Karui decided to but in.

Naruto turned to her and gave a sheepish smile, "My Jonin leader is a bit…eccentric and often times violent when people mess with her favorite food… among other things." The blond looked at the two of them before he remembered a piece of information about the mission, "Are you guys the bodyguards for the Daimyo of Ta No Kuni?"

"How did you know that?" Omoi asked with a slight narrowing of his eyes. "Are you here to try and gather information on our mission to make assassination attempt on the Daimyo? Maybe you want to make Kumo look bad so Konoha gets more business. Or perhaps you want to try and find out more about Kumo by befriending us and asking about the mission and then you'll try to steal our secrets. Or maybe…"

Naruto blinked as the man came up with more and more intricate plans on why he would ask about their bodyguard detail, which also began to sound more and more ludicrous as time wore on. Naruto looked back at Karui and hiked a thumb at Omoi, "Does he always overthink like this?"

Karui sighed in a depressed manner, "Yes, always." She blinked before narrowing his eyes at the blond, "Though I do have to wonder why you were asking about something like our mission. You can't honestly think we would tell someone about that when they're not even from our village."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Because I'm one of the escorts for the Daimyo of Kiba No Kuni. And that means we're going to be partners on this mission."

Karui blinked and was about to say something when another voice spoke up, "Karui, Omoi, what are you two doing with this Konoha ninja?"

The three turned to see another girl about a year or two older than Naruto. She had light blond hair that stopped roughly around the shoulders and like him had blue eyes, though hers were icy compared to his warmer colored ones. She was wearing a low cut short skirt outfit with mesh armor underneath, and a short sword strapped horizontally across her lower back and what looked like a modified Kumo flak jacket that wrapped around her lower torso. Not that Naruto couldn't see why, the woman chest was huge!

_Holy shit! I think her chest is as large as Baa-chan's! _He thought, doubting that a flak jacket actually existed in her size.

With much effort he kept his eyes on hers, "Your friends got into a bit of trouble with my Jonin leader when Omoi here, knocked our table over and spilled her Dango on the floor. He was actually lucky that situations like this are fairly common and I was able to get him out of having his balls being eaten by her snakes." Omoi paled a bit at the thought, though Naruto was too busy focusing on the blond before him to notice.

The woman looked over at Omoi with a cool expression and upon seeing him nod she turned back to Naruto, "I suppose some thanks are warranted Mr.…"

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond grinned as he held out a hand, "Please to meet you miss…"

The woman looked at it for a while before nodding and taking it, "Samui."

"Samui," Naruto grinned as he looked at the woman.

"I take it since you are from Konoha that you are with the group who has been partnered with us for this mission?" It sounded more like a statement with her, but Naruto decided to answer it anyways.

"Yep! I'm with two other Chunin and my Jonin leader. Speaking of partners, you may want your friend Omoi to leave before Anko comes back out from getting her dango."

Samui raised a delicate eyebrow but shrugged any curiosity she may have felt off and turned to Omoi, "That is fine, I was actually coming here to get these two. Omoi, Karui, Kirabi-sensei wanted you two back for your shift."

"Hai Samui-taicho!" The pair said before hustling off.

"Samui-taicho?" Naruto looked amused by the title.

Samui looked at him cooly and Naruto had to admit to being impressed by her somewhat blank stare. The woman was as cool as a cucumber, "I am the one who is in charge when Kirabi-sensei is not around." She replied, deciding that there was no harm in informing him of something trivial like that, it's not like it was something that he could use against them and he would find out soon enough.

"That's cool. I wish I could get a kick ass title like that. Something like Uzumaki-sama, or Naruto-sempai," The blond shinobi sighed when his words did not get a rise out of the woman.

"I see… well it was nice meeting you Uzumaki-san, I will most likely see you again tomorrow when the negotiations are likely to begin," Feeling there was nothing left to say Samui turned around and followed the two dark skinned chunin.

* * *

The next morning Naruto and the rest of the team he was on made their way to the meeting room that had been given to the Daimyo's so they could have their meeting. As they made their way there, he caught sight of the group from Kumo whom he had seen yesterday. Only this time their fourth member, and likely their Jonin leader was there.

The man was large and muscular dark skinned man with whitish blond hair. On his shoulder was a tattoo with the kanji for Tatsu, and on his right cheek was a tattoo of bull horns. He wore oval shaped sunglasses and a white head band. He had a modified Kumo flak jacket that only had one strap going over his right shoulder, a red rope tied around his waist, white hand bands and a white scarf around his neck. The thing that caught Naruto's attention the most were the seven swords strapped to his back.

As the Konoha ninja walked up the Kumo ninja seemed to notice and turned to look at them. However, they did not give any greetings until the Kiba No Kuni Daimyo stepped into the meeting room where the Ta No Kuni Daimyo was already waiting.

"I take it your our partners in this mission, it will be nice workin with you people, I hope it can be work together without any dissin," The large dark skinned man said as he stepped forward.

Anko blinked at the man's strange way of talking but tried her best to shrug it off, "… right. Well, I guess since we're going to be working together we should do some introductions."

"Right you are little lady, and since an intro is a necessity, I'll we'll go first so you'll know who is with me," The man grinned at them all as he pointed to himself. "I am the one who is known to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, I go by many names but you can call me Kirabi."

Samui sighed as she stepped forward, "I am Samui, and the two behind me are Omoi and Karui."

"Oh yessss," Anko purred, sounding similar to a snake as she looked at Omoi who gulped. "I remember you _very_ well."

Before the situation could go anywhere Naruto stepped forward, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He grinned at group. "Though, your students already know me. Anyways, the crazy lady who looks like she's about to eat your student Omoi alive is Anko, and the other two are Kotetsu and Izumo."

Killer Bee looked at Naruto before smiling, "Uzumaki Naruto huh? You know I saw your battles in the Chunin exams, you were killer, dynomite! I must say your battles were really out of sight!"

"You were at the Chunin Exams?" Naruto asked as he got a nod from the man, "Wait, Kirabi? Do you mean YOU'RE Killer Bee!"

"That's right I am Eight-O, Mr. Nine," Killer Bee said while the other six people there looked confused. "So did a certain kitty cat tell you that?"

Naruto was easily able to figure out who he was referring to and grinned, "She did mention you several times, saying how you were the Raikage's brother and had some killer rhymes." That was a lie, Yugito hated his rhymes but she mentioned that it was a health hazard to make fun of them, at least to his face.

The statement caused several different reactions from the other ninja. With the Konoha ninja it was slight fear at hearing that they were with the Raikage's brother, who after the battle in Konoha was over, became known as a Jinchuuriki with perfect control over his Bijuu. For the Kumo ninja they face faulted at hearing someone else who had just rhymed like their sensei.

Killer Bee on the other hand was looking at Naruto with a large grin as he held out his fist. Realizing what the larger man wanted Naruto held out his own and bumped it with Killer Bee's, "You know our little kitty cat can't stop talkin' about you Mr. nine, she seems to be quite taken in wit' chu. Really thoughts of you seem to make her shine."

Naruto's eyes softened a bit at hearing that, "How is Yugi-chan doing by the way?"

Behind Killer Bee the three Kumo Chunin listened in with intrigued expressions, "Does this guy know Yugito-san?" asked Karui as she leaned into the other two.

"It is possible," Omoi pulled the sucker out of his mouth. "I mean she did go to Konoha for the Chunin exams. And Kirabi-sensei says this guy participated in them. Though from the way he's talking it sounds like that Uzumaki kid and Yugito-san are close."

"They are," Karui and Omoi turned to see Samui looking at Naruto with slightly narrowed eyes, as if trying to analyze the blond. "Yugito-san told me about how she met a real cutie as she called him. Though she refused to say anything else." The way they were talking she was positive that this 'Naruto' was the one Yugito would always get that dreamy look on her face when she spoke of him. This would bear further investigating.

"And so this is him?" Karui looked at the blond boy in interest.

Samui shrugged, "I would assume so."

"Man that's so cool. I can't believe Yugi-chan got promoted to Jonin right off the bat," Naruto looked disgruntled as Bee gave him that piece of information. "I wish I got promoted to Jonin."

Bee just laughed, "Take your time Mr. nine, there's no need to rush things or you may be dead before your time."

"I guess," Naruto tilted his head before turning back to Anko. "So how are we going to do this?" It took several moments for Anko to realize Naruto was talking to her, having been too busy staring at the pair of Jinchuuriki who seemed to just click, she figured it must be a Jinchuuriki thing.

When she did however, she stepped forward, "I figure that it would be a good idea for us to split up in groups of two, with a Konoha ninja and a Kumo ninja on each. That way we won't have any form of mistrust on this mission, since we'll have a member of each village to watch the other."

"I have to agree that is right, so we'll do it that way and this will help make us tight," Bee seemed to agree, in his weird, rapping way. "We'll have to split up and walk around, that way we'll cover more ground. I think it's time we get ready and pick our partners," Killer Bee looked at Anko. "Since your in charge of these Konoha fools, I'll go wit' chu, I hope that sounds cool?"

"Uhh… that's fine I suppose," Anko responded, though she was a tad freaked out by his rapping, she could only thank the high heavens he was not in green spandex.

"In that case I'll go with Samui," Naruto walked up the large breasted blond and smiled at her, "If that's alright with you?"

Samui nodded, "That is fine."

Kotetsu and Izumo ended up working alongside Karui and Omoi respectively. After that the two jonin gave the chunin their orders on where their patrols would lead them while they stayed to guard the entrance.

* * *

Naruto and Samui had ended up patrolling the left side of the meeting hall, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Honestly, Naruto did not know why the Daimyos even bothered hiring ninja for something that was so mundane. It's not like anyone was going to try to steal something of that belonged to them or hold them hostage anyways, their countries weren't all that important in the grand scheme of things. Though he knew he was probably just complaining because he was bored.

He looked over at his partner for the moment. He still did not know much about her, not that she was very talkative. The woman was about as cold as ice. He had tried making casual conversation with her but she had rebuffed all of his attempts with statements like 'talking about personal matters while on a mission is highly inappropriate' or some other crap like that. Naruto sighed as he focused more of his attention to the task at hand. No matter how boring it was he still had a job to do.

Little did Naruto know that Samui, despite her continuous rebuffs of any and all forms of communication that did not have to do with their mission, had taken to glancing at the blond out of the corner of her eyes.

_I wonder if this really is the guy who Yugito-san seemed to be talking about? _She looked him up and down as she tried to get a read on him. While she was not as good as some at reading people based off of things like movement and facial expressions as Yugito was, she had been taught how to do it. As a kunoichi that kind of thing was important for the infiltration and assassination missions they were sometimes assigned.

However, getting any kind of read on Naruto was a task in and of itself, at least now that they were actually working. Despite his attempts at conversation with her, he kept his face for the most part blank, with only the occasional boredom flickering through his eyes. Add on to that was his state of dress. Samui could not see anything other than the large black cloak he wore over his clothes and the steel toed boots. Because he was so thoroughly covered she could not even determine what kind of person he was from his walk.

_Damn it, this is so boring, _Naruto grumbled to himself. _'Hey Kyuu-chan, are you awake?'_

He heard a yawn in his mind, signifying that Kyuubi had probably been asleep, _**'What is it Naruto-kun? Something wrong?'**_

_'__Err… no. I was just bored. Sorry if I woke you.'_

Kyuubi stifled a small laugh that threatened to escape her, _**'It's perfectly alright; you know I'm always willing to make time for you. Its not like I have anything else to do in this seal,' **_She paused for a moment as she took stock of where Naruto was and what he was doing. _**'It doesn't look like you need me for anything. Is there something you want to discuss?'**_

'_Well, no. I was just-'_

_**'Bored?'**_ Kyuubi finished with a soft laugh. Naruto had to fight down an embarrassed blush at being called out on that. It seemed Kyuubi was getting to know him fairly well within the past four or so months they had started talkig. It was a definite improvement to how they had pretty much hated each other at first. _**'You don't always need to be doing something Naruto-kun. You really do need to learn how to take some time off and just relax.'**_ Even Kyuubi knew how to relax, not like there was anything else to do while she was sealed.

_'Hey! I know how to relax!'_ Naruto cried out indignantly.

_**'Oh?'**_ Naruto could almost picture the vixen in his mind raising a delicate eyebrow while giving him a small grin_**. 'When was the last time you just let yourself rest even when you didn't need to? Or the last time you went to the hot springs just because you wanted to?'**_

Had it not looked odd for him to do so, Naruto would have puffed out in cheeks in indignation. However, since Kyuubi would not see it, and Samui would probably wonder what the hell he was doing or if he had lost his mind. He simply settled to giving what amounted to a mental glare, _'I went on that date with Ten-chan didn't I? that could be considered relaxing. And what about all that time I spent with Gaara and Mari-chan in Suna when I escorted them back, huh?'_

Kyuubi frowned for a moment as Naruto mentioned Tenten and Temari. However she did not let any of what she was feeling enter her voice, _**'Your date with Tenten was just that one time. And what about your time with the blond and her Jinchuuriki brother? That was a mission wasn't it. It was kind of your job to be with them, and it's not like you would have truly been allowed to train during your stay there. And even then, you still wound up doing some form of training with Temari.'**_

Naruto pouted a bit at that but could not deny the truth of her words. Of course if he did not have to worry about a group of S ranked criminals coming after him he would probably take some time off to relax_, 'Whatever, relaxing is for pussies anyways. I'll relax when I'm dead.'_

As her fellow blond was holding a riveting conversation with his inner demon, Samui watched as various emotions played over his face; those emotions ranging from amusement and indignation among a few others. Shaking her head the blond woman tried to clear all thoughts of curiosity from her mind as she started paying more attention to her mission, _I can ask him some questions later._

* * *

A little ways away from the building, four figures stood and watched the patrolling ninja.

"So should we attack them?" asked one of the ninja, is voice raspy due to the breathing apparatus attached to his mouth.

"No… not yet, we'll wait until they drop their guard before attacking," Said the leader of their team.

"I say we just attack now," Another one of the people said. "They don't look so tough."

"We're out numbered 2 to 1, and that dark skinned man is Kumo's famed Guardian. Facing him head on is tantamount to suicide!" The leader scolded, "No, we wait until they drop their guard, then we separate whoever is guarding the Daimyos at the time from the others."

* * *

Two days came and went and the Daimyos still seemed to be having problems with whatever they were trying to hash out. Since nothing had happened to jeopardize their lives so far, and the only mildly interesting thing to happen was a pick pocket who was stupid enough to try and steal from the Kiba No Kuni Daimyo. Anko and Kirabi had decided that protection detail would be done in shifts, that way everyone could spend some time exploring the city.

Naruto grinned to himself as he walked around the city. The place was fairly large and there was a lot to explore. The blond had found all sorts of shops that sold blades of the same if not better quality then the Higarashi Weapons store. He had even indulged on a small short sword that was made of a powerful chakra conductive metal, a rarity that was only found in Tatsu No Kuni.

The blade was actually two sided unlike the standard kodachi. The hand guard was a dark blue and flared out in what looked like an odd pair of eagle wings. In the center of the guard was an eagle eye, really it was a golden orb with black dot in the center making it look like a pupil. The hilt was wrapped around in blue leather, and the pommel of the blade held an eagle claw with a clear blue gem. Naruto had learned that in the hands of a master Samurai the blade could produce powerful chakra based attacks that were on par with some A-rank jutsu.

Other than that he had just walked around, looking through the shops. He had found a small something for some of the girls he knew, figuring they would like a nice gift.

Halfway through the day Naruto had found a small café and gotten himself a cup of tea. As he was drinking his tea three people sat down at his table. Looking up the blond found himself staring at the three Kumo chunin who he was partnered with for the mission, "Can I help you?"

Samui opened her mouth to speak, however she was cut off by Karui who spoke in her usual blunt fashion, "How the hell do you know Yugito-san?"

While Omoi slapped himself and Samui pinched the bridge of her nose, Naruto blinked a few times, "Is it not obvious?" Karui seeming to take that as an insult turned red in the face. Not that Naruto noticed since he continued speaking, "I met her during the Chunin exams. Her friend fought against a kid named Hyuuga Neji during the prelims and was about to be killed. Thankfully, I managed to rescue her and I guess I just peaked her interest."

"So she came onto you?" Samui sounded intrigued.

Naruto blushed a bit, "Well, I don't think she necessarily came onto me or anything. I had been told that she had visited me in the hospital after my battle with Gaara, a ninja from Suna, and I decided to visit her and see why she had gone to visit me." He shrugged a bit, "We just sort of hit it off after that."

"You must be strong if Yugito has taken an interest in you," Samui commented lightly, trying to judge just how strong this boy was.

"Well I'm alright I suppose," Naruto went for a modest answer, not that he actually had any modesty. He just didn't want to seem arrogant in front of foreign ninja. "I was good enough to get promoted to chunin, so that's saying something at least."

Karui snorted, "I don't see why Yugito-san is interested in this kid. I mean he doesn't look like much. In fact, he looks kind of weak."

"Come again?" Naruto asked, standing up and glaring at the girl. "Perhaps you'd like to get some first hand, up close and personal experience to see how strong I am. I can guarantee that I can kick your ass." Keep himself modest be damned! He was going to shove his foot up this girl's ass if she kept up with that mouth of hers!

"What was that?" Karui growled, standing up and forcing Omoi to grab a hold of her, "You wanna go punk!"

Rather than look angry at this Naruto looked amused, "You want fight me? Seriously?" The blond Konoha shinobi snorted, "Woman, I would kick your ass so badly your grandchildren will feel it."

Karui growled at the blond, "That's it! It's on now! I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!" The hot headed girl began stomping off. However when she noticed no one was following her she turned back and scowled at them, "Get moving!"

Naruto looked at Omoi and then Samui as if to say 'Is she fucking serious?'.

"We might as well just follow her," Omoi said after a while. "It's almost impossible to get her to do anything when she's like this."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, "Fine, I was getting bored with all this god damn monotony anyways."

* * *

They came upon a large clearing a few miles outside of the city. Naruto grinned a bit at the thought of getting some excitement in. he looked over at his opponent who was glaring at him, "So how are we gonna do this? Are there any rules to this little spar of ours?"

"There will be no crippling or killing blows. This will be a tai and kenjutsu match only," Samui said, sighing at the situation they were now in. "I suppose I'll be the judge of this match," She looked at Naruto and Karui, one whom was in a fighting stance and the other who had her sword out. "Hajime!"

Almost as soon as the battle started Naruto appeared right in front of Karui, aiming a jab at her head. Said Kumo kunoichi eyes widened as she reacted on instinct and slashed at the hand. However, Naruto proved to have quick reflexes as he brought his hand back, letting the sword pass through nothing but air.

Not having expected to hit nothing, Karui's sword over swung where her target had been. This allowed Naruto to plant a kick in her torso. Karui's eyes widened as she let out a breathy 'oof!' and skidded back several feet. She rubbed her ribs, which felt like they had cracked from the attack. Looking up she saw her blond opponent looking at her with disinterested eyes.

That seemed to rile her up again and despite the creaking in her ribs she rushed back in. Naruto dodged an overhead swing from Karui's blade, and then jumped back as she slashed at him. During the redhead's assault Naruto made sure to judge her swings, timing them to see how long his window for a counterattack was. When he felt he had gotten the timing down, he waited for the next swing before striking.

Karui made a downward slash that Naruto sidestepped, right before he brought a foot down on her blade, sending it into the ground. Naruto kept a foot on the blade, making sure Karui could not pull it out. Almost at the same time his two fists flew out from his cloak, hitting the red haired girl in the solar plexus and the stomach.

Karui folded over like a cheap lawn chair, coughing up spit and a bit of blood as she held onto her stomach and tried to regain her lost breath. After several seconds the red head felt ready to stand but could not when she found a blade pointed at her throat.

"I believe this battle is mine," Naruto stated, looking over at Samui.

Said woman nodded and let Naruto claim victory.

Naruto pulled his blade away from Karui and allowed her to stand.

"Damn it, I can't believe I lost so easily," Karui rubbed the two spots where Naruto hit her, knowing they were going to be bruised the next morning.

"That's what happens when you underestimate an opponent," Naruto gave an uncaring shrug, "Not so bad for someone who looks really weak right?"

Naruto sighed while Karui glared at him, "Anyways I'll catch you guys later. Chances are Anko and Bee are looking for us." Tossing a parting wave over his shoulder, the blond Konoha shinobi left the three Kumo Chunin.

"I guess he's a lot stronger than you thought," Omoi said as he popped a sucker in his mouth. "This is what happens when you run off at the mouth so much. Perhaps you should learn to think before you speak, it may help keep things like this from happening again."

"Shut up Omoi!" Karui yelled, wincing a bit as she felt the stinging in her stomach, "I'll admit he's stronger than I thought, but I only lost because I underestimated him. Next time I'll get him!"

Omoi just shrugged, not sure whether he believed she could win or not. He turned to their blond teammate and leader, "What do you think?"

Samui rubbed the back of her neck as she watched the spot where Naruto had left, "I think…Yugito was right. He is pretty cool, and cute. I wonder if he gives good massages."

Karui's eyes widened as she turned to watch her female teammate walk off, "She can't be serious can she?" The redhead turned to look at Omoi, "Can she?"

Omoi just shrugged as he patted her on the shoulder and left, making Karui follow him still shouting.

* * *

The rest of the mission went by easily enough, thought that was after Naruto had gotten scolded for picking a fight with their Joint team. Naruto had ended up guarding the Daimyo all of two times, and the rest of his time was spent exploring the city; or hanging out with his apparent new friend Samui. The blond female seemed to have taken a bit of a shine to him after he had defeated Karui with minimal effort.

In fact almost immediately after his 'spar', if you could call it that, with Karui, she had managed to find him and surprised him with an unexpected request.

* * *

_Flashback… _

_Several minutes after kicking Karui's ass…_

_"Uzumaki-san."_

_Naruto turned around when he heard the voice and saw Samui walking towards him, "Can I help you with something Samui? You're not mad that I beat your teammate are you?"_

_Samui stopped in front of him and shook her head, "No, I'm not mad. Karui tends to overreact to things and is very quick to anger." She gave a small bow, "I would actually like to apologize on my teammate's behalf."_

_Naruto blinked a few times before grinning, "There's no need for you to apologize. Hell, there's no need for Karui to apologize. I was getting pretty bored anyways, and there's nothing like a fight to get the blood pumping."_

_Samui looked at him oddly for a second, "So you're not angry at Karui or anything?"_

"_No, why? Should I be?" Naruto shrugged, "I'm not one to care about things that happen in the past too much. Besides I'm pretty sure she's learned her lesson and if she hasn't." Naruto gave the blond a grin, "Well, I suppose I'll just have to kick her ass again."_

"_You're a very strange person Uzumaki-san," Samui commented. "Yugito-san was right about you."_

_Naruto scratched the back of his head and adopted a look of confusion, "Er… Yugi-chan's been talking about me? What has she told you?"_

_Yugi-chan? Samui filed his nickname for Yugito away as she answered his question. "Just a few things about yourself. She told me that you were very strong even though you've only started your shinobi career recently. And she told me you were very kind, friendly, sweet and very cute."_

Ugh! What is it with the whole cute thing! I don't want to be cute!_ Naruto mentally ranted, why his fellow blond Jinchuuriki insisted on calling him cute rather than giving him a more appropriate and manly description was beyond him. His right eye gaining a small twitch as he heard Kyuubi laughing in his mind, "So does she talk about me often?"_

"_She does on occasion," Samui said, "I get the feeling she misses you."_

_Naruto's eyes softened a bit at that as he felt a small warmth that spread throughout his being, "I miss her too." He paused when he noticed Samui narrow her eyes very slightly, and got the feeling that he might want to switch subjects, "So is there anything else that you wanted to talk about Samui?"_

"_No, well yes," Samui paused and for a second looked unsure about herself before taking a deep breath and plunging in. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me during some of our free time on this mission?"_

_Well that was, unexpected, Naruto looked at her for a few seconds as his mind registered what the young woman had said. When he did he gave the girl a mega -watt smile, "Sure thing. It would be nice to spend some time with a beautiful girl like you."_

_When Naruto said that Samui's eyes widened just a tad, before a blush spread across her face. It wasn't much, just a small line of pink that tinted her cheeks, but it was enough that Naruto, who had been getting more experienced when it came to dealing with women noticed. _

_"Thank you Uzumaki-san-" _

_Naruto held up a hand to interrupt her, "Please, enough with the formalities. I really hate honorifics like that. If you have to call me something, just call me Naruto."_

_Samui nodded and Naruto saw a small, almost imperceptible smile on her face, "Ok Naruto…kun. When we get some free time come over to the hotel I'm staying at." She reached into a pocket on the inside of her vest and pulled out a small piece of paper._

_Naruto watched Samui leave with a small sway of her hips before turning his eyes on the ripped sheet of paper she had given him. Opening it up he saw that it contained the name and address of the hotel she and the other Kumo ninja were staying at. He chuckled a bit before pocketing the paper and heading back to his room with a large grin on his face._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

It was two days after that when he and Samui went on their "date". Samui had taken him to see a movie, one of the first Princess Gale movies done by the actress Fujikaze Yuki. The woman's choice of movie had actually surprised Naruto who had not expected a movie that was heavily based in fantasy and romance to be something a woman like Samui would like. Not that he was going to complain.

However, while Samui asking him on a date was surprising but not completely unexpected, or more like, he had somewhat come to expect things like this to happen given the amount of times he had been asked on a date by other girls. What happened the day after his spar with Karui was.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_Naruto blinked a few times as the memories of the Kage Bunshin he had sent on patrol came back to him, he was not surprised when they reported nothing. He looked over at his partner for the day, Karui, who was currently looking off into space, a look that was a sharp contrast to her hot headed self yesterday. He looked away from the red head and resisted a sigh._

_After he had come back yesterday Anko had given him a half assed verbal lashing about proper conduct when working a joint mission. Not that she was really into scolding him. Naruto had gotten the impression that she was more upset at the fact that he had beaten one of the people they were working with and just did not invite her to see it._

"_Hey…uh, Naruto?"_

Did she just call me by my name?_ Naruto wondered as he looked over at Karui who was currently turning her head away from his, "Yes Karui?"_

"_I… I…" Karui bit her lip before sighing in exasperation, "Look, I'm sorry for being rude the other day ok? I didn't mean to upset you or anything."_

_Naruto tilted his head to the side as he looked at the red head. He was actually surprised she would apologize to him. He may not have known her for more than a few days or so, but he got the impression that she never really apologized for things like this. Still it would not do to say nothing, "Meh, it's alright. I actually have to thank you." When he noticed Karui giving him an incredulous look he grinned, "This job was getting pretty boring, nothing exciting has happened yet. So I have to thank you for breaking my boredom."_

_Karui looked at him for a second longer before giving a tentative smile, "Your welcome I guess…" There were a few more minutes of silence after that until the red head decided to speak up again, "Hey Naruto." When said blond turned his attention back to her she flushed just a bit, she was incredibly thankful that it would be hard to see on her dark skin. "I was just wondering if you wanted to spar with me again some time."_

_Naruto's mouth opened for a second, surprised by the request_. I somehow get the feeling this is her equivalent of a date._ He resisted the heavy urge to sigh_, I really shouldn't be so surprised anymore…

_"I would like that. Guard duty is pretty boring and all so having a sparring partner during our little bit of free time would be nice."_

_Karui grinned after that and began to actually talk to him._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

He had sparred with Karui once after that, though it was much later at night so they would not get caught. It seemed she had been scolded by her sensei as well. He had also learned a bit more about her. It turned out that she and Omoi were actually related, which Naruto felt he should have realized from the way they were constantly bickering.

He was shaken from his thoughts as a large explosion took place on the opposite side of the building. He turned to Samui, "Go find either Bee or Anko and get them back here!"

"What about you?" asked Samui, not used to being ordered around like Naruto was doing, "And why can't you just send a clone?"

"I need to make sure the Daimyos are alright. And if I sent a clone it might get dispelled, they only last one hit after all."

"I… fine," Samui sighed, she knew he was a better fighter then her anyways. "Just be careful, ok?"

Naruto gave her a grin, "Hey, it's me."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Samui shook her head before running off.

* * *

"Kasumi Juusha No Jutsu (Mist Servant Technique)!"

Anko frowned as she watched what looked to be several hundred clones of a person climb out of the ground as if made of some kind of muddy substance. The figure was wearing a light tan straight jacket like jumpsuit, a breathing apparatus and had a Amegakure headband.

"What the hell is going on?" Anko wondered out loud as she looked around herself, "Who the hell are you!"

All the figures gave an eerie chuckle, "I'm the person who's going to be killing you today."

Anko shrugged the off the ridiculously small amount of killing intent and gave the clones a bloodthirsty grin, "You think you can kill me? Well let's hope for your sake that you can, otherwise I'm going to take a lot of enjoyment listening to you squeal."

* * *

"Kasumi Juusha No Jutsu (Mist Servant Technique)!"

At the same time that jutsu was called with Kirabi and his two students Karui and Omoi. They watched as the clones came up from the ground, with the two Chunin looking at the Hachibi Jinchuuriki.

"This is a most interesting technique yo, looks like these are all copies of the original fool," Kirabi pulled two swords off his back, prompting the two to do the same. "My raps are hip my rhymes are sweet, I hope you dudes know what you're getting into cuz the Killer Bee can't be beat!"

Omoi, Karui and all of the clones sweatdropped.

* * *

Kotetsu growled in frustration as he cut through another one of those clones, only for it to reform as if nothing at happened, "What the hell are these things? Why! Won't! They! Die!" He hacked a clone each word in emphasis, biting back a scream of frustration when the clones all reformed.

"Hey! Chill man!" Izumo tried to calm his comrade down as he sliced off the arm of a clone, frowning when the wound became covered in that murky substance and healed up, "And stop swinging that thing around so recklessly! You might end up taking my head off rather than your enemies!"

"Sorry about that man, but these things are pissing me off! Nothing seems to work." To emphasis his point all of the clones he had just hacked to pieces reformed and charged back at him.

"Konoha-san!"

The two gate guards took a moment to look towards the center of the voice to see Samui running into the midst of the clones, hacking them apart with her blade. "Have you two seen Kirabi-sensei or Anko-san?" Samui asked as she got near them.

Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other before getting back to work, "No we haven't."

Samui narrowed her eyes, the only sign of her frustration that she allowed to show, "I see… and if things are like this for you then they are likely the same for the others…" She readied her blade, "So it seems we will need to get through these things and find the real one before linking back up with our teammates."

"That seemed to be the gist of it," Kotetsu said.

"Right," Samui sighed as she and the two Konoha Chunin readied themselves for a fight.

* * *

**Yay! Another installment, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I'll see you when I see you. Which will probably be never since we're on fanfiction.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I've got another guest star for you all so that I don't have to do the disclaimer, please welcome him.**

**Hello all you chikadees, open wide those beady eyes and feast your gaze upon a man so powerful that enemies cry out in fear, and so sexy that women call out in lust! It's the one, the only-**

**Pokemaster12: Shut it Ero-sennin, I'm paying you to announce the disclaimer! Not do your perverted song and dance!**

**Jiraiya: You damned disrespectful brat! You're not paying me at all!**

**Pokemaster12: I'm not? *shrugs* Whatever, the disclaimer now, if you would.**

**Jiraiya: Fine, Pokemaster12 does not own the rights to Naruto, those belong to Kishimoto, the guy I hate for killing me off before I got to suckle on the sweet heaven that is Tsunade's-**

**Pokemaster12: And that's a wrap, please enjoy the chapter!**

**Jiraiya: But I wasn't finished yet!**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 35: Battles, Is This Really A Battle?**

* * *

When Naruto got over to the other side of the building it was to see a person standing in the room where the two Daimyos were. The blond sighed in relief when he saw that the Daimyos were unharmed, minus the small disorientation they likely felt from the explosion. After that he turned his attention to the other figure in the room.

This person had brown hair that went to his shoulder in an odd looking mess, with purple eyes and an Ame hitai-ate on his head. He was wearing a black body suit with white stripes on the sides that went into a pair of shinobi sandals, both arms had white bandages on them but his left also had an arm-band, while his right had a black glove. Strapped around his left shoulder was a bandoleer that seemed to holding what looked like an umbrella behind him.

It took a while but Naruto was able to place a name to the man's face but when he did he sneered at the man, "Rokushou Aoi, A-rank missing ninja wanted for stealing the Raijin No Ken."

Aoi, who had been facing the Daimyo's and looked like he had been about to kill one of them turned around and smirked at him, "If it isn't one of the little Konoha ninja here to protect the Kiba No Kuni Daimyo. Listen kid, if you know who I am then you'll know you have no chance against me. Just let me get what I came for and I'll be on my way."

Naruto narrowed his eyes before smirking, "Just let you go? You must be fucking brain dead if you think I'm gonna let you go with the bounty on your head. And since you were kind enough to fall right into my lap, I'm collecting that bounty."

Aoi sneered, "You think you're of the same caliber of shinobi that I am? Very well then, if you think you can take my bounty then come and try!" He pulled out the Raijin No Ken and activated it with a snap, letting the yellow lightning bolt shaped blade sizzle and crackle as it ignited.

Grinning at the prospect of beating the crap out of the traitor, Naruto unsealed the new blade he had gotten in Tatsu and began channeling wind chakra around it. He made liberal use of the Shunshin to get behind Aoi and aimed a jab for his neck.

* * *

Anko growled in frustration as she continued slicing through the clones. She had learned from trial and error that the real person was hiding somewhere, he would only come out when he felt he had a distinct advantage. This had happened a few times when Anko had let her guard down, and the Ame ninja had come up from the ground using Moguragakure No Jutsu and tried to slice her Achilles tendon.

Since then she had not let her defenses slip. However, Anko knew she could not hold out forever. Whatever this technique the Ame ninja was using obviously required very little chakra, since he had been holding it up for an hour or two. It was times like these she wished she had an Inuzuka nose or some way to track down her opponents.

Anko continued slicing through the ink like clones even as she finally began slowing down. Eventually she found herself completely exhausted and had to lean against the wall for support. It was then that the creator of these clones revealed himself, coming out of the ground and standing in front of her. Even though Anko could not see it, she knew he was grinning beneath his mask.

"Ha, it looks like you Konoha shinobi are just as weak as our sensei claimed," The Ame genin gloated. "He was definitely right to leave your sorry excuse for a village. Though I must admit you are a fine specimen," He looked her up and down. "There for before I kill you I think I'll do you a favor and let you suck my- what!"

The Ame ninja watched in shock as Anko dissolved into mud. He would have tried to get away as he realized that the snake mistress had tricked, but before he could even so much as move a Kunai lodged itself in his throat. He gurgled before falling down, the light fading from his eyes. Anko appeared behind the ninja and stared at the corpse dispassionately before burning it with a Katon jutsu. She looked around and noticed that sometime during her fight all of the civilians had gotten off the streets.

_Good, less people to get caught in the crossfire means less paperwork I'll have after this is all over, _she thought to herself. If there was one thing Anko hated more than anyone, besides people steeling, dropping, touching or even talking bad about her dango, it was paperwork.

Shrugging the thoughts away she jumped on the roof and began heading towards the building where the discussion between the Daimyos was taking place.

* * *

"ARGH! These people are beginning to piss me off!" Karui shouted as she hacked and slashed her way through the inky clones with a vengeance. Not that it did much good as they would just come back and reform as if nothing had happened.

"Calm down Karui, we need to think about this logically if we want to have any hope of beating this jutsu," Omoi said as he fought off a horde of the clones. They were rather weak, but more than made up for it with numbers and the fact that they didn't seem to die was irritating to say the least.

"Omoi is right yo! We've got to think about this calmly or we'll never know!" Bee spun around the clones and sliced through them all like a buzz saw, barely even visible to the others who were fighting. "Eight-o says there's a chakra signature hiding in the building to the left, let's find who it belongs to and beat him for being a pest!"

'I thought I told you not to call me Eight-O Bee!' The Hachibi grit its teeth in annoyance from within the seal.

Bee ignored his tenant for the moment as he watched his two students replace themselves with a pair Rai Bunshins and sneak into the store the Hachibi had located the chakra signature. Less than a minute later the clones dissolved and Karui and Omoi came back out with the corpse of an Ame ninja.

"Man that was easy," Karui commented as she threw the now dead ninja on the ground and destroyed the body with a Raiton jutsu. "I can't believe how weak that guy was after giving us so much trouble."

Now that they were out of danger Omoi took out a sucker, unwrapped it and stuck it in his mouth, "What are you talking about Karui, he was obviously weak from the way he had tried to defeat us, hiding in the shadows and using an illusionary clone technique like that. He probably hoped that we would eventually tire out and he could kill us. Perhaps he planned on having - OOF!"

Omoi was sent flying as Karui smashed her fist in his face, "SHUT THE HELL UP OMOI! I'M SICK OF LISTENING TO YOU OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING!"

"Hey little red, you need to chill out before you burst yo head!" Kirabi tried to calm down his student. She turned a glare on him but he ignored it, "Now let's find the others and make sure they ain't dead, last thing I need is for big bro to have my head."

* * *

Samui frowned as she, Kotetsu and Izumo continued cutting through and destroying the clones. While she was keeping calm on the outside on the inside she was getting aggravated. Every time one of them destroyed a clone it burst into an ink like substance before reverting back to its original state. She could tell from the fact that none of them seemed capable of doing any real damage that they were more illusionary then anything, and that the real person was most likely hiding. But she was unsure how to get them to reveal themselves.

"Man this is actually starting to get a little boring," Kotetsu commented as he cut off the head to one of the clones, watching as the ink like substance crawled up its skin and reformed the head.

"I know what you mean, these things are so weak but they just keep coming back," Izumo stabbed one of the inky clones through the heart with a kunai, grimacing as he pulled out his hand and saw it covered in whatever the hell this stuff it was made out of was, "These things are kind of disgusting too, I wonder what they're made out of?"

"Can you two please stop talking?" Samui grunted as he sliced two clones in half, "Unless you have a plan for finding the creator of these things then please be quiet and let me think."

"Ugh…fine. You know, you sure are bossy," Kotetsu quieted down when he saw her glare at him.

Samui racked her brain as she tried to find a way to find the original. She was fairly positive that he was here somewhere, since jutsu like this usually required the caster to be within a specific distance from where the jutsu was being used. The problem was finding them. She was not a tracker and from what she could tell of the two ninja with her, neither were they.

Fortunately the situation was taken out of her hand when all of the clones suddenly dispersed, dissolving into an inky black substance.

"What the-" Izumo looked around before spotting a figure approaching them.

"Hey!" Anko called out as she walked towards them carrying the now dead Ame shinobi over her shoulders. "Were you three looking for this?" She threw the body at their feet.

"Anko-san," Samui greeted with a slight nod of her head, "Have you seen Kirabi-sensei and the others?"

"Not today no," Anko shook her head as Kotetsu destroyed the body. "I was too busy getting ambushed by another one of these losers."

"I see, if that is the case then it's most likely that Kirabi-sensei and my teammates have the same problem." Samui paused before looking at Anko. "Could you go and help Naruto-ku-san, while I find my sensei and teammates?" Samui tried covering up her slip up from using the affectionate suffix on Naruto's name, and while the two other Chunin did not hear it, Anko caught it easily.

_Well it seems my favorite gaki is getting even more female attention, _Anko chuckled within the confines of her mind. _Kukuku, looks like I have something more to tease him with._

She opened her mouth to speak when another voice caught there attention.

"Yo, I'm pleased to see you're all fine, but it looks like we're missing Mr. Nine."

The group turned to see Kirabi, Omoi and Karui walking up to them.

"Kirabi-sensei, I'm glad to see you're alright. Naruto-san is with the Daimyos, we need to lend him aid since I believe whoever is responsible for these three is there." Samui said, keeping her calm though on the inside she was worried.

"Do not fret, Mr. Nine is capable of handling himself just fine," Killer Bee said. "Anko and I will go there to see what's up, in the meantime go around town and make sure the civilians are safe and sound."

Samui looked like she wanted to argue for a second before she nodded, "Very well sensei." She turned to her teammates and the two Konoha Chunin, "Let's go and make sure there were no civilian casualties."

The four nodded to her and took off, meanwhile Bee and Anko left for the building where the Daimyo's and Naruto were in.

* * *

The Raijin No Ken snapped up to block Naruto's attack and redirect it. Aoi smirked as the famed blade made contact with the sword the blond had. However, his smirk soon turned into a frown as he found that the blond looked perfectly fine, "How come you haven't been fried by the Raijin No Ken's power?"

Naruto smirked as he pulled his blade back and launched a series of short and fast strikes, "You should know a good ninja never gives away his secrets Aoi." Like he was going to let someone know his technique and actually have a chance of negating it. How stupid did this man think he was?

Aoi grunted as he tried to block the attacks but found they were too numerous and had to jump back. However, Naruto had decided to give him no quarter and pressed his attack, launching strike after strike with attacks so fast they could only be seen as a blur. The Amegakure Jonin was unable to keep up with the blonde's speed and ended up getting several cuts along his arms. The attacks continued until he finally managed to lock the blonde's blade against the Raijin, however all that did was tell Naruto he needed to use another weapon. That weapon being his head, which he smashed into the Ame ninja, causing him to stumble back.

He glared at the blond before going on the offensive, aiming a slash at Naruto's head. The blond frowned as he blocked the rather sloppy attack. Keeping only one hand on the blade, Naruto moved their intermingled weapons and then used his other hand to punch Aoi in the face, grinning as he heard the satisfying crunch of hitting the man's nose and breaking it.

Aoi let out a short yelp of pain as he stumbled back. He held a hand to his nose, which was bleeding and he suspected, broken. "You little shit! I'm gonna kill you!"

Naruto grinned, "You say that like you think you actually stand a chance of killing me." His grin widened as Aoi started attacking him, each slash was just as sloppy as the last, "It seems you rely more on that blade then you do on your skills. I'm surprised you lasted as long as you have with such shitty ass abilities."

"Shut up!" Aoi roared as he put all his strength into his next attack.

Naruto sighed as he blocked the sloppy but somewhat powerful slash. As Aoi tried to push the blond back, said blond decided to show him what true physical prowess was. He gave a hard shove that sent Aoi stumbling back. Afterwards he came in with a swing of his sword. Aoi saw it coming and tried to block, but the power behind the attack was strong enough to send him flying out of the room.

Turning back to the Daimyos Naruto grinned, "Sorry for the interruption. Continue on with your discussion while I take care of the fool with the umbrella."

Naruto walked outside whistling a jaunty tune and had to hold in a laugh when he saw Aoi glaring at him.

"I'm sick and tired of playing games with you, now you die!" Aoi grabbed his umbrella and leapt into the air, opening it up so he hovered above the blond.

"Jouro Senbon (Senbon Shower)!" He pointed his umbrella at Naruto and several thousand senbon needles shot out impaling the blond.

As the senbon storm ended Aoi laughed and landed on the ground, "I told you you'd never beat me! None of you weak Konoha ninja could ever stand a chance against me!"

"Are you sure about that." Aoi's eyes widened and he turned around to see the blond he had just killed standing behind him.

"How did you survive!" Aoi shouted hysterically. "I saw you die! There's no way you could have survived!" Naruto pointed over to where he had been killed. When Aoi turned his head he saw a log that was impaled with multiple senbon. "Where the hell did you find a log to Kawarimi with! There are no logs in Tatsu No Kuni, everything is made of stone and concrete!"

Naruto shrugged, "One must never underestimate the power of the log, for if you do then no matter the danger the log shall not answer your call. However, if you truly believe in the power of the log, then all you have to is call for its help and the good log shall hear your call and provide you for your escape."

"What the hell does that mean!"

"It means what it means," The blond replied mysteriously, cracking his neck, "and now that I have seen all of your techniques, I believe it's time to end this."

Aoi did not get the chance to say anything or even open his mouth as the Naruto in front of him blurred out of focus before disappearing.

"RASENGAN!" Right as the shout was heard Aoi felt as if something was grinding into his flesh and let out a scream of anguish. Naruto, who had appeared right in front of Aoi and grabbed onto his shoulder with one hand to hold him in place, ignored the blood and innards his jutsu was spraying over him as it continued grinding the man's stomach into paste. He gave one last push before letting go; the man was sent flying into a wall where he hit it with a loud squelch, before landing on the floor with a thud.

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned around to see Anko and Killer Bee jump down next to him, "What's up Anko-nee-chan, Bee?"

Anko looked at Naruto's blood soaked form and grinned, "Gaki is all that blood for me? You shouldn't have!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "I don't even think that deserves a response." He turned around and walked over to Aoi's body with the two Jonin following him.

"Hey is that Rokushou Aoi?" asked Anko as she watched Naruto cut the man's head off and seal it into a scroll.

"Yep!" Naruto replied in a cheerful voice before burning the body, "It is, and since I'm the one who kicked his ass, I get his bounty!" Afterwards Naruto picked up the Raijin No Ken and sealed it into one of the many storage seals on his arm.

"Hey is that the famed lightning blade, the one that your Nidaime Hokage made?" asked Kirabi.

"Yeah. Aoi stole it before he left the village," Naruto grunted as he stood back up. He looked over at the pair and grinned. "Why don't you guys go see if the Daimyos are alright? I need to take a shower and wash this blood off before it starts to reek."

"Whatever gaki, I think all that blood suits you," Anko teased.

"You would think so, you bloodthirsty psycho," Naruto shot back.

Anko just smiled, "You know you love me."

* * *

"Well it looks like this is good bye and see yeah again, eh Mr. Nine?"

It was several days after the battle and during that time the two Daimyos had finally come to an agreement. It seemed that the attack on one of their lives was enough to get their asses into gear and they had pushed forth a treaty rather quickly after that. The only problem the ninja had were dealing with the Samurai that had come a little after the battle, Anko and Bee had been forced to give a report to one of the generals since it was in their territory. Needless to say, the two had not taken well to that, even if they had done it in the end.

Naruto grinned, "I suppose it is, but you know this ain't the last time you'll hear my rhymes." Kirabi grinned as he heard his new Jinchuuriki bud's rhyme, while not as good as his own (if he did say so himself) was still nice to see someone who appreciated rap. The two of them bumped fists before the blond became serious for a moment, "Hey do you think you could do me a favor?"

"Of course I can, if it be within my power I would do it right this hour."

Nodding Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, "Give this to Yugi-chan for me. I wasn't able to get her address during the Chunin Exams for obvious reasons, but I was hoping to keep in touch with her in some way."

Kirabi nodded, "Don't worry about a thing; you know I'll help you and the kitten with your fling."

Naruto blushed a bit before blinking as Samui stepped in front of him, "Can I help you Samui-chan?"

Samui looked around her to see everyone was looking at the pair. She hid her blush for a moment before leaning in and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "I hope to see you again Naruto-kun."

"Is it just me, or does he seem to get all the good attention from women," Izumo whispered in his partner's ear.

"I know what you mean. First he gets to spend time with that Suna chick. And I hear he was friendly with that Yugito girl they keep talking about as well, now he seems to be getting close to this girl." Kotetsu shook his head and mumbled a 'lucky bastard' under his breath.

"I can't help but feel slightly jealous of him," Izumo continued, "I mean, look at the size of her rack." Unfortunately it seemed he had not been quiet enough as Samui looked over at him and glared, causing the man to pale a little and take a step back.

Naruto held a hand up to his cheek for a moment, with his mouth open in an 'o' of surprise. It only lasted for a second before he gave her a somewhat dopy looking grin, "I'll definitely see you again, that's a promise, Dattebayo!" he blinked before muttering, "Damn it, I thought I had gotten rid of that."

Samui resisted the urge to giggle at Naruto's use of, well, whatever he just said as she moved back with her sensei.

"Hey blondie, the next time we meet you and I need to have a spar again!" Karui shouted from where she stood.

Naruto smirked at the redhead, "Sure, just don't feel too bad when I kick your ass again." Karui turned red with anger and started shouting about how she would kick his ass back to the age of the Rikudou Sennin and that he would never be able to beat her the next time they sparred. However, the blond Konoha shinobi just laughed it off as everyone finished saying their good byes.

* * *

"… and after that we finished escorting Daimyo-sama home," Anko finished her report to Tsunade.

Said blond woman sighed as she took another swig of sake, which she had brought out mid-way through the explanation, having felt an intense need to drink in order to assuage the coming head ache. She then turned her attention to Naruto, "You know I somehow get the feeling this is your fault."

"My fault?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion, "How is this my fault? It's not like I wished for that pansy ass Aoi to come and attack us."

"It's your fault because more than half the assignments I send you on end up turning into a disaster. We were lucky that both Daimyos were impressed with how you handled Aoi enough to overlook this little mishap. However, we were also forced to pay damages for the building since it was our responsibility to make sure situations like this would not happen."

Anko snickered, "I have to agree with boss lady here gaki. You're a magnet for troublesome shit."

Naurot glared at her before turning back to Tsunade, "But you can't blame that on me!" Naruto felt the need to defend himself. "It's not my fault that Murphy's Law loves to fuck with me! Blame the person who made the thrice damned law. Besides, it's not like we you didn't also gain something important out of this." Naruto unsealed the Raijin No Ken and tossed it to Tsunade.

The blond Hokage caught the hilt and looked at it for several long minutes, various emotions played across her face during that time before she smiled. "I suppose you're right brat. And I would like to thank you for retrieving this for me. The Raijin is a family heirloom and means a lot to me." She looked at it for a moment longer before throwing it back to Naruto, "Therefore I feel it's only right that I let you have it."

Naruto caught the blade and fumbled with it for a second due to his surprise. He looked up at Tsunade with a slightly dumb expression, "You're seriously giving this to me? Just like that?"

Tsunade smirked, "It's better than letting the blade collect dust isn't it. That sword was meant to be used, not sit on a stand. And I can't think of it going into better hands."

Naruto smiled and actually had to wipe a small tear that threatened to fall from his eyes. Her giving this blade to him was a sign of her faith in his ability to become a great Hokage. Now he had two objects that belonged to a Hokage in his possession, "Thanks baa-chan, this really does mean a lot to me."

Tsunade smiled, "Your welcome brat. Now why don't you two get out of here."

Anko grinned as she grabbed Naruto by the arm, "C'mon gaki! It's dango time!"

"But we had dango every time we were in Tatsu No Kuni," Naruto complained as he was dragged out the door. "Let's go get some ramen!"

"Hell no! Dango is way better than that cheap crap!"

"Don't diss on the ramen nee-chan, crazy ass psycho Jonin or not, I will shove my foot so far up your ass you won't be able to shit for months!"

"Ha! You talk a big game but I'd like to see…"

Tsunade sighed and shook her head as the two bickering voices disappeared, honestly those two were two sides of the same cone. There was a moment of silence as she sat there before saying, "So what have you got for me?"

For a moment it seemed as if she was speaking to thin air. However, a few seconds later the air near her window shimmered and Jiraiya appeared, "Is that always gonna be the first thing that comes out of your mouth every time you see me? No, hi Jiraiya-kun I missed you? Or, oh Jiraiya-kun, I was so worried when you were gone, let me show you how much by-"

"Do you want take a one way trip on Tsunade Airlines a.k.a. my fists!" The busty blond threatened.

Jiraiya sighed, "Alright, alright. I haven't been able to find out much. Orochimaru is being a slippery little snake; I was unable to get any information about him except that he seems to be constantly on the move despite his injuries." Jiraiya paused before giving in some personal input, "I doubt he's given up on Sasuke yet so you may want to keep an eye on the boy as much as possible."

"And Akatsuki?" asked Tsunade.

Jiraiya sighed, "Again not much, they seem to still be searching for the Bijuu. That means that Naruto is not safe right now, there's no telling when they'll attempt to come after him again and right now he's not ready to deal with a threat of that level. He's good, but he's not that good."

"So what are we going to do about this?" asked Tsunade.

"Well I would like to take Naruto out of the village for a three year training trip-"

He was cut off from saying anything further by Tsunade, "You want me to give you one of our best ninja in the village to take on a three year training trip!" The blond female Hokage looked at the white haired man like he was stupid, "Jiraiya, we still haven't fully recovered from the Chunin Exams invasion. There is no way I can just hand Naruto over. I need him for missions,"

Despite the ribbing she often gave him for the amount of random and violent situations he got into on his missions, he was still one of their better Chunin and would most likely become a Jonin within the next year.

"It's not like he won't go on any missions Tsu-hime," Jiraiya tried to defend himself. "In fact I expect you to send the two of us on some of missions so I can see more of what he's capable of and he can gain more experience. But you know I can't stay here to train him, I need to look after my spy network and I'm the only one capable of teaching to fight against S-rank ninja."

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya for a moment before she sighed, "I don't like this Jiraiya, however I will allow it. But…" She stopped the man in his tracks. "The final decision will rest with Naruto."

"That's fine Tsu-hime," Jiraiya said, he was just about to go back to his research when Tsunade's voice interrupted him again.

"Are you going to tell him about his parents?" The white haired man turned back to Tsunade, "You know Chunin is the rank Sarutobi-sensei wanted him to be before he told Naruto of his parents."

Jiraiya sighed, "Yeah, I suppose I'll tell him. If he goes with me on this training trip I'll tell him. If he doesn't, it will be up to you."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "You just don't want to inform him because you're afraid he'll kick your ass."

"Honestly Tsunade, I just, I feel guilty enough knowing I left him here," Jiraiya sighed. "I don't want him to find out that I was supposed to be his godfather and left just so I could stew in my own misery."

Tsunade's eyes softened a bit, "You know I don't think he'll be too upset. I mean he might at first, but he'll get over it. He's a lot more mature then he acts."

"Yeah I guess," Jiraiya paused for a moment before grinning. "We'll talk about this later, I have research to do!" He jumped about the window before Tsunade could throw something at him.

* * *

It was a peaceful day for one Nii Yugito in Kumogakure. She had just gotten back from a nice A-rank mission yesterday and had decided to sleep in today. The window was open, letting the sun stream through and warm her up while she was lying in bed wearing nothing but a large t-shirt that went past her thighs and panties. Despite being half asleep the young blond woman gave a grin as she stretched her body out, much like a cat would when sun bathing before she sighed and snuggled deeper into the bed.

Her peaceful morning was soon shattered as a figure jumped onto the window seal… and began to rap, rather poorly, "Hey little kitten guess who just got back from his mission!"

Yugito jumped out of her bed as soon as she heard the loud and obnoxious rapping, "Bee!" She hissed through clenched teeth as she stocked towards him, "What have I told you about coming in through my window?"

"I don't remember yo, but that's not important at the moment. What is, is that I have something for ya kitty-chan, I think you'll like it, it's from-" Bee did not get a chance to say anything else as Yugito made a very cat like hiss and sent him flying out of the window with a nibi enhanced punch.

_Goddamn him! I was enjoying my cat nap!_ _Stupid no good son of a…_ As Yugito began ranting in her mind as the scroll that Bee had taken out of his pocket rolled over to her feet. She paused mid rant when it stopped in front of her and picked up and looked it over. Noticing her name on the front she opened it up and saw that it was a letter.

_Dear Yugi-chan,_

_Hey! I bet you didn't expect to hear from me since we never got each other's address or anything huh? If you haven't figured out who this is yet I'll give you a hint. It's the only other blond Jinchuuriki besides you (At least to the best of my knowledge) hehe. Anyways, I was on a joint mission with some Kumo ninja and that Kirabi character you told me about was one of them (You were right about the rapping by the way). So I made this letter since I figured he would know where you lived._

Yugito smiled as she continued reading the letter, which was really just Naruto telling her about how he got promoted and how he wished he was allowed to just skip Chunin rank and become a Jonin like her. The letter also asked how she was doing and that he missed her, causing the blond woman's smile to widen a tad.

_At the bottom of this letter is something cool I was able to pilfer from Ero-sennin. He called it a _Sakasa_ Kuchiyose Fuiin__(Reverse Summoning seal array), it's basically just an old school summoning array that was used before summoning contracts were created. When you channel chakra into the seal it will summon a messenger toad. That way you can deliver letters to me and I'll be sure to get them. As the name states the seal also works as a reverse summon for the messenger toad. So if you have that on hand and I have a message I want to send you the toad will simply summon himself to your position. Pretty bad ass right?_

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Uzumaki Naruto._

_Naruto-kun…_ Yugito grinned as she finished reading the letter.

_**'Hmm *Yawn* Quite the young man you managed to bag kitten,'**_ Nibi's yawned as she spoke, and Yugito got the impression the large cat was stretching herself out.

_'__I know,'_ Yugito replied as she went over to the small desk in her room and grabbed a blank scroll and some ink.

* * *

Naruto opened the door to his apartment and closed it as he heaved a sigh. He had finally managed to get away from Anko who had wanted to commemorate their first mission together by getting completely wasted. Afterwards he had been forced to escort her home, and if he had not managed to Kawarimi with a Kage Bunshin when she passed out, would have ended suffering the same fate he had during the one month training period before the finals of the Chunin exams.

Though his Kage Bunshin had suffered that fate and it caused a bit of a problem for the blond when it dispelled.

He shook his head and made his way to his bedroom. As he shed his clothes Naruto's hand went to the necklaces he had on. More specifically the one he had gotten on his recent mission. It was a near replica of both Haku's and the Shodai's Necklace except instead of being turquoise or a light green, it was a deep blue and did not have a snowflake surrounding it. The Daimyo of Kiba No Kuni had given it to him as a thank you and to be rid of what he thought was a curse since Aoi was apparently after the necklace, and it had not been the first time he had, had people try to kill simply so they could get their hands on it.

He absently wondered if these necklaces held some kind of connection, and if they did, what? Dispelling the thought Naruto sunk onto his bed and closed his eyes; bringing himself into his mindscape.

The next thing Naruto knew was he was laying on the bed in Kyuubi's hut while she sat near the edge of the bed with her tails in her lap and looking at him with an amused expression, "Kyuu-chan."

"Welcome back Naruto-kun," Kyuubi greeted with a smile, even though Naruto could not see it with his eyes closed.** "You seem tired."**

Naruto cracked an eye open as he looked over at Kyuubi and gave her a small grin, "Well I'm tired of all these boring ass missions anyways. Life's getting too monotonous, I need some excitement to spice it up." he paused for a moment, "Though this last mission wasn't bad, I got a hot date, I got to beat the shit out of some guy, got the bounty of the guy I beat the shit out of and got two swords, one of which belonged to the Nidaime Hokage. Yep, definitely a good mission this time."

He never noticed the narrowing of Kyuubi's eyes or the way her lips became thin lines, especially since the look was gone before he could notice.

"Oh? Am I not exciting enough?" asked Kyuubi in a mock hurt voice.

Naruto just rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean Kyuu-chan. The missions they have me doing while kind of exciting, are for the most part boring. This last one was actually the most exciting one I've had in a long time, and even then that Aoi guy was a pansy. I can't believe someone as weak as him was able to wield the Raijin No Ken."

"He reminded me a lot of that Mizuki person," Kyuubi hummed in thought. **"Chances are he tricked some poor naïve Genin into stealing it for him. Maybe he told them they would be allowed to become Genin if they did that for him."**

"Hardy har har," Naruto glared at Kyuubi as she gave him a cheeky grin. He set his head back down on the pillow that was under it, "You're so damn lucky I'm comfortable and you're the most powerful demon in existence or I would kick your ass."

Kyuubi grinned mischievously,** "Ah, but I am the most powerful demon in existence, so there is really nothing you can do."**

Naruto grumbled a bit before falling silent. For a while he just listened to the breathing he and Kyuubi were doing. Finally he asked a question he had been curious about, "Hey Kyuu-chan. Do you have a name other than Kyuubi?" When the demoness looked at him oddly he elaborated, "It just seems like Kyuubi is more of a title then anything."

Kyuubi hummed for a moment, **"I suppose it is both my title and my name. You have to understand when I would pose as nobility I went by many names. Thousands even. I do not even remember all of the names I have gone by in my lifetime."** She paused for a moment and began to move along the bed.

Naruto looked over when he felt the bed shift and saw Kyuubi laying down on the other side of the bed, getting herself comfortable before continuing her story, **"I suppose if I were to have a name, it would be Kyotome, the name given to me by the people who 'raised' me when I first gained a human form."**

"So you can't remember the thousands of names you've gone by, but that one you can? Sentimental much?" asked Naruto with a grin.

**"Don't be ridiculous,"** Kyuubi scoffed. **"They were humans, I am not and while they could be considered the closest thing to a family I have had, those facts won't change. There is no point in being sentimental about things like that. They served their purpose, though I do have a certain fondness for the name as it was my first."**

"Would you like me to call you that?" Kyuubi looked down and noticed Naruto was giving her an intent look.

She gave an uncaring shrug, **"You can call me whatever you want. Personally I don't really care about names; those are something you humans give to others. Unlike Kyotome, Kyuubi reflects exactly who and what I am."**

Naruto sighed, "I suppose Kyuu-chan will do for now then."

Kyuubi shrugged her shoulders as if to say 'whatever you'd like' before looking back up at the ceiling. The rest of their time within the seal it was relatively silent with only a smattering of conversation between them.

* * *

It was several hours later when Naruto was brought out of his mindscape by a knock at the door. Grumbling he made his way to front door and opened it to see a bear masked ANBU standing there, "Does Baa-chan need me for something Kuma-san?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you about something," Kuma replied.

Naruto nodded. "Tell her I'll be there in a minute, I just need to get ready."

The bear masked ANBU member nodded and disappeared within a Shunshin.

* * *

"You called baa-chan!" Naruto shouted as he entered Tsunade's office, ducking under a paperweight sent his way.

Tsunade glared at him for a second before getting down to business, "Yes I did brat. Or to be more accurate he did."

Naruto looked to where Tsunade was pointing and saw the air shimmer to reveal Jiraiya, "Ero-sennin? What are you doing here? I thought you would be peeping at the hot springs for your next book or something."

Jiraiya crossed his arm, "Still a disrespectful brat I see. I called you here because I have some important information that has to do with you, as well as an offer to train you."

That took Naruto by a bit of surprise, "Train me?"

"That's right gaki. You remember what I've told you about Akatsuki?" Naruto nodded. "It seems their still searching for the other Bijuu and their hosts, now I don't really know what this means for you but it is possible they may make the attempt again. And since they've already infiltrated Konoha once already…"

Naruto frowned, "So this means there is a chance they'll attack me within Konoha's walls?" When he saw Jiraiya nod he grinned, "So I'm guessing there's a reason you actually had to call me in to tell me this, otherwise you would have just popped up in my house and said I'm going to train you."

"Got it in one gaki," Jiraiya smirked before getting serious. "Because of my spy network I can't stay in the village, if I'm going to train you, we need to leave the village for a certain amount of time."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw where this was going, "And how long is a 'certain' amount of time."

"Three years," Tsunade answered before Jiraiya.

"No," Naruto shook his head. "There is no way I'm leaving for three years. You can get any of those thoughts out of your head right now, I have no interest in being gone that long."

"Be reasonable gaki," Jiraiya said. "I can't stay here to train you, but you need to be trained by someone who is strong enough to take on S-ranked ninja. The only people in this village who are capable of that are myself and Tsunade. And you're no medical ninja."

"I'm not putting off my career for three years so I can go gallivanting with your perverted ass Ero-sennin," Naruto crossed his arms as if say his decision was final.

"Your career won't be put on hold for this Naruto," Tsunade interrupted, getting the blond to look at her. "You and Jiraiya will be doing missions outside of the village to gain experience while he teaches you. Jiraiya is going to send me regular reports on your progress during these missions, and if you do well enough I will promote you to Jonin upon your return."

"What about my friends?" asked Naruto. "I'll be leaving for three years; I don't want to be away from them for that long." An image of Tenten popped into his head when he said that but he shook thoughts of her away and refocused his attention on the two others in the room.

Jiraiya shrugged, "Sometimes a ninja will be called away for a long time like this gaki. You can't be with them all the time. And besides, if you stay here you're likely to be a danger to those around you. What would happen if you went on a mission with a squad and Akatsuki showed up?"

Naruto winced at that and Jiraiya tried to drive his point home, "This is not only the best way to get stronger, but also the best way to protect your friends."

"I know…" Naruto closed his eyes as he thought about what he should do. He really did not want to leave his friends but he understood that he needed to be stronger if he wanted to beat the Akatsuki. If he was not strong enough, not only would he be captured but who knows what would happen to his friends if they got caught in the cross fire.

**_'__I think you should go.'_**

_'__Kyuu-chan?'_

**_'__If you leave it means I will also be able to teach you some of the more destructive techniques I can't teach here.'_**

After a few minutes Naruto sighed, "If I go with you, when will we leave?"

"We'll be leaving tomorrow."

Naruto frowned, "That doesn't give me much time to say goodbye."

Jiraiya shrugged, "We need to get started now. And I have to meet people from my spy network soon; as it is I've stayed here as long as I can."

"Alright, I'll pack my things after I say goodbye to my friends," Naruto frowned before shaking his head. "I'll see you tomorrow Ero-sennin. Baa-chan."

As the two watched Naruto leave Tsunade turned to Jiraiya, "I hope you know what you are doing?"

Jiraiya gave his busty blond teammate a grin, "Don't worry I know what I'm doing. Well I'll see you tomorrow Hime, I've got to get in some research since I won't have as much time for it as I like."

Tsunade's eye twitched as she watched Jiraiya go, "Damned pervert."

* * *

Tenten flipped another page of her magazine as she tried to stave off her boredom. Her team had just gotten back from a B-rank mission where they had to fight some bandits and a low level missing ninja a few days ago. Now that she was back and her sensei had given their team time off so they could 'fan their flames of youth' she had nothing to do other than train and man her dads shop.

Since it was Sunday there were not many customers coming in, and the few who did were too busy to stay and talk. Needless to say she was bored out of her mind.

Thankfully a chime at the door sounded, signifying that someone had entered her shop, "Hello! Welcome to Higarashi Weapons shop where we… Naruto-kun!" Tenten smiled as she saw that it was her friend who had entered.

"Hey Ten-chan! No missions today?" Naruto walked into the store as Tenten got up from the stool she had been sitting on.

Tenten shook her head, "No, we just got back from one a few days ago and Gai-sensei gave us the week off to 'fan our flames of youth'." She put up quotation marks when she said that, "So what's up? I haven't seen you for a while."

"I just got back from a mission yesterday, escort mission to Tatsu No Kuni," Naruto replied. The blond looked at her and grinned as he pulled out a scroll and handed it to her, "I got a little something for you there."

Tenten blinked for a few moments as she looked at the scroll. She unrolled it and saw that it was a basic storage scroll. After a few seconds she unsealed the contents and had to hold in a gasp when the item or in this case items revealed themselves.

It was a set of silver kunai, the blades were curved and about three inches longer than standard kunai. Along the blade was an intricate design of a traditional Japanese style dragon. The ring at the end of the kunai was studded with rubies along the outer edges. Altogether they were beautiful works of art. At least, they were to a weapon fanatic like Tenten.

It took nearly ten minutes before the stunned silent weapon user could respond. And when she did it was not with words since she still could not speak. Naruto soon found himself in the near death grip of Tenten as she gave him what was sometimes referred to as the squeeze of life. Why it was called that when Naruto felt like he was dying was something he would never understand.

"T-ten-chan…can't breathe!"

Tenten seemed to snap out of her stupor as she looked at Naruto and found that he was beginning to turn blue from lack of oxygen. She let out an 'eep!' and dropped him, letting the blond fall to the floor and gasp for breath, "OhKamii'msosorryididn'tmeantto-"

"It's ok!" Naruto gasped as he held up a hand, making her stop her extremely fast paced apology. The blond took a second to get his breath back before standing up, "I take it from that…hug means you like the gift?"

"Oh yes! I absolutely love it!" Tenten squealed, and Naruto was reminded of one of the teme's fan girls for a second, "Oh it's an amazing gift, where did you get it?"

"I got it on my last mission to Tatsu No Kuni," Naruto replied. "I was doing some shopping on my off time when I found them and I thought to myself 'you know I bet Tenten would give her kidney for weapons like these' so I got them."

Tenten placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed the back of her neck with a light blush on her face, "Hehehe, I guess you know me too well. So is that the only reason you came here? To give me this beautiful present?"

Naruto smiled for a moment before sighing, "Well this was the part where I was going to ask you if you wanted to catch a movie with me, however I'm afraid I won't be able to do that."

"Why not?" Tente tilted her head to the side as a sign of confusion.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, "Because I'm going on a three year training trip with Ero-sennin."

"What?" asked Tenten, not quite sure she had heard him correctly.

"I'm going to be leaving Konoha for three years to train with Ero-sennin. Because of… a certain threat that he's found out about he wants to train me so I can fight better, but he can't stay here due to his spy network."

Tenten's shoulders slumped a bit, "So you're leaving?"

"Yes…" Naruto frowned as he saw Tenten's depressed expression, "You know this won't be the last time we see each other or anything. I'll be back in three years."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tenten gave him a smile as she tried not to let how horrible she felt at knowing Naruto was leaving. "You're going to keep in touch at least right?" She asked after a while, giving him a potent glare.

Knowing what she was doing Naruto just grinned, "You know I will."

"You'd better," Tenten held her glare for a second more before hugging him, thankfully it was not a death grip like her last hug. "I'm gonna miss you…"

Naruto sighed as he wrapped his arms around and placed his chin on her head, "I'll miss you too Ten-chan."

They stayed like that for several minutes before Tenten looked up at Naruto, blue eyes met brown as the bun-haired weapons user began to bring her head closer to his. Almost out of instinct, Naruto followed suit and brought his head down. Their lips were just about to touch when a cough interrupted them, "I hope you have a good reason for getting so close to my daughter."

Recognizing the voice Naruto shot backwards and turned to face Kaito, "Hehe well you see it was only that I was- it was… uh…" He noticed the glare he was receiving and sighed, "You know what, fine. I'll just tell you what you want to hear, not like you're gonna listen to me anyways. I was telling her that I was leaving on a three year training trip and was hoping that this would make Tenten admit her deep seated feelings of love for me, after which she would invite me upstairs and we would have hot passionate sex… sir."

By the end of Naruto's explanation both Tenten and Kaito were red. Though, Tenten's was from utter embarrassment and Kaito simply looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

"That was the wrong thing to say to me gaki," Kaito threw a kunai at Naruto that hit him right between the eyes, showing just where Tenten had learned her own weapon throwing skills from. However, Naruto burst into smoke seconds later and a loge appeared in his place.

"I'll see you later Ten-chan!"

Tenten and her father turned just in time to see Naruto running out the door.

"Tou-san…" Tenten said in a quiet voice that immediately put her father on guard.

"Yes Tenten?" asked Kaito.

"I hope you're ready to be used as target practice!" Tenten pulled out several kunai and began launching them at her dad who ran into the forge and locked the door.

* * *

(The next day…)

Naruto waited as Jiraiya gave their papers to the Chunin gate guards, who were surprisingly not Kotetsu and Izumo this time. He looked at the village that he was leaving, the home he would not see for three years. He had already said goodbye to his friends, not wanting there to be any fan fair when he left.

"Come one gaki. It's time to go," Jiraiya hiked up his scroll and began walking out of the village. Naruto followed a few seconds later, pausing on top of a hill that overlooked the village. The blond took one last look at his home before running to catch up with his sensei.

* * *

**So you'll all notice Sasuke is still in the village, his escape from Konoha will come soon. But I felt that Naruto's new notoriety would keep Orochimaru from attempting. Anyways, enjoy the chapter and I'll see you kiddies later.**

**A/N: Attention all potential fanfiction authors! I have a new challenge if anyone wants to take it! If interested please read my challenge for the Nine Tailed Guardian of Kumogakure on my profile page!**

**Thank and have a nice night... or day.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again. I do not own Naruto.**

**Once more I would like to thank Senjuto for Betaing this for me. Without him, I would not be as awesome as I am now.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 36: Wind**

* * *

"FUCK!"

The curse along with several more loud sounds of vulgarity rang throughout a small clearing along the borders of Hi No Kuni and Kaze No Kuni.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"It's not funny Ero-sennin!" Naruto scowled at his sensei who was rolling on the ground and holding his stomach. The blond Uzumaki made an attempt to stand, before falling back on his ass and hissing in pain as he felt his calf muscles stitching themselves back together. "I've been working on this thing for four months now and I still can't seem to get it right."

Jiraiya gasped and wheezed several times as he finally regained his composure. "You're right brat, it's not funny," The white haired man's facial features twitched several times before he burst out laughing again. "It's hilarious! Watching you smash yourself against rocks, trees and other objects while trying to get this technique down is some of the finest entertainment I've ever had. The only thing that can beat watching you kill your brain cells via bashing your head into solid objects is having a harem of beautiful women dance for me."

"Laugh it up Ero-sennin," Naruto said with a scowl, he sat on the ground for several long moments before testing out his re-healed limbs, standing on them and moving them around. He sighed before grumbling a bit, "We'll see who gets the last laugh."

He was already plotting his revenge against his sensei for laughing at him and not helping him complete this technique. All he needed was some rope, a marker, some honey, and a banana.

Yes, soon Jiraiya would regret laughing at Uzumaki Naruto.

"You know, you still haven't told me what this technique of yours is." Jiraiya commented as he watched his student exercise his re-healed calves. "I might be able to help if you actually tell me what it is you're trying to do."

Naruto looked at his sensei before sitting down. "I'm working on a speed technique similar to the Shunshin except this one is supposed to be entirely combat-oriented. What I do is channel chakra, or youki in my case, to the bottom of my feet. After that I expel the youki in short bursts that would theoretically propel me from short distances instantaneously."

Jiraiya seemed to hum in thought as he looked at his student. "So what's the problem?"

"That's just it!" The blond gave a cry of frustration. "There isn't a problem, the theory is completely sound. Yet for whatever reason whenever I go past three steps my calf gets torn to shreds and even getting the technique ready takes at least three seconds, which is three seconds too long in combat." It was the most frustrating situation he had ever been in. No matter how hard he tried, how much chakra he used nothing seemed to change. He could as much or as little as chakra as he could, but the technique always ended the same way, the muscles in his calves getting torn apart.

_**'Naruto-kun.' **_Naruto blinked several times as he heard Kyuubi's voice come across through the seal.

_'Yes?'_ asked the whisker faced blond.

_**'It may have something to do with the fact that you're not using chakra, but youki.' **_Kyuubi gave what amounted to a mental tail flick as she began her explanation. _**'**__**Because youki is a lot more unstable than chakra it's most likely causing an influx when you try and send it out in bursts.'**_

Naruto frowned._ 'So then what should I do? I can't just give up on this technique.'_

_**'I'm not saying you should.'**_Kyuubi replied mildly. _**'But you may need to get better youki control, or even think about adding the elements to the technique as a counterbalance for the instability of your youki.'**_

Naruto sighed. _'You may be on to something… thanks Kyuu-chan.'_

Within the seal Kyuubi gave a grin. _**'You're welcome.'**_

"Oi! Gaki!"

Naruto blinked as he found Jiraiya waving a hand in front of his face. "Sorry Ero-sennin." The blond rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish grin.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Having a dialogue with your inner vixen?" He gave his student a lecherous grin.

"Can it you old perv!" Naruto glared at the man. Jiraiya tended to tease Naruto a lot about the various women who seemed to come into the blonde's life, but he always seemed to have a particular fondness of making fun of his relationship with Kyuubi. Naruto thought it was because the white haired man liked the thought of having a hot woman in his head.

_**'Such a flatterer Naruto-kun.' **_Kyuubi spoke in a seductive purr as she heard the passing thoughts.

_'Ugh... not you too,' _Naruto grumbled a bit, the red-haired demoness had been getting worse with her blatant...flirting? He wasn't sure that was the right word since while they got along much better ever since his near death experience at the hands of Orochimaru, they still didn't seem to quite click. Of course, that could be because he wasn't all that comfortable with her when she got too close. While he would admit that she was starting to grow on him, there were some times when he just didn't want to deal with her.

Not that it stopped her from doing whatever she wanted regardless of how comfortable he was with her. Naruto still had yet to determine just what he felt about her blatant use of her body to tease him when they were in the seal and her near continual use of sexual innuendo at the most inappropriate of times.

Grunting the blond stood up and glared at his sensei. "I suggest you get that mind of yours out of the gutter or I'll let Kyuu-chan use you as a chew toy."

Jiraiya just laughed his students ire off like he had every other time the whiskered Chunin had made comments like that, the blond had threatened him with similar threats before but they both knew such a thing was impossible. "I take it she was giving you some help with this technique you're working on?"

Naruto stood up and nodded. "She thinks my youki is simply too chaotic. It may flow more smoothly and be easier for me to control, but its nature points towards jutsu and techniques that require more power than finesse."

Jiraiya stood up and patted him on the shoulders. "Well, just keep working on it; I'm sure you'll get it eventually. Now get yourself ready to go, the next town is a few hours away and I want to get there by nightfall."

"So you can find a tavern and get drunk and hook up with some woman that you have to pay for, Ero-Sennin?" Naruto grinned when he saw the man glare. Snickering the blond went over to a tree where his shirt and other items were. He grabbed the towel hanging next to his shirt and wiped the sweat off his body. His thoughts soon began to stray as he wondered where they were heading. The air was getting much drier than what he was used to.

"Oi! Gaki, quit daydreaming!"

Naruto snapped himself out of his small fugue and put his shirt on before putting the necklaces he had around his neck. "Yeah, yeah, quit your bitching Ero-sennin." He turned around and was forced to move into a light jog to catch up with his sensei. "You know you never told me where we're headed next?"

"I didn't did I?" Jiraiya asked with a wry grin, said grin widened when he saw Naruto scowl at him. While the boy was actually pretty patient, he hated dealing with people who tended to speak in cryptic words that never gave any information.

"So where are we going?" asked Naruto after a several minute silence.

"We're going to Suna." Jiraiya stated.

"Suna?" Naruto tilted his head to the side and frowned. "What exactly are we going there for?"

"To complete your wind training of course," Jiraiya grinned. "You haven't completed all of the exercises yet have you?"

Naruto frowned. "I don't know. After the leaf cutting exercises I heard we have to cut a waterfall, but I never got the opportunity to do so since I would need a place to stand and I don't have the carpentry skills to build a bridge." The blond looked forward and shrugged. "I actually started creating my own exercises after I managed to cut a leaf."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at his student. "Oh? What kind of exercises have you created?"

The man got a shrug. "All kinds really, anything I could think of that wind can do."

Jiraiya waited for Naruto to say more but when the boy remained silent he decided they should start moving. He took to the trees with Naruto following mere seconds later. The pair made their way to the next town and got a room to stay for the night. Like always Jiraiya had gone off to a tavern to find some female company while Naruto just decided to let his body rest while he went into the seal and spent his time with Kyuubi.

* * *

"**Hello Naruto-kun,"** Kyuubi said with a grin as the blond entered her room through the door that led outside. She only got a glimpse of the trees beyond as he shut the door; a part of her wondered what if being outside in his mind would be similar to the real world. It still made her angry to think of how she was stuck in this house for all eternity. Her only saving grace was that her container was nothing if not amusing. **"Did you come for more stories of my past?"**

That was really the only reason he came to the seal, when she had asked, or more like teased him about it, Naruto had told her that he just wanted to get to know her better since all he knew were from books. Kyuubi wasn't sure what she thought about that, but considering he was one of only two people she could talk to, and she held a strong hatred of the other one, she found herself oddly grateful for his presence.

"Not unless you want to tell me," Naruto said as he sat down at the edge of her bed.

"**Oh?" **Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, **"then what did you want to talk about?"**

"Whatever we feel like I guess," Naruto said. "Since being in the seal is the same thing as going to sleep, I figured it would be better to spend time with you and maybe learn something useful then sleep."

"**So you want to spend time with me? How flattering,"** said Kyuubi, batting her eyelashes at him.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever, so what exactly do you do when I'm not here?"

"**You mean besides sleep?"** asked Kyuubi, her tone sarcastic. **"Not much, it's not like I can go outside, and even if I did, I'm not sure what there is to do in your mind anyways."**

"What did you do before being sealed?"

"**Traveled,"** Kyuubi said, **"I was constantly traveling. I learned early on that it was never good for me to stay in one place for too long, most of the people I enslaved could only stand being under my charms for so long before they became brain dead. I would usually stay for several dozen years, sometimes a lifetime depending on what I was doing at the time. If I was pretending to be the daughter of a noble, I would usually stay a lifetime before quietly disappearing. Most of the time, I would find a rich merchant and place them under my charms, then leave when they got older."**

Naruto nodded, her answer was more or less what he expected by now. He was surprised she was so open about her past, but with no way of escaping the seal he figured she just found it easier to be honest and upfront with him. It was something he was appreciative of since it at least meant she was being honest.

"How come you could never stay around for too long?" asked Naruto.

"**You mean aside from the fact that people would get curious if I didn't die when I was supposed to?"** asked Kyuubi, reminding the blond that the people she disguised herself as were human. **"If I stayed longer than a natural human lived, people would get suspicious. I couldn't afford to let other people know I was immortal or other countries would come to the one I was staying at in order to...acquire me and find out how I could live for so long."**

"I suppose that makes sense," Naruto said, he felt slightly embarrassed that he hadn't thought of that. It also made him wonder if he would be forced to do that as well, constantly travel to keep people from becoming suspicious of him, never being allowed to truly settle down, always having to remain on guard from people wanting to use him for their own purposes. Whoever said they wanted to be immortal obviously didn't realize how much it sucked. He hadn't even been alive for fourteen years and just thinking about the problems that came with it were enough to worry him.

"**Something wrong, Naruto?"** asked Kyuubi, raising an eyebrow as the blond went silent and pensive.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up to see the red head staring at him. "No, I was just thinking about...something." Kyuubi raised an eyebrow at the blond, getting him to look away, but she shrugged any curiosity away for the moment. She didn't particularly care what he was thinking so in the end it didn't matter.

"**So what else did you want to know?"** she asked, getting the blond shinobi back on track as he started asking questions about her life before being sealed.

* * *

The next morning the apprentice-teacher pair were off again, making their way through the forest and then cutting through the desert. When they reached the gates of Suna it was around mid-day. They were stopped by a pair of guards who asked for their ids and passports. When Jiraiya gave them a letter bearing the Hokage's seal the two immediately escorted the two Konoha ninja to the Kazekage tower.

As soon as they were directed inside Naruto saw Baki sitting at the desk. "Yo! Baki-san, how are you?"

Baki looked up and grinned a little when he saw who it was, "Nice to see you again Naruto-san, though I did not expect to see you so soon." The man looked over at Jiraiya. "And Jiraiya-sama, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Jiraiya gave the man an easy grin, "Same to you. I have a letter from the Hokage." He gave Baki the letter bearing the Hokage's seal.

Baki unrolled the seal and frowned when he saw what was on it. "I see, so the Hokage wants us to help Naruto-san here finish his wind training."

"That's the gist of it." Jiraiya nodded. "As you know, wind users are rare in Konoha. In fact we only have the gaki here, and Sarutobi Asuma."

"I see…" Baki set the scroll down. "I have no problems with this, even were we not getting on better terms with Konoha I would probably do this since Naruto helped Gaara so much. I'll just need to find someone suited to the task, but that should only take an hour or so."

"Oh yeah! Speaking of Gaara, you should have Ero-sennin look at his seal." Naruto spoke excitedly. "He should be able to do something about Gaara's sleeping problem better than my seals can."

"Would you be willing to do that Jiraiya-sama?" asked Baki

Jiraiya looked thoughtful before shrugging. "I suppose I could do that. Since I'm not a wind user I can't exactly help the gaki with his training. Alright! I'll take a look at the seal while Naruto begins his training."

"Thank you." Baki bowed his head slightly in a sign of respect. "Right now Gaara is on a mission so we'll have to wait until he comes back, until then how about I have someone escort you to a hotel?"

"That will be fine." Jiraiya said as an ANBU appeared in one corner of the room and escorted them outside.

* * *

Naruto plopped down on the couch in the hotel room that Baki had given him and Jiraiya. It was a very basic two bedroom hotel room with a kitchen/living room combination and two bathrooms. The young blond had kind of hoped he would be able to go and live with Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, he was a little disappointed that he couldn't but understood that it might not be the best idea with Jiraiya. The teasing he was likely to get from the man would likely send him and Temari over the edge.

Speaking of…

He looked over to see said man already hopping out of the window. Probably going to a tavern to get drunk and pay some woman to hang off of him…

_**'Well that is the only way he can get anything from a woman.'**_

Naruto chuckled a bit as Kyuubi's voice resounded from his mind. _'That's probably true; I doubt the old perv could actually get a woman without money.' _

The blond heard the soft alto laughter he had come to know very within the past few months since the Chunin Exams. He always found it so odd that the Kyuubi, the most powerful Bijuu in existence could have such a pleasant sounding laugh.

_**'Why thank you.'**_

Naruto blushed a bit as he realized she heard him. It always bothered him when he caught himself thinking about something like that, mainly because he was paranoid that Kyuubi was somehow putting those thoughts in his head. _'Damn it! Am I still transmitting?'_

_**'Yes,' **_Kyuubi said, with the changes to the Shikki Fuiin that came from when Orochimaru tried to place his own seal on him, Naruto had been finding it very difficult to keep things from her. He could still do it, but if he wasn't careful, Kyuubi would pick up on even the most random of thoughts from him.

_**'Personally I don't even see how any female could stand to be with that pervert and his obnoxiously loud voice.' **_Kyuubi felt a small shudder run down her tails, that man's laugh simply disturbed her on many levels with how obnoxious it was.

Picking up on her thoughts Naruto snickered. _'Would you rather listen to that, or have to deal with the sunset genjutsu of 'youth'?'_

Kyuubi's shudders became even more pronounced as the horrible mental images entered her mind. _**'Don't ever remind me of that…in all my centuries of life I have never seen something as disturbing as that damned genjutsu.'**_

_'It is pretty creepy; I bet they would be great at torture and interrogation. Just let them start hugging and we'd have our prisoners talking in no time.'_

_**'Now there's an idea.'**_

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Naruto stood up and walked over to the door, opening it to find…

"Hello Naruto-kun." Temari smiled at the blond.

"Mari-chan?" Naruto looked at the blond girl for a moment, wondering why she was here before realizing. "You're here to help me with my wind training?"

Temari's grin widened. "You've got it cutie."

Naruto groaned. That damned word will never leave me…

"So, are you here to get started, or is there another reason?"

If possible Temari's grin widened, and Naruto had a very bad feeling.

* * *

"How long do you plan on dragging me around?" asked Naruto as Temari, with his arm securely gripped with her own pulled him around Suna. They had spent nearly two hours walking around, talking and had just finished lunch. Now they were making their way towards one of the districts he had not seen before, it looked like a factory of some kind.

"Are you that tired of me Naruto-kun?" Temari asked with a small pout, bringing out her lower lip as her eyes began to tear. Despite knowing instinctively that her tears were completely fake Naruto felt himself begin to panic.

"Of course not, Mari-chan!" he reassured the girl who had a chibi version of herself giving the victory sign in her mind. "I was just wondering if we were going to get to training, or if there was something specific you wanted to do instead of just walking around."

"There are a lot of things I would like for us to do," Temari purred, the way she said us put Naruto on guard. "But I figured I should show you where you'll be training."

"We're training here?" asked Naruto, looking over at the large buildings. They didn't look any different from any other building; they were the same cylindrical, beige structures that the city was made of.

However, these particular buildings were massive, literally two to three times larger than any other building in Suna.

He absently wondered how he had missed these on his last visit.

"Not here per say," Temari replied cryptically as they walked to one of the buildings. "But this place leads to where we will."

They both walked inside one of the buildings and Naruto's first thought that this was some kind of factory seemed to be spot on. The interior of the place was littered with pipes and machinery that he had never seen before. Along one side of the building were large cylindrical tanks.

"What is this place for?" asked Naruto curiously.

"These buildings are where we gain 1/3 of our water supply," Temari said. "Those machines over there have large pipelines that lead to several underground canals are located and pump water up from them."

"You said only 1/3," the blond male commented, "Where do you get the rest?"

"Import it from other nations of course," Temari answered as if the question was obvious, and it was, how else would they get something aside getting it from another country. The fan user began walking further into the building, "now come on."

Naruto followed his companion as she led him over to a steel plate with a handle on it, an entrance of some kind. His believe was proven correct when Temari had him help her in opening the entrance.

They climbed down using a latter that was located on one side and found themselves in a tunnel. It looked unnatural due to how smooth the walls were and Naruto had to wonder how it was made.

"These tunnels were cut out using wind chakra," Temari answered when he voiced his question. She smirked at him, "our boast about having the best wind users in the world wasn't an exaggeration, you know?"

She led him through the tunnel; there was only one path so it was rather easy to follow. Up ahead Naruto noticed one of the large pipes was also following the tunnel, he could see moisture dripping off of it and realized it the tunnel was actually damp. It was not something he expected to find in Suna, given how hot and dry it remained all year.

When they reached the end of the tunnel Naruto could not help but let a gasp escape him. Seeing and hearing his reaction, Temari smirked, "welcome to where you'll be training, Naruto-kun."

* * *

(One Month later…Unknown Location)

"Are you positive of this information Kabuto-kun?" Asked Orochimaru as he grit his teeth. The pain he was in was getting more and more unbearable as time passed. He knew that if he did not choose a body soon he would die.

Kabuto pushed up his glasses and hid his worry of his master's condition as he gave his report. "Yes it is. This information was given to us by Danzo so I assume it is correct."

"I see…" Orochimaru knew that Danzo was not to be trusted, however the man still had his uses and the Snake Sannin knew that for the moment he still had his uses to Danzo. "So, Uzumaki has gone on a training trip with my old teammate Jiraiya. Kukuku, this may be the opportunity we are looking for. With that blasted brat gone and Konoha's shinobi still stretched too thin from our invasion there is no one among them who is a match for our shinobi."

"Shall I send the Sound Four to get him?" Kabuto asked.

"No, they still have a use for me that I plan on using right now. I want you to go with Kimimaro and Guren."

"Guren!" Kabuto actually looked surprised. "Are you sure that is a wise idea Orochimaru-sama, we both of her…dislike towards me."

"Kukuku, she is also my second most loyal servant after you Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru chuckled, truthfully he found the girls rivalry with his second in command amusing. "She will do as asked."

Kabuto looked unsure for a second before he bowed, "It shall be done Orochimaru-sama."

* * *

It was just another day in Konoha for Team Seven as they walked out of the missions building, having just finished their quota of D rank missions for the day. Even after several months since the invasion there were still a lot more D-ranks than before, and Genin teams like theirs, Eight and Ten were the ones who were usually forced to take them.

Kakashi did not even bother to look up from his book as spoke, "Now that all of our D rank missions are done I'm giving you guys the day off today."

Sakura looked over at her sensei. "Kakashi-sensei I was wondering, where is Naruto? I haven't seen him on our team ever since the Chunin Exams."

Kakashi looked up from his book to see his two remaining squad members looking at him in interest. He thought about whether or not he should tell them but figured out they would learn soon enough from one of the blonds friends anyways. "He left with Jiraiya-sama two days ago to go on a training trip. So you won't see him for three years. Anyways, you guys are dismissed."

As he watched Kakashi disappear in a puff of smoke Uchiha Sasuke clenched his fists. Why is the dobe getting special training when I'm the one who needs to become stronger! Why is it that ever since I joined this damn team he's been getting stronger while I've just been standing still! These thoughts that his mind was taking him was infuriating him even more. Ever since he had joined Team Seven Naruto had made him feel inferior at every turn. And now the dobe was getting trained by one of the strongest ninja in the village!

"Um…Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura, unsure of whether she should say anything as she noticed Sasuke's clenched fists bleeding.

"What!" Sasuke growled as he glared at the pink haired girl. His Sharingan eyes active and giving him a frightening and hateful appearance.

Sakura took a step back for a moment before steeling herself. "I…I was just wondering if you were alright. You seem well…" she trailed off at the end, not sure what she should say to him.

"I'm fine." Sasuke grunted as he spun on his heel and walked away.

For once Sakura did not follow him and try to get a date. The look he had cast her was frightening, she knew Sasuke had always been cold, to her and everyone else. But that look just now had been so filled with hate resentment that for the first time in her life Sakura had felt scared of her crush. She stared after where he had stalked off before slowly turning and making her way to her own house.

_What happened to you, Sasuke-kun?_

* * *

As Sasuke made his way into his clan compound he glared at everything in sight. All of it, this entire was a reminder of how his brother had killed his clan and how he was still not strong enough to avenge them. Every day he would look at this place, a place that was once so full of life, and was now a grave yard reminded him of his still constant failure. He used this place and the memories that came with it to fuel his hatred of Itachi. However, even after all this time, even though his hatred burned even more strongly than it ever had…

… It still wasn't enough.

It was like no matter what he did, he never got any stronger. Meanwhile Itachi was getting farther and farther away, and pretty soon he would never get his revenge.

Sasuke opened the door to his clan compound and made his way to the kitchen so he could grab a bite to eat before getting to back his training. However, when he came back from the kitchen he was shocked to find someone else in his house.

"Hello Sasuke-kun, it's been a while since we've last seen each other know?" Kabuto asked with a small smile.

"How did you get into my house?" Sasuke asked wearily, he was not sure what was going on but he remembered who this was. "Kabuto."

"You remembered my name," Kabuto gave a pleasant smile that seemed more mocking then anything. "I am so pleased to know you didn't forget me."

"You didn't answer the question," Sasuke ground out, his left hand went into his kunai pouch. Something was off here; he could feel something different about the white haired Genin before him. Some kind of change had come over him, and it was unsettling to Sasuke.

"Do you still desire power?" asked Kabuto, hiding his smile of victory when he saw Sasuke stiffen. "If you want, my master can give you power."

"Your master?" asked Sasuke, narrowing his eyes at who he thought was still just a Genin. "If your master trained someone as weak as you, then I doubt I need them."

He was stopped from saying anything further when Kabuto disappeared and reappeared at his side, fast enough that Sasuke had not even seen him, his smile still in place. "I assure I am far better than I let others believe." Kabuto turned away. "However, if you do not want Orochimaru-sama to help you with your goals of getting strong enough to kill your brother…"

"Wait!" Sasuke said as he Kabuto began to walk out of his house. When Orochimaru's right hand man stopped and turned around Sasuke started again. "He can offer me the power I want?"

"Of course," Kabuto smiled, it seemed his master was right, the boy could not think of anything other than power. "Orochimaru-sama has asked me to tell you that he is willing to train you, and give you all the power that Konoha has denied you."

"Why?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Who can say," Kabuto shrugged, "I can't speak for Orochimaru-sama, maybe you just remind him of himself, or perhaps he wants your help and is willing to give you what you want so he gets what he wants." There was no real need to beat around the bush with Sasuke, Kabuto would not tell him that Orochimaru wanted to possess his body but what he said was close enough to the truth. Orochimaru did want something from the boy after all.

"Even though my cursed seal has been sealed?" a hand went to Sasuke's neck, where the cursed seal could be seen, and the counter-seal around it clearly visible.

"Yes, I heard about that." Kabuto paused. "You're fortunate that your cursed seal is only in its first stage. Once we upgrade your seal to its stage two form, the other seal will be overpowered." When Sasuke did not say anything Kabuto began sinking into the ground again. "I'll give you a few days to think about it. If you wish for the power Orochimaru-sama can give you then come find me two miles outside of the north gate in one week."

Sasuke watched as the white haired traitor disappeared, his thoughts centered on the man's offer.

* * *

(One Week later…)

It was nearing the end of the week long time frame that Kabuto had given Sasuke. During that time the raven haired avenger had actually thought about what he wanted to do for a long time. Surprisingly, coming up with the answer was harder than he thought. Every time he had thought of taking up Orochimaru on his offer his mind would replay images of his time on Team Seven.

Even if he refused to admit it to anyone else but himself, he had more fun being on Team Seven than he had for several years. His time with Kakashi, Naruto and even Sakura had been more pleasant than he would care to let on. Team Seven had become something of a family to him.

In the end he had been forced to ask himself. What did he want in life? Did he want to stay here? In a place where he could be happy? A place where he had friends? Or at least as close to friends as was possible for him.

Or did he want to go to the person who could offer him power? Enough power to crush Itachi. Did he still want to go after his brother and avenge his clan?

He looked at the Team Seven photo on his desk. Kakashi was in the back, book noticeably absent and an eye smile on his face. Sakura was in the middle giving the camera the peace sign and had a rather large smile on her face. Naruto stood on her left, offering a small, content grin. And he was on the right, glaring at Naruto.

He stared at the picture has he thought about what decision he should make.

He placed the photo face down.

He grabbed his back pack.

And left…

…Because in the end, he was an avenger.

"Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke looked up to see Haruno Sakura standing in front of him, he should have known that she would know what he was up to, the girl had some kind of blood hound sense. "Why are you prowling around in the middle of the night?" he asked without stopping, passing her by as she stared at the ground.

"This is the only exit in the village that's not guarded at night," Sakura said, getting Sasuke to stop. "I knew if you were going to leave…all I would have to do was wait here."

"Get out of here and go back to sleep Sakura," Sasuke said.

Sakura began to sniff and cry as she turned her head to look at him, "Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a single word to me…"

Sasuke sighed, not even sure why he was talking to her, maybe it was because even if she was annoying, she was still his teammate… and friend. "I told you; I don't need your help, don't try to look after me."

As Sasuke began to walk again Sakura looked down and gave a sad smile as a few tears dropped from her chin and onto the ground. "No matter what I do; you'll always hate me won't you. You remember, don't you?"

"…" Sasuke did not turn around but he did stop moving.

"When we became genin, the day our three man squad was assigned," Sakura remembered, after beating on Naruto again she had found Sasuke on his way back to the class room. "The first time we were here, by ourselves…you were so mad at me…"

She remembered how she had berated Naruto in front of Sasuke for being an idiot because he did not have any parents.

* * *

_Flashback…._

_"Can you believe that baka Naruto? He's always causing problems for me and trying to mess things up. It's because he wasn't raised right. He just says whatever pops into his head because he doesn't know what it's like to be punished on a personal level. It's all because he doesn't have parents."_

_"You think he…"_

_"Think about it! He doesn't have anyone to answer to, never has, which is why he's become so selfish! If I tried to do the things he gets away with I would be grounded for life, so of course I don't do them! Without parents it's the only possible outcome that one becomes an idiot!"_

_"…Alone…"_

_"What?"_

_"Being scolded by parents is nothing. You can't possibly compare it. Even Naruto knows what can't be escaped in this world. Emptiness. Isolation."_

_"W-what are you saying!"_

_"You're annoying."_

_Flashback end…_

* * *

Sasuke did remember that conversation. It had been one of the few times he had realized that there was someone who might understand at least some of his pain. Not that he was going to let Sakura know that, "I don't remember that."

Sakura looked wide eyed for a moment, before she looked back down, "Hahaha…yeah, I guess you're right, that was all in the past huh? That's when it all began though, you, me and Naruto, along with Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura smiled as she remembered some of the things they had done, "We did all sorts of missions, just the four of us. It was painful and difficult at times, even with that though, I still enjoyed it."

She looked up at the young Uchiha avenger's back, "I know all about your past Sasuke, but even if you get your revenge…it won't bring anyone happiness, not even you Sasuke…nor me."

Sasuke smirked as his hair cast a shadow that covered his eyes, "I know that already. However I'm different from all of you, I can't be following the same path as you guys. Up until recently we've done everything as a group. But there are some things that I can only accomplish by myself that I must accomplish by myself. Deep inside my heart I've already decided on revenge, that is the only reason I live. I'll never be like you or Naruto."

Sakura bit her lip as more tears began to form in her eyes, "Do you really want to go back to being alone? You told me how painful it was to be alone! Right now I know you're in pain! I may have friends and family, but if you were to leave…" Sakura closed her eyes as more tears began streaming down her face, "If you were to leave, I would be just as alone as you!"

Sasuke did not even turn around to look at her, in the end she didn't matter. All that did was him getting enough power to kill Itachi, "From here on out, we all begin new paths."

"I…" Sakura grit her teeth, "I love you! If you were to stay with me, I would make sure you never regretted a single moment of it! Because every day we'd do something fun, we'd be happy, I swear! I would do anything for you! So please…just stay with me!"

"I'll even help you get your revenge," Sakura sniffed as she tried to stop crying, "Even though I don't know what I could do, but I'll try my best to do something. So please, stay with me…or take me with you if you can't stay here."

Sasuke stayed still for several seconds before turning around with a smirk on his face, "you really are annoying."

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked up just in time to see him turn around, "Don't leave! If you do I'll scream!"

Her eyes widened when Sasuke disappeared.

"Sakura," the voice came from behind her, "Thank you."

Her eyes widened even more, before she felt a quick prick on her neck and everything went black.

* * *

Naruto and five hundred clones were standing atop a bridge made of sandstone as they all worked on cutting shapes out of the waterfall. It had been over a month since Naruto had been here, during the first two weeks he had managed to cut the waterfall in half. After that his training would have been complete; however like always Naruto was determined to take his elemental training to the next level, doing the same exercises he had done with the leaf exercise.

For a moment the blond reflected on how odd it was to see a waterfall in the middle of a desert, much less the ten waterfalls that were around him. He was in an underground cavern under the desert on the outskirts of Suna. Apparently this place was fed by several rivers that had tunneled underground and traveled along Suna as a naturally made canal. He remembered the first time Temari had led him here and how amazed he had been to see something like this in the middle of the desert.

The waterfall he was on now was the largest one, spanning about fifty feet in width. He and the clones combined their wind natured chakra and began creating a shape, working together as the water from the fall began to gain a line in it that curved along and moved. At the same time he kept a constant stream of wind chakra to areas he had already cut. The line grew larger and larger as the shape began to get more and more complex, eventually taking the shape of the Konoha leaf symbol. He could not do anything more complex than that right now, but he was getting better with time. Sighing, he wiped off the sweat and water that had gotten on his face when a voice spoke up behind him.

"You know, it still amazes me, seeing the ways you take a simple exercise and run with it."

Naruto and his clones all stopped and turned around. The original gave Temari a grin, "What can I say Mari-chan, I'm just awesome like that."

Temari smirked at her fellow blond before changing it into a pout, "You know you've been here for several hours. I think it's time you did something else."

Naruto's grin widened slightly, "You mean do something with you." At Temari's blush the whiskered blond chuckled.

He had not just trained during the month. He and Temari had gone out on many dates during his time here.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_Naruto and Temari entered the expensive restaurant arm in arm as the pair followed the waitress, who was dressed as a traditional geisha, led them to one of the booths that lined the walls. The pair seated themselves and Naruto looked over at Temari._

_"You know when you said to dress nicely; I still didn't expect to come to a place as…" Temari's male counterpart paused as he searched for the right word. "…extravagant as this."_

_Temari gave Naruto a smirk, "The benefits of being a child of the former Kazekage. My…the Kazekage used to own this place, and when he died those rights were transferred to me."_

_Naruto noticed how she refused to call the former leader of her village father, but knew where her bitterness came from and so he chose not to comment on it._

_"So you own this place?" he asked instead, eyeing the beautifully crafted statues, the luxurious looking carpet and the professional musician that was playing over in one corner for background music. The place made every restaurant he had eaten in pale in comparison._

_"Yep!" Temari chirped as she picked up a menu. The came over with two glasses and a bottle of wine, filling them as the pair gave their order._

_Temari smiled to herself before looking over at the blond and couldn't keep the small giggle from escaping her throat as she saw him tugging at his shirt. Of course he noticed this right away and scowled at her, "It's not funny."_

_"It is too funny," Temari snickered at her fellow blond. "You can kick Gaara's ass even when he's in Tanuki form, you managed to cut a waterfall in just over two weeks, and you don't break a sweat even with the threats you're going to have to face in your life." She gave him a smirk, "Yet you can't even wear a set of nice formal clothing."_

_Naruto's scowl became more pronounced, "I've never had to wear anything like this. They feel so confining and stuffy."_

_"Well I think you look good in them," Temari complemented. She really did believe he looked good in the clothes he was wearing, a dark rust orange hakama with a dark blue kimono that almost looked black in the lighting. She gave him another smile and couldn't but add, "Besides, you should be lucky I let you add some orange into your ensemble."_

_"I suppose," Naruto sighed as his shoulders slumped. There was no use griping about it now. He perked up a second later and looked over at Temari, "You look like you're used to this kind of thing."_

_"Of course I am," Temari gestured to herself, "between my brothers and I, I was always the one they sent on any kind of diplomatic mission. You know that. Naturally a lot of the times I would eat at places like this, or in the palaces that Daimyos and other rich nobles lived."_

_"Ugh, that sounds so boring," Naruto grimaced. "I would hate having to deal with a bunch of rich snobs. I've only met a few Daimyos, and most of them are fat, greedy old farts." He remembered the Daimyos from Kiba and Ta No Kuni with a grimace._

_Shaking the thought away he gave her a look of sympathy, "Being such a beautiful girl, I don't know how you would be able to deal with people like that."_

_Temari blushed at being called beautiful, "W-well, I usually just ignored the ones that tried to come onto me. If that didn't work I would just tell them off, though it wasn't always easy."_

_"I'm surprised you didn't just bash their heads off with your fan," Naruto gave her his foxy grin._

_"I would have if doing that wouldn't have hurt Suna's reputation," Temari fired back._

_"Then you must have far more restraint than others," Naruto said._

_Conversation ceased for a while after that as the food came, and the two began to eat._

_Afterwards Naruto had taken the girl for a walk around Suna and they had stayed up late to look at the stars before heading off to bed._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

That was not all he had done either, he and Temari had sparred quite often. Naruto had also got in some good spars with Gaara, though they had been forced to take their sparring outside of the village training grounds. He had to admit that had been a good idea as the first time the two had sparred they had not only destroyed an entire training ground, by burying it under sand and having that sand turned to glass, but the amount of noise and explosions had caused a mass panic from the citizens thinking they were under attack.

Speaking of Gaara, Jiraiya had managed to help him with his Bijuu problem. The process had been a pretty big hassle and Jiraiya had actually required Naruto's help in keeping the Shukaku from escaping.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_"Okay, Naruto, as soon as I begin the process of replacing Gaara's seal, I need you to produce a suppression seal on him and keep the Shukaku from escaping," Jiraiya said as he stared at the seal that Gaara had on his the lower section of his back. He honestly could not believe that someone would actually place a mere two prong seal elemental seal and expect it to hold a being as powerful as a Bijuu, even if said Bijuu was the weakest of the bunch._

_Naruto nodded his head. This was a standard procedure for re-sealing or fixing seals with powerful entities of any kind involved, or so Jiraiya had told him, "Got it Ero-sennin."_

_Jiraiya cracked his knuckles before producing his specialized ink and brush, "Alright Gaara, we're going to begin now. I warn you, this will hurt."_

_Gaara who was lying in the center of a large seal array that had been prepared beforehand to help contain the demonic youki, merely gave a small nod, "I am aware of that. However, pain is a small price to pay for being able to sleep after twelve years of going without."_

_"Right," Jiraiya dipped his brush in the ink before he began to write a complex looking seal over the one that held the Shukaku. Naruto watched as the white haired man deftly and quickly drew the seals along Gaara, starting around the original seal and spreading out from there as it increased in complexity. Naruto couldn't help but notice that compared to Jiraiya's work, the two prong seal placed on his friend looked like it had been done by a toddler in comparison._

_It was here that Naruto saw just how talented his sensei really was. Oh sure, he knew the man was strong, the blond still had yet to land a single hit on Jiraiya even after all of their spars. But that was to be expected, having nearly forty years more experience than Naruto; however, seeing the man making a seal that he could not make heads or tails of really brought the fact that Jiraiya really was not just some perverted lecher._

_When the seal was finally complete Jiraiya placed a hand in the center of it and began to channel some chakra into it. "Kirema Fuiin (Destabilization Seal)!"_

_All of the seals on and around Gaara soon began to move into the two pronged seal, writhing their way up the redhead as they glowed a light blue. The seal holding the Bijuu had soon began to hiss and steam as it started to dissolve. At that same time Gaara began to thrash and yell as agony ripped through his body, "AAAAHHHHHH!"_

_"Get started gaki!" Jiraiya shouted, knocking the blond from his fascination at watching the seal in action._

_"Right!" Naruto created six kage bunshin, all which were reinforced by the blond consciously subverting more chakra to them. They all went up to Gaara and held him down while he thrashed in pain._

_In the meantime Naruto's hand began to glow a light purple as he used a technique he had created called Chikara Chosaku (Chakra Writing), which was an ability he came up with to supplement his increasing skills in fuinjutsu. The technique allowed Naruto to use his youki to write on solid surfaces of any kind. Due to being half demon, Naruto's youki was more potent than the human equivalent and was what allowed him to use this ability, though the seals would only last for fifteen minutes until they would fade._

_He soon began to write a seal on Gaara's stomach, being as quick as he could while still maintaining perfect precision with his writing. Sweat began to trickle down the blonde's face as a muddy brown chakra began to bubble up from Gaara, starting from the stomach and spreading out. Naruto did his best to block off the bloodcurdling screams as he worked, and was supremely grateful he and Jiraiya had the foresight to put up a powerful sound barrier before starting._

_There was no telling what Temari would do if she was able to hear her little brother's screams._

_C'mon, c'mon… Naruto blinked the sweat out of his eyes as he finished the last few lines to the seal array before channeling some chakra into it, "Oni Fukaku Fuiin (Demonic Supression seal)!" the seal began to glow a light blue and the brown chakra stopped its movement, before getting stuck onto Gaara's lower back, "Ero-sennin!"_

_Jiraiya hurried up and began to work on drawing a four pronged seal on the red heads stomach, using the careful and skillful precision that came from decades upon decades of writing seals._

_Because Naruto's ability only allowed a seal to last fifteen minutes the two were forced to constantly switch places so the blond could reapply the suppression seal each time it dissolved. They would have found a better way to do this, however when creating a high level seal such as the one Jiraiya was making, they could not actually place a seal on Gaara or they risked the two seals getting crossbred, which would cause the seal to break and the Shukaku to explode out of Gaara, an event that would likely kill everyone in the process._

_However with Naruto's ability that would not be a problem, as all they would have to do was wait until the seal dissolved before activating the new containment seal._

_It was three hours later that Jiraiya finally finished writing out the seal, just in time as the last suppression seal Naruto had placed on Gaara dissolved. "Hakke Fuiin (Four pronged seal)!" Jiraiya took a step back after he finished activating the seal and he and his student watched as the seal glowed a bright blue._

_Gaara's movements soon ceased and the redhead became so still that were it not for the light up and down movement of the chest that signified the Ichibi's jinchuuriki was still breathing, Naruto might have thought he was dead._

_Jiraiya moved over to the red head as Naruto's kage bunshins dispelled, now that he was no longer thrashing about, and checked over the seal._

_"How's it look?" asked Naruto as he came up to the other side and looked at the new seal on Gaara's stomach. It was very similar to his own, with a large spiral hiding the actual kanji for the seal. The only difference between his and Gaara's was that his seal had eight squiggly lines on the outside surrounding the seal, while his fellow jinchuuriki's had four._

_"The sealing was a complete success," Jiraiya said after triple checking his work. The older male sighed in relief and slumped down a bit, "it looks like we did it, and Kami I hope to never do it again."_

_Naruto snickered at Jiraiya's exhausted expression, "Tired from just a little sealing Ero-sennin? You must be getting old."_

_Jiraiya scowled at his student and began to go off on one of his rants about how he never got any respect from the youth of today._

_Flashback end…_

* * *

That had been an experience he did not want to repeat, and he hadn't even done the hard part of the sealing.

"I suppose we can go somewhere, provided your little brother doesn't go all 'hurt my sister and I'll bury you under twelve feet of sand' on me again," Naruto replied, remembering the first time he and Gaara had sparred and the red haired Jinchuuriki had given him that threat.

Temari grinned, "He hasn't done that for a while, it will be fine."

Naruto's just shook his head, "No, but I'm expecting him to start up again any moment now."

Temari would have said something however a few seconds later Gaara appeared between them in a whirl of sand. "I hate to break up your flirting at the moment, but Baki wanted us at the Kazekage tower."

Both Naruto and Temari blushed as Gaara described of their conversation as flirting in such a monotone way. Honestly, how he could just say something like that without any inflection in his voice and not even a twitch of his face was disconcerting.

"You wanted to see us Baki-sensei?" asked Temari as she, Naruto and Gaara entered the room. The three noticed that Kankuro was already there.

"Yes," Baki looked at them and everyone, even Naruto could see a few stress lines signifying something happened. "We have just received a request from Konoha, asking us to send some back up for a squad of ninja that are going after one of their own who either left or was captured."

Baki looked at the three of them, "You four are to head towards Konoha and assist a squad with Chunin Nara Shikamaru in command with the retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

**There, the next chapter will be the Sasuke Retrieval Mission.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if you think that sucks as much as I do, please raise your right hand and stick up your middle finger to give Kishi the one finger salute for coming up with this before me.**

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**Before we begin I would just like to thank the two people who helped Beta this story. Thank you, Senjuto and kylekatarn77.**

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**Naruto: Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 37: Battle of Youki and Crystal**

* * *

The three Suna shinobi plus one Konoha shinobi had just passed the borders of Suna and were now traveling through one of the Forests located within Hi No Kuni. As they did the Sabaku siblings were forced to listen to Naruto swear enough that any sailor would have likely died of a heart attack, "That goddamn, motherfucking teme! What the hell does he think he's doing! Did he even fucking think about what would happen if he went to some mother fucking pedo-douche bag like that damn snake and his cock muppet Kabuto! When I get my hands on that shit, I swear by Kami as my fucking witness I'm going to kick his little punk ass from here to Iwa!"

"Naruto, you have been ranting and swearing for nearly four hours, might I suggest you stop and focus on the mission," Gaara suggested in the same monotone voice he always used, not in the least bit affected by the blonde's foul temper and mouth. Unlike the other two who were actually beginning to get a bit disturbed by not only the vulgarity he was spouting but the imagination in some of the ways Naruto planned on torturing Sasuke if they got up to him.

Naruto grunted a bit before acknowledging Gaara's words, "Sorry, I'm just so pissed off that Sasuke-teme would actually do something like this."

"Maybe he didn't," Temari suggested, "He could have been kidnapped."

"Doubtful," Naruto frowned in thought, "while not as secure as it once was Konoha's security was still pretty tight before I left. Sasuke-teme is fairly strong, it would have taken a lot of effort to kidnap him and someone would have been bound to notice the kind of chakra emissions necessary to fight on his level." The whiskered blond shook his head, "No I have a feeling that he left of his own accord. Sasuke has always been power hungry, he wants enough power to destroy his brother Itachi and he doesn't seem to care how he gets it."

He didn't add that Sasuke had likely felt threatened and jealous of Naruto's own increase in ability and power. While the blond shinobi had not seen much of his old team since he was promoted to Chunin, he had spotted them in passing and whenever he was near, Sasuke had given him some of the most hateful glares he had ever seen. Not only that but he had noticed that Sasuke had taken to following him when he had gone out to train, and Naruto had been forced to lose him many times, knowing that the raven haired Genin was likely trying to spy on his training method in order to gain whatever strength Naruto had for himself.

"So you think that this Sasuke kid is actually betraying your village for an S-class traitor who really shouldn't be trusted, given his history of betraying people, for power?" asked Kankuro, who gave a rather constipated looking expression when Naruto nodded. "How stupid can one kid get? He doesn't honestly think Orochimaru will grant him power does he?"

"Obviously he does." Naruto said.

"Quiet you too; I sense several presences up ahead." Gaara warned.

"How many and where are they?" asked Naruto.

Gaara shook his head, "I can't tell. I can only sense the presences vaguely."

**'****Naruto-kun, if you channel youki to your eyes you should be able to see them.'**

_'__Really?' Naruto asked Kyuubi as she made herself known._

**'****Yes, it is a unique ability when becoming half - since you've become what you are.' **She and Naruto had stopped using the term demon and half demon to describe each other, since Kyuubi was actually just a mass of extremely powerful and inhuman chakra, not a demon. Or at least, Kyuubi didn't consider herself to be a demon. According to her, the term demon is what humans use to place a label on beings that were beyond their power and understanding. It was a name made in ignorance, one that she only used because she did not give herself a label, and had been using terms in order to speak _down_ to Naruto's level. As for Naruto, well, he didn't know what he was, but since Kyuubi didn't consider herself a demon, he wasn't sure if he should call himself a half demon. He just knew that he wasn't fully human anymore.** 'Since at least half of your energy comes from nature, you should have gained the ability to sense and see chakra.'**

Naruto began channeling youki through his eyes, unaware that they were changing from their original blue, to a royal and deep amethyst color, much like how they were when he transformed into his demon form. Though the others did notice and were slightly freaked out by it, minus Gaara who just raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, what the hell is up with your eyes?" asked Kankuro.

Naruto blinked as he looked over at him, "What? Is something wrong with them?"

"They're purple Naruto-kun," Temari said, "and they look a lot like fox eyes."

"Ah, don't worry about that, it's just an ability I have thanks to Kyuubi-chan," Naruto said. He turned his attention back to where the presences were detected. He saw what he guessed were people outlined in small blue dots that were slowly but steadily getting larger the closer they got. Two of those dots had a sickly purple color mixing in them. "I see seven figures up ahead. Four of them are on our right, close to where if my memory serves is the entrance to the Valley of the End. The other three are to the left, at least several miles away."

_'Hey, Kyuubi-chan, is this like some kind of dojutsu?'_

_**'No, that's not a dojutsu. It's just a basic ability I have that I passed on to you. You won't be able to copy moves like the Sharingan, or gain three-hundred-sixty degree X-ray vision like the Byakugan, just the basic ability to see chakra. Because I am just a mass of chakra I am more in tune with the world around me than humans are. Seeing as how you are more or less half of what I am, you have some of my lesser abilities.'**_

_'Ah...still a useful skill to have though.'_

_**'Indeed.'**_

"Gaara, I want you to go and assist whoever is to the left. I would send the others but I think you're enough to help whoever is there and these two would probably just get in the way of your more destructive techniques." Naruto saw Gaara nod his head before using his sand to float away and towards the area his friend had given.

Naruto then turned back to the others, "We're going in hard, so keep your guard up. I'll be going in first since, no offense, I'm stronger than both of you. While I engage the enemy I want you to assess the situation and if our comrades are wounded, render first aid to them. Depending on how injured some of them are, one of you may need to escort them to Konoha."

"Hai," the two said in unison, causing Naruto to smile before they increased their pace.

* * *

Things were not going well for one Nara Shikamaru, or the ninja he had selected for this troublesome mission. From the moment he had been given his orders to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke before he could make his way to Orochimaru, he had known that the mission would not end well. And his theory was proven right, for as soon as they had caught up with the people who had likely kidnapped Sasuke they had been attacked by this weird kid who was able to use his bones as a weapon.

Both Neji and Rock Lee had stayed behind in order to deal with the bone user; however, since they had not caught up Shikamaru was assuming the worst possible scenario.

To make matters worse, the moment they arrived in this clearing they had been assaulted by a woman who could use some weird crystal jutsus to attack. So far they had no luck in retrieving Sasuke, and the Nara heir was almost positive that said Uchiha was already in Orochimaru's clutches. And even if he wasn't they still had to kill this woman, since she had set up some kind of crystal barrier that according to her would only break when she died or released the jutsu.

In other words the entire situation was troublesome.

He, Chouji and Kiba had been fighting this lady for nearly an hour now so far, they've had no luck in even landing so much as a scratch on the woman. Initially he and Chouji had tried to go with their standard strategy, he would trap her in his Kagemane no Jutsu and then Chouji would bulldoze the woman over.

Things had not gone as planned.

Instead the woman had managed to switch herself out with a Suisho Bunshin (Crystal Clone) and when Chouji smashed into it, he had gotten several dozen crystal shards stabbing into him for his troubles. He and Akamaru had been forced to defend the large Genin until Kiba had safely dragged him away since Chouji had already lost consciousness from blood loss by that time.

The three of them had then tried to use teamwork to beat her, but the woman had defeated everything they threw at her. Her crystal attacks had been able to beat back any attack that Kiba and his ninja dog made, and the one time he had been able to get in close, she had merely used a crystal shield to keep from receiving any damage. And now they were on their last rope.

_Man, this is mission has gone beyond troublesome… Shikamaru thought. __We haven't even been able to lay a hand on this woman, nothing seems to work, and I haven't even been able to come up with a plan to beat her. She's simply too good and powerful for anything we can do to work._

Shikamaru looked over when he heard a jutsu being called and found himself staring at a large, white, two headed wolf-dog. The thing had a baleful expression as it glared at the woman they had been fighting. Drool dripped down its two mouths, hitting the ground and hissing as it ate through the rock and dirt below, showing that it was highly acidic.

It was only a moment later before the large creature jumped into the air and began to spin, barreling towards the woman who merely smirked and went through a few hand seals.

"Shoton: Kouseki Yari (Crystal Release: Crystal spears)!" She slammed her hands onto the ground and several spears made of crystal shot out of the ground, heading straight towards the giant dog.

It was with great shock to the woman however, when the dog smashed through her crystals with relative ease and continued on its way down. She was soon forced to use a Kawarimi and replace herself with a log in order to escape the giant animal, and none too soon as the two headed dog crashed where she had just been, gouging out a huge chunk of earth and creating a large trench.

The creature stopped its spin as it stood at the end of the trench, growling as it began to sniff out the woman. Before it could find her however, a loud shout came from the left.

"Shoton: Kasui (Crystal Release: Spike)!" The giant dog had only enough time to jump to the left as a large, nearly fifty foot spike shot straight out of the ground. Even then, it was not fast enough to get away entirely unscathed. The giant dog howled in both anger and pain as a large gash appeared on its left hind leg from getting cut up against the spike.

"Kesshō: Kyodai Rokkaku Shuriken (Crystal: Giant Hexagonal Shuriken)!" As the voice shouted again, the large dog had just enough time to look over to the left, to see the woman shooting a giant shuriken made of crystal. The giant dog did not even have time to formulate a plan of action before the shuriken impaled it in the shoulder. Before it could even howl in pain, several more stabbed into its flesh, one going through its left shoulder, one through its right front leg, and another that managed to stab into its paw.

The large dog howled in agony before it was covered in a puff of smoke, and when the smoke cleared it revealed a bloody and beaten Kiba and Akamaru. The two looked like they had been through a meat grinder. Kiba aside from the large tears in his clothes and skin also had a large hole that went clear through his shoulder and a cut that ran along his left leg. By that same token Akamaru's fur was splattered with red from all the cuts he had received, and there was an increasingly large red spot that was continuing to expand from the hole that the dog had suffered on his right front leg.

"Akamaru…" Kiba said weakly as he tried to move, only to find that he could not.

"This is pathetic," the woman said as she began to walk over to the pair. However before she could get close a large blast of white flames streaked towards her, forcing the woman to dodge.

Shikamaru turned to finally see a welcome sight as Naruto, Kankuro and Temari appeared with the latter two running towards him.

"Kitsune bi," Naruto said as he placed himself in front of Kiba, white flames burst from his body and surrounded his hands and forearms. "Sorry we're late, I would tell you I got lost on the road of life but then I would be lying."

The woman who was like all of Orochimaru's henchmen, dressed in the off white kimono that was held together by a purple bow, had dark blue hair and black eyes and looked to be two or three years older than Naruto. Guren narrowed her eyes as she looked at the whiskered blond.

"I recognize you," she glared at him, "Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, a B rank ninja who caught Orochimaru's attention during the Chunin Exams."

Naruto shivered, "Great, I've got some pedophiliac snake interested in me, that's really not something I need to hear."

Guren's eyes twitched but she did her best to ignore the blonds' last statement, "Orochimaru-sama said that if I were to ever see you that I was to kill you and bring your corpse to him so he could study it in the future."

"Sorry, but I have no interest in getting my corpse defiled by some pedophile like him," Naruto replied. "Now then, why don't you be a good girl and tell where Sasuke-teme is. If you do I might not hurt you."

The woman narrowed her eyes before smirking, "He's long gone by now, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he's already with Orochimaru-sama." _I wouldn't be surprised if Orochimaru-__sama has already possessed his body._

Naruto growled, "Fine, I guess I'll just have to kill you and then continue on to drag his ass back."

"You seem confident in yourself," the woman said.

"I have to be. After all, if I don't have confidence in myself then who else will?"

A Kage Bunshin phased into existence next to Naruto and rushed over to Kiba and Akamaru, lifting them as gently as possible and bringing them over to Temari and the others, "Now that they're out of the way, it's time to get started."

As the battle between Naruto and the crystal user began, the Kage Bunshin Naruto set Kiba and Akamaru down before unrolling a scroll that the original had given to him. "Temari, I need you to help me wrap these two up. Do you know basic field medical practices?"

"Of course," Temari said as she kneeled next to him and began to help patch the two up as best she could.

"Shikamaru," Said Genin looked at the Naruto clone who was still working on cleaning Kiba's wound, "I need you to tell me everything you know about this woman the boss is fighting."

Shikamaru sighed, "It's troublesome but I don't have much information to give you. All I can tell you are that her abilities seem to be based on Crystal based jutsu; I believe it is some kind of bloodline, since I have never heard of Shoton jutsu before. Her abilities are also far beyond myself and the others, as you can see we haven't even been able to lay a hand on her. I would assume her skills to be high level Jonin, she's probably around Kakashi's level if not better."

Naruto swore, "Damn…if she's that strong then I'm not entirely sure if I can beat her." Another clone phased into existence before dispelling, sending the information he had learned to the original. "All we can do now is patch up your team as best we can and get them back to the village."

* * *

(Half an Hour Earlier…)

Neji and Lee watched as odd black markings began to spread across Kimimaro's body. When the mission had started this man was the first one they had run into, and having read the reports about this particular ninja's strength from the battle others had seen when he had been fighting against the Nibi Jinchuuriki, the two had decided to stay and fight him off while the others went on ahead.

That was nearly two hours ago and both Neji and Lee were near exhaustion. Kimimaro was a taijutsu specialist much like them; however it was clear that he was superior to them. While the battle had started off simple enough, with the two Konoha ninja trading blows with the Oto shinobi, it had only lasted until Kimimaro felt he had learned all he needed to.

Since then, the pale skinned ninja had seemingly turned up the heat and all of his physical attributes had gained a significant increase in both speed and strength. Neji and Lee had done their best to fend off the attacks, and in many cases had managed to give it as good as they had. But no matter how much damage he received, Kimimaro would just get right back up thanks to his bloodline. His bones seemed to protect him, and not even Neji's famed Jyuuken seemed capable of breaking through them.

And now it looked like the fight was about to be picked up even more.

"You two are fairly talented for trash," Kimimaro said, though Neji was unsure whether to call it a compliment or not. "To force me to use my cursed seal is no small feat; however, this is where it ends."

Kimimaro rushed forward, his speed surpassing what it had been by a good margin. In retaliation Lee shot off and clashed with the pale ninja, using his speed to dodge many of the attacks that were coming for him. The bowl cut Genin managed to duck under a swipe from the Oto ninja's odd bone sword, before planting a hand on the ground and launching a kick towards the bone user.

However, Kimimaro was much quicker now and was able to back pedal and dodge the attack rather easily. He was about to move back in when Neji appeared on his left, aiming several jabs at the tenketsu on the left side of his torso. Before the Kaguya had activated his cursed seal, those attacks would have hit. They would not have done anything more than stung, but they would have at least hit him.

Instead of hitting Kimimaro, the attacks flew past him as he dodged to the right by rolling along the ground. He came up and aimed a slash at Neji, one that the Konoha Genin saw coming thanks to his Byakugan, but due to the speed of the attack was unable to dodge all the way, and ended up being spun around as he received a slash on his left arm.

As Neji hit the ground, Kimimaro advanced on him to end the Hyuuga's life. Fortunately for Neji, Rock Lee managed to engage the pale ninja before said ninja could reach him. Lee launched a powerful kick at Kimimaro, one which was dodged by bending backwards and letting it pass over. Rather than be deterred by this, the taijutsu specialized spun on a heel and lashed out with a low kick. This one did manage to connect but Kimimaro merely rolled on his back and kipped back up on his feet. The moment he did Lee was there and managed to kick him in the chest, however several factors prevented it from doing much, if any damage.

The first was that thanks to his bloodline, Kimimaro's bones could be made to be so dense that the weight prevented Lee's attack from moving him more than a couple of inches back. Two Lee was beginning to tire after two hours of battle and another twenty four of running to catch up with Kimimaro and the other Oto ninja. And three, Kimimaro's ribs were protruding from his chest, and had caught the Genin's foot in them as well as stopping it from actually connecting with his body.

Kimimaro looked at the bow cut Genin with a dull expression, "Karamatsu No Mai," he exclaimed in a dead tone.

Lee did not even have time to curse his misfortune, not that he would do such an un-youthful thing, as Kimimaro spun his body around and used his momentum to dislocate Lee's ankle and send him flying back towards Neji.

"You alright, Lee?" asked Neji as said Genin landed next to him with a thud.

"I am fine Neji-san," Lee grimaced as he tried to move his dislocated leg, only to be rewarded with stinging pain. "But I seem to be diminishing in youth."

Were it not for the seriousness of their situation Neji would have rolled his eyes. _Even in the face of death, all Lee thinks about is being youthful._

"I commend you two on lasting this long," Kimimaro walked towards them, "As a reward, I will ensure that your deaths are as painless as possible."

"Tsubaki no Mai" Kimimaro called out, as he began the first dance in his repertoire to take care of the pesky shinobi that had been fighting him.

Only to be stopped as a large amount of sand attempted to latch onto him.

"It looks like you two could use some help," A voice spoke up behind them.

Turning, Lee and Neji saw Gaara standing on a pile of sand that was floating several feet off the ground, his arms crossed and a typical blank expression on his face.

"You are Gaara correct?" asked Neji as he drudged up the memory of the boy from the Chunin Exams.

"That is correct," Gaara answered, turning to face the two leaf shinobi, "I along with my two siblings and Naruto were ordered to come here and help you."

"So Naruto-kun is here as well," Lee grinned, "what a most youthful comrade to be helping us despite not having even been in the village!"

Gaara looked at Lee with a raised eyebrow, before turning to the Kaguya. "Since you two seem to be exhausted, I will take care of him," As he spoke, sand came up from under the two and floated them off the ground, taking them away from where the battle would happen so he could use his more destructive techniques.

"You think you can defeat me Suna trash?" asked Kimimaro as he yanked his bone blade towards him, when the sand dispersed back towards Gaara. "I will show you the error of your ways."

"We shall see," Gaara replied in his monotone voice.

* * *

"Kesshō: Rokkaku Shuriken: Ranbu (Crystal: Hexagonal Shuriken: Wild Dance)!"

Several dozen shuriken made of crystals shot towards Naruto, who brought his fists to his side and began to channel wind chakra into them. A second later he thrust them out, creating two powerful tornados that shattered the crystal projectiles like they were glass.

A second later Naruto was speeding off to the left, his form blurring as he used his immense speed to dodge several spikes that shot out of the ground when the woman he was fighting cried out, "Shoton: Kasui (Crystal Spike)!" As he moved he flicked one of his wrists, launching several shuriken of his own, and then began doing one handed seals with the other hand.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Several shuriken became several dozen, and all of them sailed towards the woman. However Naruto was far from finished as he thrust out his other hand palm first, unleashing a gust of wind that increased the speed at which the projectiles were going.

However, the crystal user was far from surprised or even worried as she went through a set of hand seals far faster than Naruto could do, slamming her hands into the ground when she finished.

"Shoton: Kabe No Kesshou (Crystal Release: Wall of Crystals)!" A large crystal wall shot out of the ground, blocking the shuriken. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he noticed that, even with their enhanced speed, the shuriken didn't even make a scratch on the crystal wall.

"You know that's a pretty powerful ability you have," Naruto commented lightly, "I assume you have some kind of bloodline?"

"That's right," The woman smirked as her shield dispelled, "It's called Shoton, and with it I can combine earth, and lightning to create crystals that are harder than diamonds. It's why I am one of Orochimaru-sama's most powerful ninja."

"Huh, I'm rather surprised he's taken such an interest in you," The whiskered blond commented lightly. "I mean, we all know Oro-teme has a thing for little boys. I guess that's why Kabu-teme is his right hand man and not you; you simply can't play hide the snake in the trousers with him."

The woman gritted her teeth as she began speeding through seals. "How dare you insult Orochimaru-sama? Take this! Shoton: Assai Chuuseki (Crystal Release: Crushing Pillar)!"

Naruto's danger sense had him jumping back just as a larger pillar made of crystal slammed into the ground where he had previously been, generating such force that it sent earth up from the ground and unleashing a shockwave that knocked Naruto off balance.

The crystal user used the blonde's moment of distraction to launch another pillar at him, hoping to turn him into nothing more than a bloody stain on the ground. However, Naruto was able to use Kawarimi to escape at the last second, appearing on her left where he began to charge towards her.

Going through more hand seals the woman thrust out her hands, "Kesshō: Rokkaku Shuriken: Ranbu!"

Several dozen shuriken came at him again. Rather than break them to pieces, Naruto used the enhanced clarity and vision his eyes granted him to weave through the hailstorm of projectiles. Naruto smirked as he continued on, while his eyes were nowhere near the Sharingan's clarity, and did not allow him the ability to predict enemy movement, they did grant him extremely powerful vision and he did not suffer from tunnel vision when he was moving at extreme speeds.

As he closed the distance between him and the woman he reared his fist back, using his power over his Kitsune-bi to engulf said appendage in white flames. "

"Kitsune-bi!" Naruto launched his fist forward, unleashing the powerful white flames upon the woman. The fire blasted from Naruto's fist in what looked like a funnel that expanded the farther from his fist the fire got. When the attack ended the Konoha and Suna ninja were witness to the sight of a large glassed trench, the heat from Naruto's attack having been so high that it had literally turned the ground into glass.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked at the area, knowing that this woman was far too skilled to actually be hit by such an attack. His caution paid off as he felt a slight shift in the air behind, making him duck and roll forward as a crystal blade slashed through where he had been.

Kipping back up on his feet the whiskered blond spun around and saw the woman he was fighting, looking no worse than she had before he launched his attack, not even singed. He also noticed that her wrists had crystallized blades attached to them, no doubt what she had just attacked him with.

"Shōton: Tsuiin Suishō Tō (Crystal Release: Twin Crystal Blades)," The woman stated as she saw the blond eyeing her crystal covered hands.

Naruto smirked as he flicked his left hand and unsealed his katana, "I suppose if you're going to use some form of blades, I should as well. After all, one good turn deserves another."

Getting into a basic stance that Tenten had taught him, the whiskered blond waited to see if his opponent would make the first move. She did, blasting towards him at speeds that rivaled if not surpassed his own.

_She's definitely of a higher level than the average Jonin, Naruto thought to himself as the woman came closer. She sent out a slash with her right blade, aiming at his neck and forcing him block the attack. She smirked, her second blade coming to bear from the other side as the whisker marked blond was forced to jump back since his blade had been occupied by the one on her other wrist._

The woman followed him, launching several quick thrusting motions that Naruto was forced to dodge and deflect with his own weapon. The attacks were quick and came one after the other, meaning Naruto had to be careful not to get his blade locked with one of hers since doing so would allow the woman to bring her other blade to bear.

This seemed to go on for a few minutes as Naruto tried to find a weakness in the woman's attacks, and was surprised when he found none. He blocked another attack, using his superior physical strength to push her back. However the woman merely used the momentum his push granted her to spin around and come in with her other blade. Unfortunately Naruto was too slow to block or dodge the attack and ended up getting a cut on his left arm, though it was thankfully not a deep wound.

"Looks like first blood goes to me," the woman said with a satisfied smile.

"So it does," Naruto replied, not at all bothered the blood on his arm since the wound had already healed up nicely. "Though do not think such a small wound means anything."

Naruto charged in, deciding that letting this woman go on the offensive was a bad idea. He came in with a horizontal slash from the left, one which his enemy easily blocked. Pushing off her Naruto spun around and came in with an upwards slash from the other side. His opponent jumped back to avoid it, but her eyes widened when she saw a thin green blade of wind coming at her.

She held up her arms in a cross guard and covered them in crystal, letting them take the brunt of the attack. It was a good thing for her that she did as the wind blade managed to cut a decent sized chunk out of her crystal and would have no doubt taken her arm off had she not reinforced them.

Bringing her arms down the woman was just in time to see Naruto in front of her, coming in with a powerful lunge that would impale her in the chest. However like all powerful ninja she was able to dodge the attack, twisting her body to the side and using one of her blades to redirect the attack, even though it was nearly at point blank. At the same time she used her other bladed hand to lash out at the blond, cutting into his side before he could regain his balance.

Naruto hissed in pain as he tumbled forward before using his momentum to roll along the ground, coming up on his feet. The moment he did however, the blond was forced to spin and bring his blade up to block an attack from the crystal user. Already knowing she would come at him with her other blade; Naruto pushed her away and dodged to the left. He came at her again, swing his blade in a horizontal arch, one that his opponent blocked but due to the angle and force caused her to stumble backwards and become slightly off balance.

Using this opportunity Naruto slashed at her again, enhancing his blade with wind chakra to slice through her. Only for the figure he had sliced through to turn into crystal as it split in half down the center. _A Suisho Bunshin!_

"Shoton: Kasui!" the moment Naruto heard the jutsu announced he made liberal use of the Shunshin to dodge the incoming crystal spears, which impaled the ground he had been on just moments after he had vacated it.

Turning Naruto found the woman a little ways away, already going through another set of hand seals. "Shoton: Assai Chuuseki!" Another large crystal pillar slammed into the spot he was located on, crushing the area and creating a crater, as well as generating a powerful shockwave as spider web cracks spread out from the center of impact.

"It looks like that got him," The woman said with a smirk.

"Not quite!"

Her eyes widened as several hands burst from the ground and grabbed onto her feet and ankles. Right in front of her Naruto burst up from the ground, a spinning orb of purple youki in his hands.

"Rasengan!" He thrust the orb of violent energy forward, slamming it into the woman's chest. However rather than drill into flesh, blood and bones like normal, the woman shattered into crystalline fragments.

"Damn it!" Naruto growled, he was really beginning to hate those clones. He would have wondered if this was what it felt like for people to battle him when he heard Guren's voice call out another jutsu.

"Shoton: Shakou Okuchou Nemi No Kujo (Darkened Masses, Wave of Destruction)!"

As the jutsu was called a shadow came over Naruto, making him look up to see what appeared to be a wave of crystal bearing down on him. "Kami I hate my life."

* * *

Kimimaro was forced to dodge several more sand spears that Gaara had launched his way, weaving between them as he tried to close the distance between him and his enemy. However as soon as he passed through the spears, a large pillar of sand smashed into where he was standing. Or where he had been standing, since the moment he had seen the sand pillar rushing towards he had dodged to the left.

As he came in closer Kimimaro let loose with his sword, lashing at Gaara and making the blade elongate to compensate for the fact that he was not close enough to hit the red head with a standard attack. Before it could get too far, sand shot up from the ground and latched onto it, ceasing its forward movement.

Holding out a hand, Gaara made a 'come here' motion, and in response the sand yanked on the blade, making Kimimaro fly towards him. The Ichibi Jinchuuriki made several more motions with his other hand and caused a wave of sand to slam into the bone user, sending him flying back and skidding along the ground as the sand rend into his flesh.

However that did not deter Kimimaro, who unleashed a sword slash powerful enough to create a shockwave and disperse the sand. As the Kaguya stood up, Gaara could see that his attack had done a lot of damage, rending the flesh off of Kimimaro's face and body. It also revealed that his attack had not been able to penetrate the older teen's bones, which looked almost like armor underneath all of his skin.

"That attack was most impressive, had it been anyone else, I am sure they would have died," Kimimaro stated. "However, an attack like that will not work on me, my bones are so dense that they are harder then steel and weak attacks like what you just used will not work on me."

"Then I suppose I will have to try something more powerful," Gaara proclaimed, his voice not giving away any of his feelings. The red head raised his arms and sent out a powerful wave of sand, one which Kimimaro attempted to dodge. He succeeded but it was a hollow victory, as the moment he did another wave was in front of him, and this one managed to latch onto him.

The sand began to wrap around Kimimaro's form, and no matter how hard he struggled he could not seem to break free. Soon enough even his head was covered up as the sand became a cocoon.

"Sabaku Kyū." Gaara made a clenching motion with his left hand, causing the sand to clench and squeeze, crushing the pale skinned bone user and sending blood flying out of the sand.

Gaara frowned as, rather than feeling the satisfaction he normally got when crushing an opponent with his sand, he felt resistance from the inside. Before he could wonder about what it meant the sand cocoon burst, scattering away in all directions. When it cleared it showed Kimimaro, who had taken on a dinosaur-like appearance complete with a tail. Several large bones also protrude from his now darkened brownish-maroon skin.

"That was impressive," Kimimaro said, his voice not belying the pain he was in. "Very impressive, it seems that I will need more effort to beat you."

Gaara grunted, "And I'll need more sand to crush you."

* * *

Guren panted a bit, before regaining her breath as she stood. She looked at the mass of crystallized landscape that her jutsu had caused; it almost looked like a sandy beach, were it not for the fact that A, there was no water and B, the sand was actually thousands of light pink crystals.

"Damn," she cursed as she looked at the clearing, "I forgot Orochimaru-sama wanted his corpse for study."

"Didn't I tell you I have no desire to let that pedophile touch me?" A voice spoke up behind her. Guren's eyes widened as she spun around and they landed on Naruto, though he was not looking as good as he had when the fight started. His whole left arm was bleeding rather profusely; it looked to have been skinned by a hack-saw, if such a thing were possible.

Though that did little to change the fact that the blond brat was still standing defiantly in front of her.

"How did you survive that?" Guren growled in frustration, "That was one of my most powerful jutsu! There is no way you could have survived!"

Naruto clasped his hands in a prayer sign and gave a small bow. "I myself was wondering how I would get out of such a predicament. However then I remembered that if one always holds faithful to it, the good log will provide. And low and behold, as those thoughts came to me I felt the blessed pull as the log answered my plight."

Guren stared at Naruto for a full five minutes as if trying to figure out what the hell the blond male just said, and if he was on any kind of drugs. Finally she replied, "You mean you used Kawarimi right?" Somehow she felt the need to clarify.

"Isn't that what I just said?" asked Naruto, a little irritated that she had actually had to ask something that he felt was stupid. How else could he have escaped the evil crystal wave of doom? Hiraishin?

Guren felt her eyebrows twitch. "No, you made some kind of shitty convoluted speech about logs!"

"Exactly," Naruto replied.

The crystal user growled before speeding through hand seals, "I'm tired of dealing with you; you've been an annoying little flea ever since this battle started! Shoton: Suisho Mori (Crystal Release: Crystal Lance)!" A rather large amount of crystal coalesced around Guren's right arm, forming a large and deadly looking lance. Once the technique was complete she rushed towards Naruto, intent on ending the blonde's life.

"Something tells me a normal katana won't be enough for this," Naruto murmured as he pulled out a scroll. Unrolling the scroll Naruto bit his thumb and smeared some blood along its length, there was a puff of smoke as Guren reared her lanced arm back. She thrust it forward, intent impaling the blond, only to be met with a loud clang.

When the smoke cleared Guren gaped as she saw a rather large cleaving sword blocking her lance.

Naruto chuckled as he saw her expression, "I'd like you to meet Kubikirihoucho." pulling the sword back Naruto grunted as he gave the sword a ferocious swing. Guren jumped back as the large blade passed through where she had been, she could feel the air currents moving as the sword sliced through her previous spot with a loud 'Woosh!'

Thinking that the blond would need time before he could bring such a large sword to bear on her again, Guren came in fast and hard. It was to her great surprise that the large cleaver was there to stop her a second time, coming in from the left and forcing her back.

"Looks like I finally found something I'm better at than you," Naruto grinned as he sent several slashes that were actually very fast considering the size of the sword he was using.

"Don't get cocky!" Guren shouted as she attempted to cut one of his arms, or at least a hand, off. Naruto however, let her arm lance hit the flat end of his sword as he smacked it away like a baseball, at the same time shattering the lance and getting a grunt of pain from Guren.

"Come on!" Naruto shouted as he sent several powerful slashes at her, created huge wind blades to launch themselves from the sword. Guren's eyes widened as she began to jump and dodge out of the way, out of the corner of her eyes she saw the huge gashes in the land that the blades had made. If one of those touched her, she would likely be done for.

Growling she realized that an up close competition against that sword would not end well for her, or at the very least take far too long to win against, Guren released her crystal lance and went through more hand seals so she could try a different approach.

"Shoton: Suisho Senbon (Crystal Release: Crystal Senbon)!" She called out the name of her jutsu before flicking her wrist and sending several dozen senbon needles at Naruto.

Said blond narrowed his eyes as he resealed Kubikirihoucho, and then channeled chakra into the seal on his left hand, creating a puff of smoke as he unsealed his Bo Staff. Naruto bent his legs slightly into one of the defensive stances as the senbon drew closer. When they finally got near him he began to do what many could almost consider a dance, as he spun around and twirled the staff so swiftly that the glint from the sun left a slight after image in its wake. Along with that he channeled wind chakra into his movements, increasing the quality of his defense as he destroyed all of the senbon coming at him.

When the senbon stopped coming Naruto was quick to reseal his staff and looked towards where Guren had been previously, only to see no one there. He narrowed his eyes and was already in motion as his opponent dropped from the sky, landing where he was with impressive force.

"I don't know how you expected such a useless tactic to work on me," Naruto said as he tried to rile his opponent up and get her angry enough to make a mistake. "I've seen better tactics from this one fan girl I know, and she ended up getting blown away literally."

However rather than get angry Guren smirked. "Oh you think so huh? Well then it's a good thing that wasn't all there was to my strategy wasn't it?"

Naruto's eyes widened as a pair of arms wrapped around his arms and chest, locking him in place and leaving him unable to use jutsu. Of course, he was capable of performing a seal less Kawarimi and was just in the process of doing that. However before he could Guren was right in front of him, a rather wicked looking set of crystallized knifes attached to her fore arms. Realizing he did not have the necessary amount of time to use his favorite escape jutsu, he did the only thing he could think of.

He twisted his body ever so slightly so that the attack that had been aimed at his heart merely stabbed into his left lung. Did it hurt worse than an Akimichi using his expansion jutsu and sitting on you? Yes, but at least Naruto was alive and despite the pain, able to react in time for Guren's next attack. As said woman came in with her other arm to finish the job, Naruto channeled some of his youki through two fingers in his left hand, forming a whip. With a quick flick of his wrist he was able to wrap the whip around Guren's leg.

After that three things happened near simultaneously. The first was Naruto smashed his right foot into the knee of what he now identified as a Suisho Bunshin, shattering the knee cap and dispelling the clone. The second thing to happen was him giving a hard yank on the whip, which led into the third thing that happened. Guren, who had not been expecting any kind of attack or retaliation, was yanked off her feet, making the crystal knife she had stabbed into Naruto come out of him rather abruptly, causing a large squirt of blood as she hit the ground hard.

Guren quickly rolled away from the blond shinobi before coming to her feet, and quickly crouching down in a defensive stance. It was largely unnecessary as Naruto was currently in no condition to fight, as evidenced by the fact that he was currently kneeling on the ground with one hand pressed to a rather large, gaping hole in his chest.

"I guess my tactic wasn't so bad if it got you huh?" Guren smirked as she decided to add dirt to his wound, "Or maybe you just suck."

Naruto chuckled a bit, even though it hurt just to breath. "Yeah…maybe, ugh, that'll at least teach me not to open my trap the next time I'm in combat."

_'__Kyuubi? Can you give me a damage assessment?' asked Naruto as he listened to Guren continue to insult him, knowing that it gave him time to come up with a counter plan._

**'****It's not as extensive as the damage that was done to you thanks to Gaara in the preliminaries,' **Kyuubi started as she fed a small amount of her youki through the seal. **'But it's potentially deadlier, that crystal weapon of hers managed to pierce your lung. Were you still human that attack would have killed you already.'**

Naruto grunted a bit,_ 'How long until it heals?'_

There was a moment's pause, **'On its own about four hours. However I doubt that Guren woman you're fighting is going to give you the opportunity.'** Naruto could almost feel the smirk on Kyuubi's face as she paused again, **'However that won't be a problem if you use my power. You won't be able to even use one tail due to how injured you are, but it will be more than enough for your wound to heal quickly.'**

_'__Alright then, think you can give me some juice?'_

**'****Of course.'**

Naruto smirked as he felt Kyuubi's youki flow through his body, it was only about half a tail but it was an instant relief as he felt his wounds mending themselves. However his increase in power had not gone unnoticed, Guren had felt it too and had stopped her gloating to try and finish him off.

"Shōton: Omiwatari no Jutsu (Crystal Release: The Gods' Crossings Technique)!" A long stream of sharp crystal burst forward and to bind and impale Naruto, only for him to go up in a puff of smoke and a log to take his place.

"Fuuton: Kaze No Yaiba!" Guren rolled to the left as a wind blade passed through the spot she had been standing, leaving a large gouge in the earth. She spun around in time to see Naruto throw another wind blade at her, and was forced to dodge again.

This continued for some time as Naruto began making complicated attack patterns with the wind blades, hoping to coral Guren into a corner so to speak, so she would have nowhere to dodge. However the Shoton user was more than up to the task of dodging as she weaved through the storm of wind blades, jumping, rolling, spinning and flipping out of the way with a dancer's grace. After a few minutes Naruto was forced to stop as he cut through the Guren within his pattern and found out she was a Bunshin.

And just in time to, for almost a second after he had bisected the Suisho Bunshin, Guren appeared in his blind spot and attempted to impale him with a rather large lance. Naruto was fortunate to have already been on the move, rolling to the right as Guren struck out at where he had been.

The blond Konoha shinobi kipped back up on his feet and spun around, aiming his gauntlet at Guren and firing a kunai as well as a barrage of senbon for good measure. However, Guren was not to be outdone as she went through a set of hand seals and slammed her hands on the ground, "Shoton: Kabe No Kesshou!" A large wall came out and blocked the senbon and kunai from hitting her.

A few seconds later it came down, and Guren was forced into battle with three Naruto's who used a good combination of teamwork to try and take her down. Crystal knifes once again appeared on the crystal users forearms, even as she continued dodging strikes from the blonde's clones. Once they were fully formed she let one of the clones come in close and launch a punch at her. However she merely blocked it, using her forearm and more importantly, the knife on it. The clone's hand was split down the middle and before it could scream, it was dispelled.

The other two clones attempted to attack, however it was all wasted as she wove between them and lashed out with simultaneous strikes that took them both out. However the dispelling of his clones had given Naruto a decent smokescreen for cover, as he made liberal use of the Shunshin to appear right next to Guren and launch a kick to her mid-section.

While Guren was surprised by the sudden attack she had no intention of letting Naruto hit her, and jumped back while at the same time kicking out her own leg to knock his off course. The action caused Naruto to stumble off balance, giving the crystal user a chance to lash out with a fist that connected solidly with the blonde's jaw.

However rather than seeing her blade go through Naruto's face, the blond disappeared within a puff of smoke signifying it was a Kage Bunshin.

"Fuuton: Kamikaze Seiken!" the attack came from directly behind her and smashed into Guren, making the crystal user shatter into crystal.

"Shoton: Kasui!" Naruto swore as he jumped into the air, just in time to dodge the large spike that jutted up from the ground. He landed on the ground some feet away, panting from the amount of effort he had exerted to keep up with the purple haired woman.

Before either of them could attack again, the ground began to rumble. Both Naruto and Guren looked over to the left where a large amount of what looked like bones, but were far too large to be in Naruto's opinion, were jutting up from the ground.

"If Kimimaro's gone that far then whoever is over there must be good," Guren commented to herself, though Naruto heard every word. "However it also means whoever he is fighting is also dead."

Naruto chuckled, "I'll believe that when I see it, Gaara isn't just some half pound weakling who can be taken out just like that."

"We'll see," Guren replied as she began more hand seals. "In any event you've been enough of a thorn in Orochimaru-sama's side and it's time I got rid of you! Shoton: Omiwatari no Jutsu!"

* * *

Gaara stared at the now dead Kaguya Kimimaro, who had just been milliseconds away from killing him. A part of him could not believe he had come so close to dying, even in his battle with Naruto he had not been that close to death. The thought that he had just had a brush with death gave him chills. Not that he would allow it to affect his outward demeanor, he may not be a killing machine anymore but he still had a reputation to keep.

"Are you two alright?" He asked, looking at the two other genin he was floating in the air.

"I am alright, my most youthful comrade," Lee somehow managed to do the nice guy pose as he floated there. "Thank you for asking."

"I am fine," Neji said.

Gaara nodded as he began to float them a safe distance away from the bone forest that was now sticking up from the previous battlefield. "Then we should head to Konoha."

"What about our most youthful comrades that went on ahead?" asked Lee, not really comfortable leaving the people he had come within possible danger.

"Naruto is with them," Gaara said, "so they will be fine." He had confidence that his blond friend could handle anything that came his way.

((Separation Line))

**'****Naruto-kun, you need to end this battle soon,'** said Kyuubi worriedly. **'Even with my youki you're almost out of juice.'**

_'__I would love to end this fight, but as you can see this chick obviously doesn't,' Naruto replied tiredly as he dodged another spike of crystal. He looked at the woman who had sent it and was pleased to see she was looking just as exhausted as he was, with several cuts running along her clothes and skin, along with her heavy breathing and slightly slumped posture._

"Looks like neither of us really have the energy to do much," Naruto commented, trying to make her talk so he could gain a breather. He would be fine in a few minutes, but she was only human, so it would take her longer and he would eventually gain the advantage.

Guren scowled. "It seems you're right." It was humiliating to admit that this boy had tired her out; she had not expected this battle to last anywhere near as long as it had. "That doesn't mean I don't still have enough energy to kill you."

"Well then, how about both of us?" A voice spoke up and both of them looked to see Hatake Kakashi appear a little ways from them.

"Kakashi!" said Naruto, surprised to his old sensei.

"Yo," Kakashi replied, "you look like you just got the shit kicked out of you by a woman."

Naruto's eyes twitched, "No shit. Really? Gee thanks for my telling me that, I had no clue I looked that way."

Kakashi just chuckled.

"Hatake Kakashi," Guren said, though inwardly she was infuriated. _ 'Damn! I don't have enough chakra to deal with both him and the blond; I don't even have enough energy to deal with just him'._

"It looks like this is my cue to leave," She looked over at Naruto, frowning. "You got lucky kid."

Naruto watched as she slowly sank into the ground, and another second later the crystal leading to the Valley of the End shattered. Still cautious, the blond Chunin took a look around, both with his eyes and other senses. '_I don't sense her anymore, Kyuubi, can you?'_

**'****No, she's gone,'** Kyuubi replied.

"Thank Kami," Naruto said out loud as he slumped down onto his butt, his exhaustion was finally setting in and he knew he would need a good night's sleep before he was back to normal.

"Tired?" asked Kakashi with his usual eye smile.

Naruto just grunted, "Shut up…"

"Mah, mah, no need for that Naruto."

"Naruto-kun," said Temari, who had walked up to him now that the fight was over. "Now that the battle was over, we should probably get dog-boy and the others back to Konoha."

"Right," Naruto grunted and attempted to stand up, only to fail. Growling he tried again and fell back down, causing Temari to giggle. He looked up at her and pouted, "It's not funny."

"Of course it's funny," she shot back, smiling, "Just look at how beat up you are."

"I fail to see the hilarity of this situation."

"Your loss."

* * *

**And there you have it. I have to admit, it's been a while since I worked on this story. I am currently beginning the next arch, or at least thinking about what I want my next arch to be. While I have the basics for this story down, there are some archs and chapters in between the main storyline that I have yet to fully decide on.**

**Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I will see you when I see you.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: So, it's time for that same old song and dance again. You know, the one where I tell you about how I don't own Naruto. And how Naruto is owned by this guy named Kishimoto, who seems set on ensuring our favorite orange wearing idiot remains just that, an idiot. And not just about ninja related issues but about women too. I mean, can you believe him? There are so many women who I believe Naruto could choose to start a relationship with – Taki from Bird, Haruna from Vegetable, Koyuki from Spring, Shion from demon – and yet here he is, still in love with Sakura, who, let's face it, is probably the ugliest girl in the entire Narutoverse. She may have the exotic pink hair/green eyes that a lot of the main females in the harem mangas like To-Love-Ru and Rosario+Vampire possess, but she certainly ain't no Lala Satalin Deviluke.**

**A/N: I would like to thank my Beta reader, Senjuto for making sure my work doesn't suck. Without him, you guys would probably be complaining about all of the terrible grammatical errors in my story.**

* * *

**Naruto: Shift in Life**

**What's this about a Cursed Warrior?**

* * *

"...While Gaara managed to defeat Kimimaro, however, the crystal user got away," Naruto said as he finished giving his report to Tsunade, seeing as how he was the only ninja who had fought Guren that wasn't in the hospital. Standing off to the side of the busty Hokage was Shizune, the woman's ever faithful aid and assistant, and Tonton was eating from a dog bowl on the blond woman's other side.

Tsunade sighed as leaned her elbows on her desk, her hands held in front of her face. "I see, so we have no clue as to the status of Uchiha Sasuke. We know that he managed to reach Oto but nothing else."

This entire situation was turning into one large cluster fuck as far as she was concerned. Not only did they have no information on whether or not Orochimaru had managed to possess Sasuke's body, Jiraiya was out of contact, extracting one of his contacts in Iwa who had gotten into some kind of trouble, which meant they wouldn't be able to get any information on the situation from him. Sometimes she really had to wonder if coming back to be Hokage was the right thing to do.

"Do you think Orochimaru managed to use his body possession jutsu on Sasuke?" asked Naruto, not liking this situation at all, mainly because he just didn't know what to make of it. While he would still never consider Sasuke a friend, the fact was the raven-haired Uchiha had been his teammate, and Naruto had at the very least trusted Sasuke enough to watch his back. Naruto just couldn't understand why someone like Sasuke would willingly go to Orochimaru knowing what was in store for him.

_'No – wait, yes I can,'_ the blond reflected, resisting the urge to growl. _'Sasuke-teme's always preferred taking the quicker paths to power. If he thought going to Oro-teme would make him stronger, then he would do it in a heartbeat.' _Naruto gave an internal snort, _'And people call me an idiot.'_

_**'You are an idiot,'**_Kyuubi's amused voice came in through the seal. Naruto's eye began to twitch violently. Somehow, he felt he should have expected Kyuubi to make some kind of comment on his thoughts. The woman loved teasing him more than anything else. She said it was because she was bored, and that he should be honored she was even talking to him. He just thought Kyuubi loved being mean.

_'How am I an idiot. I'm way more intelligent now than I used to be. Fuck, I literally had intelligence pounded into my skull by Anko-nee-chan. I've got the bruises to prove it.'_ Seriously, having a woman who would not only quiz you on the stuff she made you read, but beat the utter living crap out of you and enjoy doing it had been the ultimate form of motivation to get smarter.

_**'You may have more knowledge, but that doesn't necessarily make one smart. Knowledge gained but not used does not make one intelligent, it just proves even more that you are an idiot.'**_

_'Whatever,'_ Naruto sighed, not in the mood to listen to Kyuubi poking fun at him. _'I've got more important things to do than listen to you.' _Turning his attention back towards the busty Hokage, he realized she had been talking for quite some time.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Tsunade scowled at Naruto for not paying attention to her and making her repeat herself. "I said it's quite possible that he has. Unfortunately, Jiraiya is out of contact and he is the only person who might be capable of giving us an answer. And even then it's not likely. As far as I know, Jiraiya doesn't have any spies within Oto."

"Wait, you're telling me that Ero-Sennin's gone off the map?" said Naruto, scowling as he figured the damn pervert was off somewhere doing what he did best, perving on women. "That stupid bastard is supposed to train me! How the hell could he just up and leave!"

Sure, Naruto had known that he would be gone while he was in Suna, but he had expected the man to be back in a few days. And it hadn't been like he needed Jiraiya to help him get the last exercise down for his wind chakra, the man didn't even have an affinity for it, after all. But that didn't excuse him from just running off to gallivanting around in search of sleazy bars where he could waste his money on booze and women.

Tsunade knew the look on Naruto's face, it had been one she'd possessed when she got the pervert peeking on her that one time. Still, while somewhat tempted to tell the young boy what his sensei was really doing, she knew that letting out even a hint of what the man was up to could force him into a dangerous situation. Instead she said, "What exactly can you tell me about the Crystal user you fought?"

"She's strong," Naruto started, frowning as he remembered his fight with Guren. "Before I had even entered the fight she managed to take out Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba. As I said before she uses Crystal jutsu, which apparently is a combination of lightning and earth. Most of her attacks were similar to earth jutsu, though she could also create crystal spears in the air and hurl them at me. Several of her techniques were extremely powerful and I suspect they have a high chakra cost to use, so she probably has higher than average reserves. She also has a very high level of taijutsu, she was more than capable of keeping pace with me. I would even go so far as to say she was way out of my league, as it was the only reason our battle ended in a stalemate was because she had underestimated me."

"Is this her?" Tsunade took a slip of paper from a file Shizune handed her. Placing it on the table she slid it over to Naruto, who picked it up and saw a picture of the very same woman he had fought. He saw that, aside from the picture, there was very little information on her. Only a few lines about her being sighted in a small town in some country he had never been to.

"Yep, that's definitely her." Naruto set the sheet back down and looked at Tsunade with a frown. "I can't help but notice you don't have much information on her."

"That's because we don't know much about the ninja under Orochimaru's command beyond Kabuto," Tsunade said. She grabbed the sheet again and gave it to Shizune, who placed it back in the file and made to return the file to it's drawer. Turning back to look at the blond before her, she continued. "The only reason we even know of this one is because she was sighted during an incident in Suna No Kuni and was apparently responsible for the destruction of several small villages. The only thing Jiraiya was able to learn after that was that this woman, Guren, is apparently Orochimaru's most elite fighter."

"Ugh... so you're telling me I went up against the second strongest person Orochimaru has to offer next to himself." If that was the case then he was lucky to survive. Never in his life had he been more thankful that a lot of people still tended to underestimate him.

"That is exactly what I'm telling you."

"I guess that means I need to train harder," Naruto determined, making Tsunade and Shizune look at each other before smiling. "And speaking of training, just when the hell can we expect to get Ero-Sennin back? I mean, I was supposed to be on a three year training trip. Yet it's only been a few months since I left."

"Unfortunately, we have no clue when Jiraiya will be returning from... wherever he is," Tsunade grimaced a bit. For some reason, it was really hard to lie to Naruto. Not that she couldn't do it, but in that she didn't like doing it. Shaking her head and thoughts inside of it away, she continued. "Which is why I figured I would give you a mission that should take quite a bit of time to accomplish."

His curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto couldn't help but ask, "What kind of mission are we talking about?"

"A solo mission," Tsunade said, almost smirking when she saw Naruto's eyes light up. No matter how mature the brat tried to act, the thought of a solo mission was enough to send him into a fit of daydreams. No doubt of rescuing princesses and damsels and the like. Reaching into the bin for the mission contact she was thinking of, Tsunade eventually found it and set it out in front of Naruto.

Eager, the blond quickly snatched it up and began scanning the contract. "A request from Tori No Kuni?" Naruto frowned as he tried to remember his geography lessons with Anko. It was ridiculously easy – painful as well – and with a shiver at remembering the senbon that had gotten stuck in his ass for getting the location wrong, Naruto figured out where Tori No Kuni was. "That's pretty far from Konoha."

"That was our first reaction as well," said Shizune, speaking up for the first time since Naruto started giving his report.

"An apparition in the form of a cursed warrior is terrorizing the people and giving rise to wicked rumors..." Naruto took several seconds to think about what this statement meant. After a while a small shudder escaped him. "T-They don't mean there's some kind of ghost haunting them, do they?"

Seeing the way the blond shivered caused Tsunade to lean more of her weight onto the desk, a smirk on her face. "They believe it's the ghost of a long dead warrior whose come back to haunt them. Why? You're not scared, are you?"

"Pffftt! As if I would be afraid of some dinky old... g-ghost." Naruto tried not to let the cold chill get to him as he rolled his eyes. When did it get so drafty in here? Shaking himself out of his funk – and completely missing the amused glance Tsunade and Shizune shared – he said, "It's probably just some idiot in a costume trying to scare the people. So what does this 'Cursed Warrior' look like?"

"The only description we have to go on is that the Cursed Warrior is always seen wearing white Samurai armor," Tsunade said, hiding her amusement. "Anyways, because of how far out this mission is, as well as the fact that all of our Chunin and Jōnin are on missions and the few genin who _could have_ taken it have been taken out of commission, you're really the only person we have for this mission."

"Right, I should have figured it was something like that," Naruto said with a sigh. So much for his thinking that Tsunade had given him this mission because she felt he was the best person for the job. Straightening up, he looked back at the blond woman to say, "I guess I don't have much choice but to take it. It's either do this or sit around doing nothing while I wait for Ero-Sennin to return." He couldn't train here, the few techniques he was working on on his own were incredibly dangerous, not to mention he didn't want others to know about them until he was sure they worked. Maybe not even then. After all, he needed some trump cards to use against Akatsuki.

"Since I'm ordering you to go you don't actually have a right to refuse anyways," Tsunade stated, her left eyebrow twitching at how Naruto spoke as if he could just refuse a mission she gave him. "Anyways, you are to meet Chishimo, the man who paid for this mission at the North Gate in one hour."

"Yosh!" Naruto snapped off a salute before he got a move on, hopping out the window instead of taking the door.

"Dammit, Naruto!" Tsunade shouted as moved over to window and watched as the whiskered blond landed on the adjacent building, where he began hopping from roof to roof. "Don't pick up Jiraiya's bad habits!" While she couldn't be certain, she was almost sure she heard Naruto laughing at her. Or maybe it was just the wind. "Stupid brat, always acting like an idiot... stupid Jiraiya for letting Naruto pick up his bad habits. When I see that damn pervert again, I'm gonna make him sure he understands what will happen if he corrupts Naruto."

* * *

Somewhere in Tsuchi No Kuni, Jiraiya shivered. For a moment there, he believed death had touched him.

* * *

Naruto's journey to Tori No Kuni started the moment he reached the North Gate. Chishimo, an earnest looking man in his mid-twenties with brown hair and dark eyes covered by a pair of glasses had already been waiting for him. After signing out the two left Konoha and began their very long walk.

And Naruto was bored. Ever since his graduation, the blond had worked very far on keeping himself from acting out like he used to, and while he still did it on occasion, the instance were getting more and more rare. While he had calmed down much from his hyperactive self since his graduation, there were very few things that actually caused Naruto's conscious to waver. Walking at a civilian's pace to a land that would was so far that in doing so would take a month to get there was one of those things.

In an effort to keep his mind from wandering, Naruto observed the man who had requested the mission he was on. The clothing Chishimo was wearing showed just how impoverished he was. He was wearing a straw hat, and a poncho that was made out of hay. His shirt was a standard blue gi that had a pair of green sleeves sown on. Wrapped around his waist were several white bandages that looked like someone had taken a knife over the left side and cut it open. He had very drab looking grey pants with a set of leg warmers on the bottom attached to his legs via a pair of strings on the top and bottom. On his feet were a pair of old and worn zori sandals.

The man also looked like he was about to die on his feet.

"You know, I can't help but notice that you don't look so good," Naruto commented idly, getting Chishimo to turn his head and look at the blond. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Ah hahaha..." Chishimo gave a sheepish, if somewhat weak sounding, laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "Of course I'm alright! Don't worry about me one bit! I..."

**GURGLE!**

The loud sound of a stomach rumbling filled the air. Naruto blinked, then looked down at the guys bandaged stomach, which made even more gurgling noises.

"Eh heh heh, I guess I'm a tad... um, hungry," Chishimo admitted.

"Riiiiight." Naruto drew out with a large sweat drop on the back of his head. If the sound of this guys stomach was anything to go by, a tad hungry was a severe understatement. Shukaku's insane shouting had been at a lower volume then this. Shaking his head he said, "You sound like you haven't eaten in days."

"Ah well, I had to pay for this mission with money out of my own pocket," Chishimo explained, scratching his left cheek with his index finger. "So I'm pretty much broke." Naruto raised an eyebrow. This guy paid for a mission out of his own pocket? That meant either one of two things, this guy was seriously dedicated to his country, or the country was completely broke as well. It could also be a bit of both.

Commenting on this, Naruto said, "So this mission must be pretty important to you, huh?"

Chishimo looked down at his feet as he walked, a crest fallen expression on his face. "It could mean the difference between life and death for a very dear friend of mine."

A frown marred Naruto's face for a moment before his expression cleared. "Do you want to talk about it?" The smile on Chishimo's face told Naruto that the guy would be more than happy to share his entire life story with him if he asked.

"It's my friend, Sagi, you see," the earnest looking man started. "We've been close friends ever since we were little. We were raised like brothers, he's now the Daimyo of Tori No Kuni." Naruto raised an eyebrow. This guy was best friends with the Daimyo of his country? No wonder this guy was dedicated enough to getting this mission that he would gladly give all the money he had to pay for it. Of course, that did beg the question of why he was wearing such old and weathered clothing. Perhaps Naruto's belief that Tori No Kuni was in a poor state right now held more truth then he had realized.

Granted, with something like a ghost haunting them he probably shouldn't be surprised.

"However, recently things have been very hard for my friend," Chishimo continued, unaware of Naruto's thoughts. "With the death of his father, Lord Ōwashi and then his twin sister died shortly after." The whiskered blond had to hold in a wince at that. He knew how hard it was to lose someone you love. How much harder would be to lose to people you loved within such a short time span? Chishimo looked into the treeline they were walking passed as he said, "And now the friend I was knew, always smiling, always cheerful has become a completely different person. He no longer shows his face in the village, even when I visit him."

Naruto wished he could relate, but he didn't really have any experience with watching as your friend went from kind and happy to a recluse. And not just because Naruto had only gained friends recently, since he became a genin, in fact. The only person Naruto could create parallels to with this guy's problem was Sasuke, and really, the Uchiha had never really changed. Even during the academy he had been a moody, broody asshole who cared for nothing but gaining the power to kill his brother. And now he was with Orochimaru...

Shaking his head, Naruto dispelled thoughts of Sasuke's stupidity and focused on Chishimo as he spoke. "This change in him worries the others, because Sagi is the Daimyo for our country. I don't really care about all that, I'm worried because he's my friend. I would do anything to help him, to bring the old Sagi back again. No matter the cost."

Ok, now Naruto was impressed. From the way this guy spoke, he would gladly give his life for this Sagi character. Even in friends that kind of dedication was hard to come by. Smiling, Naruto said, "I'm sure things will work out in the end." He turned his head to look up at the sky, so missed the look of shock on Chishimo's face. "I was once told that when people share a strong bond, their emotions and feelings will reach each other. I'm sure your friend will eventually come to realize how worried you are and get out of his funk. Who knows, maybe if I solve this... ghost case, things with your friend will get better."

He shivered at the word ghost, but didn't react otherwise. Naruto would never admit, even to himself, that the supernatural scared the other living crap out of him. Give him a Bijuu to face over a ghost any day.

"Naruto... thank you," Chishimo said with a smile. Naruto looked over at the man curiously, shrugged, then gave a grin. He was about to open his mouth to speak when...

**GURGLE!**

"Um..." Naruto sweatdropped as the man's face took on a Hinata shade of red. Sighing, he said, "Why don't we stop for a break and get something to eat?" Chishimo, it seemed, was more then agreeable to this plan as he sat down right where he stood, causing even more sweat drops to appear on the blond shinobi's head.

* * *

Naruto watched in utter astonishment and growing horror as Chishimo put away his sixth serving of rice, scarfing the food down faster than an Akimichi at an all you could eat buffet. Seeing such a skinny guy eating so much food was almost as amusing as it was disturbing, and Naruto, tactless as he was, had no trouble commenting on this. "Dear kami, I don't think I've ever seen anyone eat as much as you!"

"Ah ahahaha," Chishimo laughed a tad sheepishly, even as he wiped away some of the rice stuck on his face. "I know, I'm sorry, everyone's always wondering where I put it all." Naruto couldn't help but wonder where all that food went too. He also couldn't help but wonder if this was what people saw whenever he was eating ramen. Maybe he should think about slowing down his consumption of the delicious noodles if eating as fast as he did made this much of mess?

Now there's a scary thought. Naruto eating ramen slowly, not the mess.

Shaking his head, Naruto decided to get back on track and try to learn what he could for this mission. "Right, well, why don't you tell me a little bit about this Cursed Warrior that has been appearing in your village."

Chishimo stopped eating his eighth serving of rice to look over at him. The man swallowed what was in his mouth, making Naruto cringe a bit – seriously, if he was this bad Naruto swore to himself that he would start eating with better table manners – then said, "Some people think it's the disembodied spirit of Sagi's father, Ōwashi-sama." Naruto shivered a bit at the words disembodied and spirit, but quickly shook it off.

Deicing that he _really _didn't want to hear anymore about this ghost business for the moment, Naruto decided to change the subject. "So, why don't you tell me a bit more about Tori No Kuni? You know, like it's history and background."

"Alright," Chishimo said, setting his half-eaten ninth serving of rice aside for the moment so he could speak. "It's called Tori No Kuni because our capital is built on a lake to which the birds come with they migrate. It's always been a beautiful and peaceful place, made fertile by the waters from the lake and the many canals. The first signs of trouble came from the sudden death of our previous Daimyo, Ōwashi-sama. As to who would take over the leadership, it was between his son, Sagi-sama, and his most trusted adviser, Kōmei-sama."

Naruto had to blink for a moment as he heard that Sagi's position as Daimyo had actually been in question. Unlike the Kages, who were selected based on their strength and abilities as a leader, Daimyo's were always selected by blood. Only someone who was of the same blood of the previous Daimyo could become the next Daimyo, unless the entire family was killed off. That an adviser could become Daimyo was troubling. Of course, he didn't know enough about Tori No Kuni to actually make any kind of true assessment to the situation. Maybe that was just how they did things there.

"Kōmei-sama argued that Sagi was far too young to assume the role of Daimyo, and there were many who agreed with him. Nevertheless, Sagi-sama assumed the role of Daimyo, mainly because Mōsō-sama, our high priest and my master, agreed to act as Regent, advising Sagi and helping him govern our country." Naruto rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression, noting the difference in the man's tone when he spoke of Mōsō to when he talked about Kōmei, but didn't say anything as he allowed the man to continue.

"Then, less then half a year lady, Toki-dono, Sagi's sister, died as suddenly as his father." Naruto narrowed his eyes a bit, but didn't comment. Chishimo didn't notice his expression as he continued, saying, "Since that time, the Sagi I knew has become a completely different person. He's retreated from view, sees no one, and governs from the confines of his palace. And it was about that time that the white warrior began appearing in the capital. Rumors started to spread about Ōwashi-sama's death, that it was not a natural one. People began to say that the white warrior was, in fact, the spirit of Ōwashi-sama, come back to earth to reek vengeance on the traitors who murdered him."

Naruto gulped, an action which Chishimo thankfully did not notice. Unfortunately for the blond, someone else did and had no problems teasing him.

_**'You're such a baby Naruto.'**_

A growl almost escaped his lips at the teasing sound of Kyuubi's face. No one called him a baby! Fortunately he was able to keep it internal. It wouldn't do for Chishimo to think he was some kind of psychopath, after all.

_'I am not a baby! I've just... never dealt with real ghosts before.'_

Within the confines of his mind, Kyuubi giggled. _**'It's alright to feel frightened. After all, you may be a big bad shinobi, but you're still a kid. If you want, you can come into the seal and I'll provide you with some succor, Na-ru-to-kun.'**_

_'Guh...'_ Naruto shivered at the way Kyuubi spoke his voice. Stupid Bijuu, trying to act all sexy to mess with his mind. What's worse was that he was almost tempted to do as she said. Almost.

His actions did not go unnoticed, however, as Chishimo watched Naruto shiver with a bit of worry. "Are you alright, Naruto-san?" he asked, sounding concerned. "You look a little..." actually, Chishimo really couldn't come up with a proper way to describe how Naruto looked. His face looked pale and he had broken out into a cold sweat. At the same time, his cheeks were suffused with red, almost as if he was blushing. Not able to think of anything, the man finished lamely with, "Um, well, you look like you're not yourself."

"I'm fine," Naruto was, shivering a bit more as his fear of ghosts and embarrassment at Kyuubi's words warred within his mind. Doing his best to shake them both off, he said, "just remembering something is all." Not wanting Chishimo to question him anymore – and needing to speak of something, anything, so that he could ignore the giggling within his mind – Naruto changed the subject. "I'm not really sure I believe this Cursed Warrior is actually a ghost."

When in doubt, go with denial.

"Then what do you think this Cursed Warrior is?" Chishimo asked, looking slightly skeptical. The man seemed to be somewhat superstitious. Not that Naruto could say anything, much as he may try to deny it, the blond had always believed in – and been deathly afraid of – ghosts.

"It's quite possible that this ghost is the work of someone who is looking to spread chaos in your country to gain power," Naruto said, trying to think through this logically. He refused to believe that a ghost was actually involved. Though this could have been more out of fear then actually believing his own words.

"You think so?" Chishimo asked, surprise evident on his features.

"Yes," Naruto stated, more to himself than Chishimo.

"But who would do such a thing?"

Naruto was beginning to suspect this man was as naïve as he used to be. There were always greedy people who would be more than willing to kill others if it got them what they wanted. Hell, there were people who would do even more despicable things if it allowed them to accomplish their goals. Naruto's mind instantly went to Orochimaru, who was willing to defile the previous Hokages by resurrecting them from the grave and forcing them to fight against their village. If there were people out there who were willing to commit atrocities like that, then there had to be hundreds of people who were killing someone and pretend to be his deceased spirit.

"Whoever had the most to gain from Ōwashi's death," Naruto said, pausing in thought as he reviewed all of the information that had just been given to him. He looked over at Chishimo before continuing. "From what you've told me, there are two people here who stand to gain the most. The High Priest, Mōsō, could have –"

"My master is a good and virtuous man!" Chishimo interrupted Naruto, some anger lacing his voice. The blond was actually taken aback by the venom in the man's voice. From the way he was talking, one would think Naruto had just insulted his ancestors. Before the blond Chunin could even think of speaking, Chishimo continued, saying. "He couldn't be involved in this!"

Naruto looked at the man before shrugging. It was obvious Chishimo was biased towards this Mōsō guy, but the blond knew he had to look at everything objectively. Facts were facts, and even if Chishimo firmly believed that his master would never be involved in a crime like this, there was always the possibility that the man he served was simply lying to him in order to gain his trust. Such things were not uncommon. Still, he said nothing more on the man's master, not wanting to anger him.

Instead, he said, "Then there is also Kōmei. It is quite possible that he assassinated your Daimyo to gain power, then got angry when it didn't work." Considering the Daimyo's adviser had been considered for ascension to Daimyo himself, it was a very plausible theory. And it was clear that this was the one Chishimo believed.

"It's true, he's been complaining bitterly ever since Sagi-sama was chosen over him," Chishimo stated firmly. His eyes seemed to blaze with conviction, or desparation as he grasped at straws. It was hard to tell with him. "I wouldn't put it past him to manufacture the Cursed Warrior himself, and then started these evil rumors."

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Naruto said, bringing Chishimo down from his fanatical high. It was obvious to Naruto that the earnest man truly believed Kōmei was responsible, but that was more of a by-product of his belief that his master, Mōsō was too just to be involved in something like an assassination. Naruto had no such beliefs one way or the other, and until he had more clues with which to go on, would hold them both in suspicion until one or the other was proven innocent or guilty.

After all, a ninja must always look underneath the underneath.

* * *

After the first few days of travel, Naruto ended up growing tired of the civilian pace being set. In order to speed up their progress and get to Tori No Kuni faster, he had taken to carrying Chishimo piggyback. That way he could use his chakra enhanced speed to blaze a trail to the man's country. With the pace the blond had set – the kind of pace which only the likes of Maito Gai and Rock Lee would ever bother going – they arrived in the capital of Tori No Kuni within two weeks, instead of the standard month.

Naruto had to admit the country was beautiful just as Chishimo had said. The capitol possessed a lot more flora than most other cities, giving life to the otherwise standard buildings and dirt roads. Much of the city itself had walls following the roadways, creating an interconnecting set of paths that were much like a maze. With his unnaturally sharp eyes, Naruto could see the large hedging surrounding what the blond assumed was the palace, even though it was the dead of night. Running into the capitol city with Chishimo still on his back, the blond followed the path set for him by large plaster walls.

"So which way is it to your master's place?" asked Naruto as his eyes moved back and forth across the city. The entire place, except for the palace in the center, all looked the exact same to him. Even if Naruto knew where Mōsō's house was, he would probably get lost because everything looked identical.

"It's just a few blocks ahead. If you go right at this next intersection, then take another left two intersections down, you should see it. I'll point it out to you when we get closer."

"Right." As Naruto continued moving the sound of a whistle pierced the night air. It was a pretty shrill noise, one that cut through the air like the wail of a banshee. It sounded like some kind of alarm. Skidding to a stop, the blond shinobi surveyed the area while saying out loud, "What was that sound?"

While Naruto did not find out what the sound was or where it had come from, he did find something else which was likely the reason the noise had appeared in the first place. Up in the sky above him was a figure clad in white samurai armor. It floated through the air above him, hovering just like one would expect of a ghost. The sight sent a chill down Naruto spine that he refused to give into. He wouldn't fail some mission just because of some stupid ghost!

"Clad all in white with a helmet and a halberd in it's hand, wearing the mask of an evil demon with the eyes of fire, there can be no doubt about it. That's the Cursed Warrior!" Naruto's right eye twitched violently. Did Chishimo have to give him such an evil and creepy description? It wasn't like he needed one, and really, listening to the guy just made him feel that much more jittery.

Focusing back to the task at hand, Naruto began saying, "Ok, this is where you get off." Chishimo looked surprised as Naruto set him down, then made the handseal to his favorite jutsu.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu." Two clones appeared next to them in a puff of smoke. The blond pointed at the copies he made and said, "These two will escort you to your master's house. _I'm _going to go after this Cursed Warrior and see just what kind of warrior he really is!"

Not even giving Chishimo time to say anything, Naruto pumped chakra to his legs and jumped, taking to the sky and landing on the roof of a building several feet away. He dashed off, hopping across the roofs as he chased after the so called 'Cursed Warrior'. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the armor clad warrior was still floating up above him, just a few meters out from his position.

He was soon forced to abandon his roof hopping when he entered a more forested area. As the trees passed by him in a blur, Naruto looked on ahead and saw that he was coming up on a single building surrounded by a small wooden fence. Without hesitating, the blond Chunin ran towards the building, coming to a stop just a few feet in front of it.

The building he was staring at reminded Naruto of some of the shrines he had seen. It was elevated several feet above the ground by rocks that had been compressed together then had sediment poured in between them to form a wall. There was a staircase in front of him, leading to a small rectangular pedestal that looked like it was used to light incense. Behind the pedestal sat a building that looked very much like the Honden of a Shinto Shrine, right down to it's architectural style. Only the scent of death that hung in the air, stale and old, let Naruto know that this was a burial sight, likely to the recently deceased Daimyo and Sagi's father.

A frown marred Naruto's face as his eyes scanned the area, glowing unnaturally bright as his enhanced vision cut through the night with ease. He couldn't see anything, and his hearing couldn't pick up any movement either. Channeling youki into his eyes, the blond's irises went from blue to amethyst, the pupils elongating into slits. His frown increased when he still couldn't see nothing, not even a flicker of chakra anywhere.

That didn't bode well.

_'Kyuubi, can you sense anything?'_

At hearing Naruto's question, the great Bijuu perked up. Extending her senses outside of the blonde's body, she looked for any sign of the armor clad figure that her tenant had been chasing. After a moment, a frown marred her face. She sighed, then shook her head and said, _**'No, nothing. Odd...'**_

_'Could they be masking their presence?'_

Kyuubi scoffed, sounding insulted as she said, _**'They may be able to hide to your inferior senses. But no human can hope to hide from me.'**_ The very notion that somebody, a mere human at that, could possibly hide their presence so thoroughly that even she could not sense it was ridiculous.

Naruto gulped as the chills once more returned. _'So then... it might really be a ghost.'_

A severe case of eye twitching was the response to his fear. _**'Oh for the love of – when did you become such a coward?'**_

_'Oi!'_ Naruto shouted in his mindscape, affronted by Kyuubi's accusation. _'I am not a coward. I just... don't like ghosts.'_

Kyuubi sighed, then rolled her eyes and said, **'**_**Even if it is a ghost, you can still hurt it with ninjutsu. Remember, a ghost is nothing more than a spirit. Therefore, it is made up entirely of spiritual energy. Chakra is partially made up of spiritual energy, and youki is far more potent than chakra and possesses a more supernatural aspect to it. It doesn't matter if the thing you are dealing with is a ghost, you should be more than capable of killing it just like anything else.'**_

_'How can I kill something if it's already dead?'_

_**'Grr! You know what I mean. Stop being so damn obstin –'**_

Kyuubi's words were cut off as the door leading into the burial sight opened with a loud creak. Naruto stiffened, fear coursing through him. Fuck, he just had to be dealing with a ghost didn't he? God he hated his life. Despite his fear, the blond had the piece of mind to summon a pair of kunai. He thought about getting out his katana, or even Kubikirihoucho – having a big ass head cleaving blade would make him feel infinitely better right about now – but wasn't sure if weapons would even work yet. No sense in bringing out the big guns until he figured out if they would even be of any use to him.

The warrior in white armor slowly stepped out of the doorway. It then proceeded to float past the pedestal and land on the ground a few feet away from Naruto. Said blond did his best not to let the creepy glowing yellow eyes of the armored warrior get to him. The way they were staring at him was really giving him the creeps. Unable to deal with the look anymore, the whiskered shinobi pointed at the warrior and shouted. "Alright! I don't know who the fuck you are! But if you think I'm gonna let some creepy ass specter scare me, you've got another thing coming!"

Within her seal, Kyuubi face palmed. **"Is it just me or is Naruto allowing his fear over ghosts to revert himself back to his original self?"**

The armored warrior didn't respond and Naruto, unaware of Kyuubi's question, decided that he had enough. With a flick of his wrists, the blond sent the two kunai in his hand soaring through the air. They impaled the chest plate of the warrior with quite a bit of voice, enough to send it stumbling backwards several steps as the dull _planking_ sound of metal piercing metal echoed throughout the clearing. Still, the apparition didn't seem at all bothered by having a pair of kunai impaling it, as it just straightened back up.

Eyes twitching as he stared at the thing, for that was all he could call this armored warrior, Naruto decided that he was going to bring out the big guns... sword. Reaching into his pouch, he summoned a sealing scroll from one of the storage seals inside his kunai pouch. He unrolled the scroll in mid-air, biting his thumb and then swiping it along the parchment, a thin trail of blood following in it's wake. With a burst of smoke, Naruto unsealed Kubikirihoucho. He swung the blade up, letting it rest on his shoulder and took a wide stance.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Naruto's amethyst eyes narrowed. His feet slid further apart, rustling the dirt underneath, but that was the only movement he made. With slow, steady breaths as he tried to calm his beating heart, Naruto waited for the thing in front of him to make the first move.

It did, taking a single step forward, it's armor clanking together, rattling ominously.

Naruto didn't let it take another step.

Bursting forward, propelled by a youki enhanced push off the ground, Naruto almost glided above the ground as he sped towards the Cursed Warrior. He channeled youki through Kubikirihoucho, the blade becoming consumed with an intense flame of ethereal purple. Naruto dashed passed the armored figure, the large head cleaver slashing through the Samurai armor like a hot knife through butter. Skidding to a stop just a few feet behind the warrior, the blond turned around and went back into a ready stance, waiting to see what would happen next.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Naruto was about to begin freaking out about how his youki didn't even seem to be capable of defeating this apparition, when light burst forth from the armor. Bright rays of light came out of the sword slash the blond had made in the armored body, from left shoulder to right hip the intense rays shot out from the inside, as if something was trying to break through the armored shell. As the light began to disappear, the armored figure fell backwards, hitting the ground with a loud clang.

Naruto waited for a few moments, wanting to make sure that the thing he had attacked would stay down. After several seconds, which to him felt like hours, the blond moved, cautiously, towards the armored figure. He stopped when his foot was close enough to touch it and frowned, then gulped. Kneeling down he grabbed the first piece of armor he could get his hands on, the helmet, and lifted it off the ground. Looking inside of the armor, Naruto paled when he saw that it was empty.

_'Oh my god! This really is a ghost! This is so not cool! Why did I ever accept this mission... oh, wait, I didn't, Oba-chan ordered me to go on it. Damn that woman! She knew I would run into a ghost and be forced into mortal combat with it! I bet she's laughing at me even now! That horrid, loathesome –'_

_**'For love of all that is good and holy, shut up!'**_Kyuubi snapped from inside the seal. However, Naruto was too far gone, having gone from complaining about how horrible Tsunade was to send him on a mission that would involve fights with the supernatural, to ranting about how he was gonna, in his own words, 'prank her ass into oblivion for making him go on this stupid mission'.

Kyuubi sighed, sitting down on the bed and covering her ears with as many of the fluffy pillows around her that she could reach.

"**You know,"** she commented, her voice muffled by the large red pillow on her face. **'He's as bad as you are when it comes to dealing with ghosts and the like."**

There were no words spoken, but Kyuubi got the distinct feeling of embarrassment coming from the area around her. She let out a mild chuckle, but was forced to stop when she realized Naruto was still continuing his rant, only now it was about something entirely unrelated to ghosts or pranks.

_'– and when I get out of here, I'm gonna treat myself to several dozen bowls of ramen. I wonder what kind I should have? Maybe Miso, Pork and Chicken... or Chicken, Shrimp and Miso... or maybe...'_

Kyuubi groaned as she buried her face in her bed. **"Kami, what did I do to deserve this?" **

She had not been expecting an answer, but Kyuubi thought she heard snickering. Lifting up a single finger, she gave a one-fingered salute, even though she was sure her guardian couldn't even see it.

She sighed, all Kyuubi could do now was pray Naruto ran out of breath soon. Because if she had to listen to this brat talk for much longer, then she was going to go insane.

* * *

**I apologize for this being a bit late. I was trying to decide which arcs I should go with. I wanted to do one of the subplot arcs that I've never read about before, which is when I came up with the idea of doing the Land of Birds arc. I have yet to actually read any fanfiction with this particular arc in it, and thus, decided it would be a good transitional little subplot to switch from the 'Naruto period' to the 'Three year training period'.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life, and I've decided. I am going to be an official fanfiction author. Sure, there's no money involved and I'll probably die of starvation because I won't be making any money, but that's a small price to pay for good fanfiction.**

**Ha, just kidding. No, seriously, I am.**

**A/N: I would like to thank Senjuto for betaing this chapter.**

* * *

**Shifts in Life**

**A Ghost of a Chance**

* * *

_**'I'm glad to see you've finally recovered from your most recent bout of idiocy,'**_ Kyuubi couldn't help but comment as Naruto sat in seiza in a small room, with Chishimo off to the side sitting in a similar position. It was the morning after the incident with the ghost, and it had taken Naruto nearly that long before he had calmed down enough to think logically. Chishimo had been in for quite the shock when he had come running to find Naruto, fearing the worst after said blond shinobi had gone after the Cursed Warrior, only to find the ninja in question debating with himself about ramen of all things.

It definitely made him question the blonde's sanity for a moment at least.

_'Ah... yes, well,' _Naruto felt his face heat up in embarrassment as he remembered his momentary bout of... weirdness last night all too well. It wasn't quite something he wished to recall, or have thrown in his face, something that Kyuubi seemed all too keen on doing. _'I-It's not like I'm afraid of ghosts or anything.'_

_**'Of course not,' **_Kyuubi placated the boy. Naruto either didn't hear, or was ignoring the smile that could practically be heard in her voice. Given who this was, it was most likely that he had not even heard.

_'I mean, it's just that I can't fight things like ghosts!'_ Naruto continued his attempt at denial. '_Give me ninja, demons, and zombies any day of the week and I can take those things down no problem. But it's different with ghosts. Just how the hell am I supposed to hit something that can go through walls? You know?'_

_**'Zombies?'**_Naruto stopped his rant at Kyuubi's word. The red haired demon currently sealed within his gut sounded... confused? Yes, she definitely sounded confused. That was a first. _**'Just what made you decide to include zombies in the list of things you wouldn't mind fighting? You haven't even fought a zombie before.'**_

_'Ah, well,'_ Naruto would have scratched the back of his head to come up with an answer that didn't make him sound like an idiot, but given that Kyuubi wouldn't see the move anyways, and the one person who would was likely to think he was insane if he did, the whisker marked shinobi refrained from doing so. _'It's just that, all those zombie movies I've watched with Anko-nee-chan, I guess. And if ghosts can exist, than surely zombies can too right? I'm just saying I would take zombies over ghosts any day of the week.'_

_**'I see,' **_It was quite clear from her voice that Kyuubi did not 'see', but just wasn't willing to push the issue. Obviously this whole ghost fiasco had Naruto losing what little sanity his mind possessed, if it had possessed any to begin with.

'_Plus I don't wanna get cursed,' _and once more Naruto was on a roll with his rant._ 'Anything else would just kill me, and I can deal with that, god knows I've had enough people trying to kill me, but a curse? How do you deal with that? And that's not even going into how I might get possessed...'_

_**'Uh huh.'**_

_'Are you even listening to me?'_

_**'…' **_A pause. _**Not really, no.' **_Naruto scowled, but Kyuubi, being sealed inside of him and all that, didn't notice. _**'I mean, I was at first because it's kind of amusing to listen to you trying to justify your fear of ghosts.'**_

_'I'm not afraid of ghosts!'_ Naruto denied vehemently. Once more there was the very strong urge to pout and cross his arms, and only the knowledge that, A) Kyuubi wouldn't see it anyways and B) Chishimo would and likely question his sanity, kept him from doing didn't mean he didn't want to, however, just that he couldn't.

_**'Whatever you say, Naruto,'**_ Kyuubi replied nonchalantly, as if she couldn't care one way or the other. There was also an underlying hint of amusement in her voice that Naruto did not like one bit. _**'In any case, while it was amusing at first, listening to you babble on about why you... dislike ghosts got boring fast, so I stopped listening.'**_

Naruto sighed, and almost let his shoulders unconsciously droop, _'I figured as much.'_

"Are you ok, Naruto-san?" asked Chishimo, a concerned expression on his face. He probably felt he had a right to be concerned as for the past fifteen minutes the blond shinobi had been making strange faces at himself, so far Chishimo had seen everything from embarrassment to anger to fear... It was almost like he was talking to someone, but that couldn't be it because there was no one else around to talk to and Naruto had been keeping his mouth shut the whole time.

Right?

"Hmm?" Naruto looked up, disengaging from the dialogue he was having with his inner vixen to look at the man sitting to his left. He blinked several times, his brain registering and comprehending the words spoken to him, then once that process was complete, he gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just... thinking."

Chishimo's eyebrows furrowed, "Thinking? About what?"

"Um...?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer Chishimo, and then promptly closed it when he realized he wasn't quite sure what to say. He certainly couldn't tell the man that truth. How would he even say it? 'I was just having a conversation with the nine tailed demon fox that was capable of turning into a super-hot woman who loves messing with me and is currently sealed inside of my gut.' Yeah, he could see how well that would work out.

_**'Busted.'**_

_'Hush you,'_ Naruto thought with a scowl as he heard Kyuubi's snickering inside of his mind. Maybe it was just him, but for some reason he couldn't help but feel that the fox had been teasing him a lot more than usual... and insulting him a lot more than usual. He would have pondered this and what it could mean, but was forced to change his mental processes so he could answer Chishimo.

"I was just wondering why is living in such squalor," he gestured to the room they were sitting in. The small room the two were currently occupying wasn't ugly, or unkempt or anything. The room, and by extension the rest of the house, was very basic, possessing of brown tatami flooring, paper sliding doors with the depiction of birds flying over a lake, and paper thin walls. It most certainly did not live up to the splendor Naruto would have suspected someone who held the title of Daimyo's adviser to live in.

And Naruto had no trouble commenting on that fact.

"I mean, considering he is one of the most important figures in the country next to the Daimyo, I would have expected him to be living a bit more extravagantly." Naruto took a quick moment to pat himself on the back as Chishimo's expression went from 'concerned that there was a possible crazy person in the room with him' to understanding. Oh yeah, he was good.

_**'Smooth, Naruto. Real smooth.'**_

_'I do try.'_

"Ah yes, I can see why you would be curious about that," Chishimo spoke, completely unaware of the fact that Naruto was keeping up two conversations at once. "You see, the trappings of wealth do not interest Mōsō-sama. So he lives frugally, as suits a man of his wisdom."

"Hmm..." that had been about what Naruto expected Chishimo to say. The older man was quite obviously a devote follower of this Mōsō character. Well, whatever, it could be as he said, but it could also just as easily be a ploy designed to make people let their down guard. Naruto would just have to prepare for either possibility. He looked around the room once more, his nose twitching. "So just where is this Mōsō guy?"

"Right here," a voice spoke up from behind the Shoji screen door. Chishimo turned his torso around so that he could place both hands on the door and slide it open, and upon doing so revealed a very large man wearing a white robe with long sleeves that flared out and hid his hands from view. Over his robe the man was wearing a strange two piece cloth that covered the lower right half of his torso down to his legs, and upper left shoulder like some kind of half cape. The unusual looking clothing was attached in the center of his chest with by a ring, and over all that he was wearing what looked like a strap made up of green and purple.

Beyond his clothing, Naruto also noticed that he was bald, with only a pair of sideburns to signify he once had hair. Other than that, the only noticeable traits about this man was his Fu Manchu mustache and the way his eyes seemed to be constantly closed. To be honest, Naruto didn't think the guy looked like an official to a Daimyo, and more like an old magician like the ones he had heard about traveling with the circus.

Not that he would actually say that out loud.

"I am Mōsō," the man introduced himself. "And you must be the young ninja that Konoha sent to help us deal with this Cursed Warrior. I hear you even managed to confront it last night when it attacked Kōmei-sama."

"Erm," Naruto took a deep breath, restraining both his gulp and the shudder that threatened to run down his spine. He wasn't about to make himself look like some kind of fool in front of the Daimyo's adviser by freaking out. When he was sufficiently calm, the blond Uzumaki continued. "Yes, I did."

"Well?" Mōsō made no gesture, but Naruto got the distinct impression that the man was asking for more information. These suspicions were confirmed a second later when the much larger male asked, "did you manage to uncover anything as to the identity of the Cursed Warrior?"

"Unfortunately not," Naruto answered, pausing for a moment as he tried to decide just what he should tell the man. "The Cursed Warrior that I fought last night was nothing but an empty suit of armor. It's possible that whoever is behind the Cursed Warrior's appearance may be versed in puppetry. If that's the case than the ghost you're dealing with is nothing more than a puppet that's dancing to the tune of someone who wishes to cause unrest amongst your people."

"A puppeteer you say?" Mōsō murmured, sounding troubled. Not that Naruto could quite blame the man, while puppets wouldn't be much of a problem for Naruto due to the fact that most relied on poisons and he was immune to such, puppeteers were still tricky opponents.

"It's just a possibility," Naruto told him. "I have no proof whether what I said is true or not, but it's a plausible theory, one that only needs me to find further evidence to back it up."

_**'Naruto,'**_ Kyuubi interrupted. _**'You know as well as I do that the suit of armor you fought was not being controlled by any puppeteer. Even you should have been able to sense that there were no chakra strings attached to the armor, and if even if you couldn't, than I would have.'**_

_'Yes, well, you can't expect me to tell him that. What am I supposed to say? 'Oh sorry, but the Cursed Warrior was actually just an empty husk with nothing living inside of it, not even chakra. There's a good possibility that you're actually dealing with a real life ghost'. I think not. At least with this I sound more competent than admitting that we might actually be dealing with the super natural.'_ That, and Naruto refused to admit that what he fought last night was a ghost, because so long as he thought about things logically, without any of that supernatural nonsense, he could function at full capacity.

Denial was such a wonderful thing.

"Rest assured however, that I will eventually get to the bottom of this."

"Your resolve is encouraging," Mōsō said. "We have just installed a new Daimyo, this is no time for unrest. Please eliminate these harmful rulers of the Cursed Warrior as soon as possible." The man paused, but only for long enough to surprise Naruto by bending over while sitting in a low bow, hands placed on either side of his head, and his head nearly touching the floor. "You are our only hope. I beg of you."

Ugh, this was just great, how could he possibly say no when the man was quite literally begging him, stupid jerk. Now he had to stick around and get to the bottom of this Cursed Warrior business. Stupid Cursed Warrior.

Well, there was nothing to it. Naruto's job was clear and his task was set. He would need to gather information on all of the sightings of the Cursed Warrior, as well as more knowledge on anybody who stood to gain from the Cursed Warrior's existence. Naruto could only hope that this mission wouldn't get him killed...

...Or worse, cursed.

* * *

It wasn't long after the meeting with Mōsō that Naruto and Chishimo found themselves sitting in a small open door stand. The tiny place reminded Naruto a lot of the Ichiraku Ramen stand he always ate at back home, only without the mouthwatering smell of ramen or the cute waitress in Ayame-nee-chan. The walls were slightly dirty, though judging from the cracks it had more to do with age than improper upkeep. Currently, he and Chishimo were sitting on a pair of stools in front of the bar table after ordering a set of bird wings, a specialty dish of Tori no Kuni.

"Here are your bird wings, enjoy."

The balding male behind the counter set a plate of wings down on the table in front of Naruto, along with a bowl of dipping sauce and some miso soup. They wings were kind of small, and there was very little meat on them. Truth be told they didn't look very filling, but they certainly smelled delicious.

Grabbing one of the wings, Naruto dipped it in some of the sauce and took a tentative bite.

"Hey," he murmured in surprise after swallowing his food. He took another bite, chewed, then swallowed again, before a smile crossed his face. "These are pretty good."

"I'm glad you like them," Chishimo said from where he sat on Naruto's left, the same pleasant smile he always wore plastered on his face. Unlike the blond, the older male had just ordered some tea and miso soup. These are a delicacy of Tori no Kuni, they come from a type of bird found only in our country, which is how our country got its name."

"You don't say," Naruto said, only paying the words passing attention. He finished his first wing and quickly grabbed a second, taking one bite out of it and swallowing before deciding they should probably get down to business. "As interesting as your countries history sounds, we should probably begin correlating what we know about the Cursed Warrior situation so far."

"Yes," Chishimo agreed, "I do believe you are right."

"Ok," Naruto sighed as he finished his second chicken wing and set the bones back on the plate. He looked at the other wings he had left, his fingers twitching in ache to grab another. However, he held himself back for the moment; his food would still be there when he finished this conversation. "So from what I've seen the situation here actually seems quite stable, Cursed Warrior aside. Your friend, Sagi, has just assumed the throne after the death of his father, the previous Daimyo. He is young, and therefore inexperienced, so he has Mōsō, a man who is much wiser and has experience in dealing with country politics, acting as his adviser. There doesn't really seem to be anything wrong there, the set up looks and feels like a perfectly stable form of government, the wiser adviser guiding the hands of the young Daimyo and teaching him until he can take the reins of the country himself."

"Yes, that is exactly how it is," Chishimo said. "That's why Mōsō-sama was chosen to be the adviser over Kōmei-sama, because Mōsō-sama is both wise and kind. In fact, he was the reason I am where I am today. You see, Mōsō-sama made me a Paige, saving me from poverty." Naruto nodded but didn't really pay attention to Chishimo's words. To him, it just sounded like the older male was trying to proclaim the greatness of his master, rather than actually adding any useful information that Naruto could use.

"However, it's clear that someone does not like what is going on in this country, hence the Cursed Warrior," the blond continued. "The rumors that are floating around are claiming it's the ghost of the previous Daimyo who has come back from the grave, and it's caused the country a lot of unrest."

Naruto furrowed his brow as he tried to think of a logical reason for the Cursed Warrior's existence. He had gotten much smarter during his tenor as a shinobi of Konoha, but that didn't mean thinking was his strongest point. Naruto was, and always would be, someone who preferred simply confronting his problems with his fists.

"It could be that someone is jealous, perhaps one of the nobles or someone of importance within Tori No Kuni doesn't like the fact that the current Daimyo succeeded him. If that is the case, than it wouldn't be stretch of the imagination to assume that whoever this person is, they created the Cursed Warrior to cast doubt upon the current Daimyo's rule."

The people of the Elemental Nations were by their very nature, a superstitious folk. Ghosts coming back from the grave to haunt others was often seen as an ill omen. That this particular ghost was supposedly the former Daimyo of the country made even more of an impact. It would not take much to make the average citizen assume that the reason for the former Daimyo rising from the grave was because the current one had killed him in order to usurp the throne.

"Do you know of anyone who may wish for the current Daimyo to be ousted?" Naruto asked Chishimo, turning his head to face the older male who had adopted a slightly depressed look.

"I hate to say it, but the one who comes to mind the most is Kōmei-sama," the Paige told him. Naruto frowned, but didn't say anything to prove or disprove the man's words. No theory could be discarded, there was a good possibility that this Kōmei character really was the one behind the Cursed Warrior. At the same time it bothered Naruto that Chishimo was so set on sticking with this one belief and not looking at other possible theories.

Then again, Chishimo did not possess the mind of a ninja, so he couldn't really be blamed.

"I want to see your Daimyo," Naruto told the man suddenly, so suddenly that Chishimo gaped at him, a startled look on his face.

"Wh-What?" the older male blinked, his mind processing the words before he could really respond to them. "You can't, Sagi-sama no longer allows people to see him. Even I, his best friend am no longer allowed to see him."

"I don't care," Naruto said. "I need to speak with him." He needed more information than what he currently had, as well as another perspective. So far all he had come from Chishimo, whose opinion was seriously biased, and Mōsō, who had not actually given him any useful information for his investigation. Adding the perspective of the current Daimyo would go a long way towards giving him more knowledge to work with, plus with the rumors that the Cursed Warrior was the man's deceased father, the blond was sure Sagi would have done some investigating on his own.

"I-I don't know..." Chishimo started unsurely, he didn't look all that enthused about letting Naruto see his friend, which meant he would need some more convincing.

"Listen," the whisker marked shinobi started. "I need more information if I'm going to get to the bottom of this, as the Daimyo of this country, your friend must know something, especially with the rumors going around about the Cursed Warrior. If I can learn something, even something as basic as a few theories and supposition, I'll be one step closer to finding out who is behind the Cursed Warrior's existence." He could see Chishimo teetering, but it looked like he needed another push. "You're his friend, aren't you? Don't you want to help him?"

"I... Alright..." Chishimo sighed, giving in after several moments of what looked like an internal debate. With slightly slumped shoulders and a resigned look, he said, "I'll see what I can do about getting you a meeting with Sagi-sama."

"Thank you," Naruto said with a nod. "Now let's finish eating, if I'm going to be meeting with a Daimyo, I want to do it with a full stomach."

* * *

They were crouching in a large patch of grass as they waited in silence for their target to appear. The small, gentle waves of the lake lapped at the sandy shore, producing a soft sound that added to the tranquility of the area around them.

Naruto took in his surroundings with an interested gaze, a large lake with several small islands near the center. The area around the lake was made up of several patches of large grass like the one he and Chishimo crouched in, and other spots that were completely barren. Surrounding the lake and it's shore of all sides was a large field of trees, the perfect place for an ambush if one had the desire to do so. Off in the distance large, rolling hills could be seen blocking the horizon line.

"So tell me why we're here again?" asked Naruto, having finished taking in his surroundings he turned to look at Chishimo, who was crouched down beside him and staring intently at a small peninsula to the lake.

"Because this is the place where Sagi-sama used to play with his sister, Toki-dono, when they were younger," Chishimo answered. He must have realized that such an answer didn't really tell Naruto much, because a few seconds later he continued without needing to be prompted. "He will not meet with us, so that means we'll have to meet with him outside of the palace. This place is where some of his fondest memories are, and also," the Paige's eyes softened a bit, glazing over as his eyes saw something only he could see. "This place holds many fond memories for me as well."

Naruto remained silent after that, whether they met Sagi there or not, it would be disrespectful to interrupt the man when he was clearly remembering something so precious. Instead he turned his attention back towards the area around them, checking and rechecking possible ambush points as a way to occupy his mind.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for too long, barely minutes after the small conversation had passed, a large jiao made of red wood that was being carried by two oxen one in front and one in back. Walking along on all sides of the jiao were several samurai, two on either side making for a total of four. Naruto only paid the guards and oxen a passing glance, having focused most of his attention on the person in the jiao.

Said person was a young man, by the looks of things, with short black hair that had a choppy fringe over his head and a pair of jaw length bangs framing his face. He had black eyes and pale skin, and was definitely royalty by the looks of his clothing. The man was wearing a very intricate looking Kimono made of a light purple, with a darker purple piping lining the edges. Underneath the kimono Naruto could see gray clothing peeking out from the collar, and along the two slits that ran over the man's shoulders. One thing that Naruto noticed, beyond the clothing and general physical features of the person, was that they had a decidingly feminine look.

This guy was definitely one of those bishounen like Sasuke-teme, he was probably a jerk like Sasuke-teme as well.

The jiao soon came to a stop, the oxen halting in their tracks, and the samurai that had been standing guard at the front of the procession came up to the young Daimyo and said, "Excuse me, Sagi-sama, but we've arrived."

Sagi opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the guard that had spoken. "Thank you," he said, before turning his attention out to the lake. Naruto frowned as he watched the very young Daimyo from afar.

"Is it just me, or does something seem... off about him?" Naruto wondered out loud.

"What do you mean?" Chishimo asked, turning his head to look at the spiky headed blond. Naruto noticed the look he was getting, but did his best to ignore it as he furrowed his brow in thought.

"I don't know," he said at last, pausing only for a second before continuing to speak. "Something just feels...not quite right when I look at Sagi," The whisker marked shinobi watched as the Daimyo took something out of his pocket, he couldn't see what it was, but whatever he was holding seemed to make the young country leader depressed. "Then again, maybe I'm just a bit shocked at seeing someone so young ruling a country."

Chishimo gave him an odd look that Naruto couldn't place for a moment, before nodding. "I guess I can understand why you would think that," he said, then turned his attention back towards Sagi who was now wiping the corner of his eyes with his sleeve. "The truth is many people do not actually think Sagi is fit to lead due to his age, there was a bit of unrest when it was decided that he would succeed to the throne after his father died."

Naruto perked up slightly at hearing this. The information Chishimo had just unknowingly given him was quite possibly the best bet for discovering the secret behind the Cursed Warrior. Thinking on it, the whiskered shinobi was more than capable of believing that one of the higher ups had decided to create the ghostly figure that had been haunting the country due to their dissatisfaction with the new Daimyo being so young. Perhaps out of jealousy, or maybe even –

Naruto's thought process was halted, his entire body stiffening silently as the 'sixth sense' he developed for sensing killing intent and chakra usage pricked at the back of his mind. It was a small feeling of menace, so small that had it been anyone else his rank they would have missed it. The only reason Naruto could even sense the intent was thanks to his transformation in the Forest of Death increasing his ability to feel out such shifts in the atmosphere.

_'Kyuubi –'_

_**'The feeling is coming from beneath the water,'**_ the vixen told him, having already sensed what he had and predicted his question. _**'However, it's not directed at you, which means...'**_

_'Sagi!'_

Just as Naruto's mind realized who was being targeted, three shuriken came flying out of the water. Knowing there was very little time to react, the Konoha shinobi flicked his wrists, summoning his own shuriken into his hand. Another flick sent the star shaped projectile weapons slicing through the air, where they met with the other shuriken in a clang of steel and sparks. Over where the jiao still sat, the oxen became restless while the guards all brought out their swords as a threat revealed itself to their lord. Sagi himself looked just as surprised as those guarding him.

With the shuriken no longer a threat to the Daimyo of Tori no Kuni, Naruto dashed forward from his cover. From within his pocket he pulled out the scroll concealing Kubikiribocho, unsealing the massive head cleaving sword and placing the blunt end against his shoulder. Absently, he frowned at how long it had taken him to unseal the massive weapon. He would need to find a way to bring his sword out much more quickly if he wanted it to be usable in combat against S-ranked opponents.

Those thoughts were soon dispelled when three swords emerged from the water, sticking up like the fin of a shark. Naruto appeared in front of the jiao with Sagi and the guards that were trying to quell the frightened oxen just as the water in front of him burst. It was time for him to go to work.

There were three of them, Naruto noted as his enhanced eyesight took in the ninja assassins. They were all wearing the same outfit, blue gi with flared out blue pants that ended in a pair of two-toed boots. Underneath that was a long-sleeve mesh shirt, and their outfits were topped off with a gray mask that had brown spikes on the top, making the three ninja look nearly identical.

Each one of them was also carrying a bladed weapon, a kodachi, a short sword with a straight blade typically used for piercing attacks. Despite their usefulness very few ninja actually used those kinds of weapons. Naruto would have thought on it further, but the mere fact that they were here to assassinate the Daimyo of the country he was under contract with made that point moot right now. They were enemies and had to be eliminated, that was all there was to it.

Moving with the speed granted to him by his yōkai enhanced legs, Naruto burst forward, his form blurring. The first one to fall to his blade was completely unprepared, Naruto appeared right before him, Kubikiribōchō raised in the air, before, with a great heave, he sliced the blade downwards. The results were rather messy as the head cleaver severed the man in half from the left shoulder to the right hip. The man didn't even get a chance to yell before he was killed.

As a spray of blood descended upon the area surrounding the fallen body like mist, Naruto turned his attention onto his next foe.

This one was much more prepared, though from the way his eyes had widened behind his mask, he was definitely experiencing a high level of emotion; whether that was fear, shock, or anger was unknown to Naruto. The blond came in, planting his left foot firmly on the ground and swinging the massive blade in a graceful arc that whistled through the air. The ninja who he had targeted jumped back, dodging the attack entirely.

Or at least, he would have if that had been all there was to the attack. Having seen the muscles of the ninja assassin tense in preparation to dodge his blow, Naruto infused the Kubikiribocho with wind chakra, extending the blade's reach a great deal. The wind natured chakra created an extension of the blade that was at least a foot longer than it had been, and the ninja who had jumped back had only moved the bare minimum necessary to dodge the steel of the blade itself. When Naruto ran wind chakra through the blade, the ethereal green energy sliced into the ninja assassin's abdomen, opening up a large wound that caused blood to gush out like a geyser and the spine to become severed. The man fell into a heap on the ground, his hands holding his stomach closed as he bled out, staining the brown dirt red.

The last of the assassins, having seen the way his comrades had been killed, was quick to dive back into the water. Naruto was tempted to go after him, but his instincts were telling him to be cautious. A good thing too, as moments after the assassin disappeared, there was a large explosion from within the water, causing the liquid to shoot up into the air like a geyser.

"He used paper bombs in the water to cover his escape," Naruto murmured to himself, his eyes narrowing as he cursed his missed opportunity. He had been hoping to capture one of them for interrogation, as doing so may have very well given him the best lead to discovering who the Cursed Warrior was. Now that opportunity was lost, and he would need to find another way to solve this mystery.

With a heavy sigh, Naruto turned his attention back to the Daimyo and his guards. During the time he had battled with those assassins, Chishimo had made his way over to Sagi and was now doing his best to calm down the frightened ox in front.

"Whoa, whoa," he said, grabbing hold of the reins and doing his best to keep the beast from causing any damage to the jiao, as well as the man sitting on it. After a bit of work, the ox seemed to settle down, and Chishimo let go of the large beast of burden so that he could turn his attention to the man that he claimed was his best friend. "Sagi-sama, are you alright?"

"Yes," Sagi said after a moment's hesitation. "I am unhurt."

Chishimo breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad," he said, his eyes softening with gratitude at knowing his friend hadn't been harmed during this incident. Had anything happened to Sagi, the young Paige didn't know what he would have done.

Just then, Naruto walked up to the pair, interrupting what may or may not have been a heartfelt moment between friends. "While I don't want to ruin your guys' bonding moment, perhaps you could introduce me to your friend," the whisker marked blond suggested.

"Ah, yes," Chishimo's eyes widened as he realized that he had yet to introduce the man who had saved the Daimyo yet. Focusing his attention back on Sagi, he gestured towards the Konoha shinobi, a large smile on his face. "Sagi-sama, this is Uzumaki Naruto, a shinobi who was sent here from Konoha to help us solve the mystery of the Cursed Warrior."

"He shouldn't have bothered to come," Sagi said, the words he used and the tone he spoke in causing Naruto to narrow his eyes. The young Daimyo didn't see this, as he had closed his eyes, but only for a second, and when he opened them his irises had gained the same sharpness as the shuriken that had nearly ended his life. "Let me guess, this was Mōsō's idea?"

"Yes, because he feared for your life, Sagi-sama," Chishimo told his friend of old solemnly, "And with very good reason. If Naruto-san hadn't been here then –"

"Hold your tongue!" Sagi snapped before Chishimo could finish his sentence. The Paige seemed startled by his friend's whip-like response, but was quick to bow in apology.

"Forgive me."

"Wow, you're kind of an asshole, aren't you?" Sagi's head snapped over to Naruto, his eyes widening for a second before they narrowed.

"What was that?" the young Daimyo hissed in a quiet voice that somehow managed to convey his anger much more clearly than if he were to shout.

"You heard me," Naruto said, ignoring Chishimo's startled cry as he focused his attention on the man before him. "This guy right here," he gestured to the Paige standing to his left, "was so worried about you that he not only traveled all the way to Konoha to hire a ninja, but also paid for quite a bit of the mission itself with money from his own pocket."

"Naruto," Chishimo started to say, hoping to stop the blond before he said too much, but Naruto had no intention of listening and was nowhere near finished.

"And yet here you sit, insulting and snapping at someone who thinks the world of you," the whisker marked shinobi continued, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "You have to be one of the most selfish, self-centered, stuck up bastards I've ever met. With a friend like you, I'm not even sure Chishimo needs any enemies."

Sagi grit his teeth as he glared at the blond, his mind teetering on the edge of rage. However, much to Naruto's surprise, he somehow managed to pull himself back and regain control over his emotions. After taking several deep breaths, the young Daimyo of Tori no Kuni sent him a look of indifference, as if their small altercation not even a few short seconds ago had not happened.

"That friendship has been consigned to the past," Sagi said, his eyes closing as he looked away from the whiskered blond. "I have become a Daimyo, the ruler of this country, but he remains a Paige now and forever." Chishimo closed his eyes and bowed his head in depression; it was an act that did not go unnoticed by Naruto, who narrowed his own eyes in anger. "I have risen to great heights. I can no longer be seen with him."

"Che," Naruto scoffed at the Daimyo, "Sounds to me like someone's gotten a big head. You're no leader, just a child with a chip on his shoulders."

Sagi narrowed his eyes at the blond, but Naruto had already turned around at that point, no longer interested in speaking with the man. With a minor huff, the Daimyo turned to his guards and began giving them their orders. "Proceed."

"Yes, Sagi-sama!"

As the jiao pulled away, Chishimo stood there, looking between his retreating friend, and the blond that had walked off and was now standing near one of the corpses with an expression of interest on his face. After a moment or two of indecision, the Paige walked over to Naruto, stopping just a few feet shy of the bloody corpse.

"Naruto-san," Chishimo called out, getting the blonde's attention to turn from the corpse to him. "Please find it in your heart to forgive Sagi-sama for his words," the man begged, causing the young ninja he was talking to, to raise an eyebrow.

"And why should I do that?"

"Sagi never used to act like this before," the older male defended his friend. Naruto wondered if he was even aware that he had not used the 'sama' suffix when speaking Sagi's name. "But then his father and sister died one after the other. It was then his heart grew cold, I understand why he acts the way he does."

Closing his eyes, Naruto released a sigh. "Whether that is the case or not, it still doesn't give him the right to treat you like that," he said, surprising Chishimo. "I know a lot of people who have suffered just like your friend, people who have lost loved ones and are now forced to rely on themselves."

Finally, Naruto looked up at Chishimo with a hard glint in his eyes. "Your friend is walking a dangerous path right now. I've seen people like him, people who have become embittered by their loss. If he's not careful, he may just wind up losing himself to darkness." That look he had seen in Sagi's eyes just before snapping at Chishimo, Naruto had seen that look plenty of times in Sasuke to recognize those eyes.

The eyes of an avenger.

"Sagi isn't like that!" Chishimo defended his friend fervently, his voice passionate and slightly angry. "I know that the kind hearted Sagi I once knew is still in there. I know he'll come back, he just needs time."

Naruto didn't respond to the younger man's defense of his friend. He had too much experience with people like Sagi to truly believe that the Daimyo could change back with something as simple as time. But then, his own experiences with avengers was jaded, so perhaps he was wrong and Chishimo's friend would eventually go back to the way he had been before losing his family. Everyone was different after all.

A glint of steel flashed out of the corner of his eyes, breaking Naruto from his thoughts and making him turn to look at whatever had caught his attention. It was a small shuriken, one of the ones that had been thrown by those assassins. Walking over to it, Naruto knelt down and picked the projectile up so he could study it.

The shuriken was much different than the ones he used. For one, his had six sides to it, while this one only had three. Another thing Naruto noticed about the shuriken was its shape, the blades were diamond shaped, and were attached to a circle in the center. Looking at it more closely, Naruto could see that if he connected the three blades with a line, the general shape of the entire shuriken would be that of a triangle. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Way different than anything he had ever used.

"Have you found something?" asked Chishimo, who had been watching Naruto curiously as he moved to pick up the shuriken. Looking over the younger male's shoulders, the Paige got a good look at what Naruto held in his hands and promptly gasped in surprise.

Naruto looked at the man curiously, frowning as he saw Chishimo staring at the shuriken in shock. "Is this weapon familiar to you?" he asked, taking a wild guess. His guess was proven correct when Chishimo nodded.

"Yes," the man admitted, still sounding shell shocked at seeing the weapon that had been used to try and kill his friend. "There are no ninja in the land of birds, but some of the guardsmen are receiving special training."

"I see," Naruto murmured softly, his gaze moving back towards the shuriken. After studying the weapon some more, and memorizing it's details, he turned his head to look back at Chishimo. "And who commands the guardsmen?"

"They are under the command of the..." Chishimo's eyes widened as he trailed off for all of one second. "All of them answer to the tactician, Kōmei-sama!"

"Kōmei, huh?" Naruto looked back down at the projectile, turning it over in his hands with a thoughtful look on his face.

_**'Naruto...'**_

_'I know,'_ Naruto responded to the Kyuubi's voice, already knowing where she was going. _'It looks like things are about to get a little more exciting, ne?'_

The vixen within his gut stifled a snicker, for once she and her host were on the exact same page. _**'I agree.'**_

"Well," Naruto said out loud, catching the attention of Chishimo. A smile worked its way onto the blonde's face as he turned to look at the slightly naïve older man. "It looks like I'm going to be working late tonight."

* * *

Kōmei's residence was quite a bit larger than Mōsō's. A structure made in a much more traditional style then what's found nowadays, the mansion where the tactician resided possessed paper walls, a sloped roof, lifted flooring, and was about six to eight times larger than that of the adviser's.

That did not mean that the structure was large, while it was definitely a decent size, and would easily be considered massive when compared to the buildings surrounding it, the house was still very small compared to many of the buildings in Konoha.

Naruto found himself leaning against the wall behind one of the many bushes located within the mansion's walls. It was nearing dawn now, the sun was beginning to lower on the horizon, casting a darkened orange light against the ground that made the shadows that much harsher.

_**'Do you really think this will work?'**_

_'Yes,'_ Naruto answered, his eyes closed as he tried to get some rest before he had to move into action. It wasn't like he needed his eyes to see anyways, there were twenty four kage bunshin surrounding the building, all of them henge'd to look like inanimate objects. _'All we need to do is wait, patience is the key here.'_

_**'Patience?' **_Kyuubi's voice adopted an amused tone. _**'You wouldn't know patience if it hit you in the head with a frying pan.'**_

Naruto just barely managed to withhold his scowl at the woman's taunt. _'I'll have you know I am very patient... when I need to be.'_

_**'Hmmm... I suppose you have gotten better since becoming a genin,'**_ the red haired vixen admitted. _**'Still, I can't really picture you and patience in the same sentence.'**_

_'Hmph! Whatever.'_

_**'Aw, don't be like that, I was just teasing,'**_ Kyuubi giggled in response to Naruto's huff. Her voice calmed down a second later, though it still held its tone of amusement to it. _**'You know this whole plan you hatched is based upon the belief that Kōmei knows who the Cursed Warrior is, or at least has a hunch and is willing to follow up on it.'**_

_'I am well aware of that,' _Naruto replied. _'However, given that he encountered the Cursed Warrior before, I believe he would at least have a theory on who it could be. And I'm willing to bet that he'll follow up on it soon, hopefully tonight.'_

_**'You're just getting restless,'**_ Kyuubi teased. _**'I don't think you'd be able to withstand another day of staking out someone's house before going stir crazy.'**_

Naruto's eye began to twitch, and he would have said something to dispute her claim, perhaps something along the lines of how he was more than capable of sitting around for days on end so long as he could accomplish his mission – a lie if he ever knew one – but the very moment he chose to open his mental mouth, a figure emerging from a backdoor of the mansion caught his eyes. The figure was wearing a blue kimono with the traditional slit in the shoulders that seemed common place in Tori no Kuni, but the thing that got Naruto's attention the most was the dark hood with a facial mask that covered all but his eyes.

_'You see that?'_ asked Naruto, a sense of smug satisfaction in his voice. _'It looks like I was right. There's no other reason for him to head off without his attendants unless he is going to meet the Cursed Warrior.'_

_**'Hmph,'**_Kyuubi huffed, and Naruto could almost picture her crossing her arms in annoyance. _**'Well, I guess even you can be right at least once in your life.' **_

Rather than be angered by the insult, Naruto just smiled. _'I'll remember you said that the next time I'm right and shove it in your face.'_

_**'Whatever,' **_Kyuubi rolled her eyes. _**'Just follow the tactician before you lose sight of him.'**_

Naruto's smiled widened slightly as he took to the roof and began following the hooded figure he suspected was Kōmei. It looked like he had finally got one up over the woman sealed inside of him, and he was going to savor that victory like a fine wine.

* * *

With all the stealth a ninja of his caliber possessed, which was quite a bit considering the number of pranks he had gotten away with while running from Chunin – or at least, pranks he would have gotten away with were it not for Iruka-sensei – he followed the hooded Kōmei.

The man in question was walking along the streets, a lantern in his hand, which he had lit once it began to get dark out. Naruto had taken to the roofs, silently hopping from one to the next without Kōmei being the wiser. It didn't take to long for the tactician to reach his destination, whilst Naruto himself took to crouching down on a branch of a nearby tree.

_'This is the same place we ran into the Cursed Warrior,'_ Naruto furrowed his brows as he took in the small shrine once more. He really didn't like this place, though that could just be because this was where he had confronted the gho – man! There was no such thing as ghosts! – where he had confronted the man pretending to be a ghost.

_**'It looks like you were actually onto something.'**_

_'Are you saying you doubted me?' _asked Naruto, raising an eyebrow in spite of the fact that he knew Kyuubi could not see it.

_**'Yes.'**_

Naruto sighed, but didn't respond to the woman's taunting. He had a job to do, and he couldn't do it by allowing himself to be reeled into an argument with the fox woman.

It was a good thing he hadn't bothered arguing with Kyuubi some more, Naruto decided, because less than a second later the door to the shrine opened up and out walked the white clad figure of the Cursed Warrior.

It's gait was slow, lilting, as it made its way out of the shrine and into the cool night air. It's armor clacked with each step it made, a haunting rhythm that was almost enough to send chills down Naruto's spine. Only his incredible stubbornness and inherent ability to deny reality kept him from freaking out.

As the figure clad in pale white Samurai armor stopped moving, Kōmei removed the face mask and hood from his head. Naruto narrowed his eyes, frowning for a second, before deciding to get some insight from his inner vixen.

_'Kyuubi.'_

_**'Already on it,' **_Kyuubi replied, pausing for a moment as Naruto allowed her to extend her senses from the seal. _**'The Cursed Warrior before you is definitely not the one you faced last night. This one has a person inside of it.'**_

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. _'Which means that there are either two Cursed Warriors, or the one last night was being controlled by someone from afar.'_

_**'That last one isn't very likely. Even if they had been using chakra strings and were a mile away, I would still sense them. No, your theory on their being two different Cursed Warriors is much more plausible.'**_

_'I thought so too,'_ Naruto agreed. _'Which means that there is much more going on here that we're unaware of.' _He blew out a long breath at the realization that this task had just gotten infinitely harder. _'Why can't things ever be simple with me.' _

Seriously, it was like some kind of curse. Almost all of the missions he had ever gone went FUBAR in some way, shape, or form. Either someone up there hated him, or this was just Murphy's Law getting in its kicks, which, come to think of it, may translate into someone up there hating him.

_**'Because Kami loves you,' **_Kyuubi told in the way that only she could. Naruto would have rolled his eyes, but he was already getting ready to move out. _**'What are you planning to do now?'**_

_'What else, I'm going down there and kicking ass,'_ Naruto replied in a way that implied his answer should have been obvious. _'If this is a trap, than now is the best time to spring it, and if not, I can at least get some information by interrogating Kōmei and the Cursed Warrior.'_

_**'Not a bad plan,'**_ Kyuubi said after a moment or two. _**'I suppose even you have to get lucky once in a while.'**_

_'Whatever,' _Naruto rolled his eyes as he prepared to leap off the branch. _'Try not to talk to much while I'm working.'_

_**'No promises.'**_

Remaining as silent as possible, Naruto let himself drop to the ground, and slowly walked up towards where Kōmei was standing. For a moment, he wondered how he should do this, quiet and ninja-like or brash and Naruto-esque.

Well, he had never been one for the subtle approach, so it looked like he would be doing things Naruto-style.

Walking out into the open, Naruto gave a low whistle that managed to catch the attention of the other two people within the vicinity.

"Who's there!?" shouted a startled Kōmei, turning around towards the source of the whistle, his head swiveling back and forth before landing on Naruto.

"This is quite the party you have here," Naruto commented lightly, a small smile playing on his lips. "A tactician and a Cursed Warrior, all we need now is the hero and we can bring this little conspiracy to an end."

Kōmei took a step backwards. "Excuse me?" he asked, his voice sounding quite bewildered. Whether the tactician planned on elaborating his question or not became a moot point when the sound of steel sliding out of its sheath brought all attention onto the Cursed Warrior as he unsheathed his blade. Without hesitation, the figure cloaked in white samurai armor jumped, leaping high into the air before descending upon Naruto.

The whiskered shinobi jumped back, moving well out of the range of the sword as it descended upon the ground with a loud rumble. Kōmei decided that it was time for him to bolt, and soon took off running into the forest. Naruto thought about sending a kage bunshin or two after him, but figured it wouldn't matter in the end and decided to focus all his attention on beating the person clad in armor.

Rushing forward with a burst of speed, Naruto charged the Cursed Warrior. The figure before him reacted with impressive speed, raising his weapon in preparation to strike at Naruto as soon as he got within reach. However, as the whisker marked shinobi reached his opponent's range, he shifted his stance, running low to the ground and allowing the sword to pass overhead.

The low whistling of the blade as it cut through the air filled Naruto's ears. Several strands of hair were sliced off his head, drifting along lazily in the air as they began their descent. In the palm of Naruto's right hand, a Rasengan formed, the swirling maelstrom of blue energy signaling his intent to end this fight in one blow.

It was not to be. When his first attack missed, the Cursed Warrior jumped back before Naruto could smashed the Rasengan into his armor clad chest. With a growl, Naruto dispelled the blue ball of compressed energy and prepared to reengage the armor clad warrior.

He shot forward once again, summoning two kunai into his hand and tossing them at his enemy. They didn't do anything, merely clanking off the armor as if they were made of plastic. Naruto frowned, he had been hoping the man would try to dodge or at least block his attack, but wasn't deterred from his course of action, just because his distraction had done nothing didn't mean he couldn't make do.

At least, that's what he thought until the samurai wearing figure made his first move of the night. The Cursed Warrior held his sword above his head with his left hand, the tip of the blade pointing towards the night sky. He began to twist it around in a circular motion. At first, Naruto planned on shooting forward in a burst of speed and taking the man out before he could complete whatever it was he was hoping to finish. Such thoughts were dashed when a large gale of cutting winds picked up, forcing the Konoha shinobi to stop. The winds, which began whipping the air around him intensely, soon formed a whirlwind of cutting winds around the armored figure, a protective barrier so thick Naruto couldn't even see the figure within it.

"This is so not cool," Naruto cursed under his breath. It wasn't that he couldn't defeat these winds with his own attack; he _had _finished his wind manipulation training after all. No, he had a dozen ways to break through that measly little barrier. The problem was that all of his attacks would also kill the man inside, who he needed to interrogate if he wanted to learn anything. It sucked, but it looked like he was going to need more finesse than he normally used for this battle.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Well, maybe not finesse so much as a distraction, which the large puff of smoke followed by nearly three dozen clones bum rushing the whirlwind did quite admirably. The mass produced copies didn't attack the whirlwind so much as simply bashing into it face first. It was a sight that would have been comical for anyone not partaking in the battle. Too bad no one but Naruto and the Cursed Warrior were around to see it.

Clone after clone smacked into the wind barrier, which held strong, cutting into the chakra copies and dispelling them in a puff of smoke. The armor wearing figure inside of the whirlwind watched on as the doppelgangers committed mass suicide with impunity. It was almost like all the kage bunshin this kid made were sociopaths!

However, whether Naruto's clones had sociopathic tendencies or not they did their job admirably. The Cursed Warrior was so busy paying attention to the blond copies that continued ramming themselves against the wind barrier that he never noticed the cracks spreading out along the ground from underneath him.

At least, he never noticed them until the ground split open with a loud crack and the original Naruto burst forth. The armor clad figure had no time to do so much as even dodge before the spiky headed blond smashed him in his masked chin with a powerful upper cut. Due to the weight of his armor, the Cursed Warrior merely stumbled back, rather than flew back. But that was fine; in fact, it was exactly what Naruto wanted.

Once more a spinning ball of destructive energy formed in Naruto's hand, and without giving the Samurai clad warrior a chance to recover, he thrust the ball directly into his enemy's torso.

With all the power of a drill, the Rasengan tore into the armor, shredding it to pieces before the man was sent flying into a tree. It was only due to the fact that Naruto had lowered the power so as not to kill him, and the armor itself taking the brunt of the attack that he had not managed to die. As it was, the Cursed Warrior still found himself slumped against the tree, utterly defeated.

"Ha..." Naruto sighed as the remaining clones that had not gotten a chance to kill themselves via running into a whirlwind made of cutting wind blades dispelled. "Not quite my style, but at least it did the job."

_**'I agree,'**_ Kyuubi made her presence known once more now that the fight was over. _**'You certainly won't be earning any style points for that.'**_

_'I don't need any comments from the peanut gallery, thank you very much,'_ Naruto said, causing Kyuubi to huff. Having better things to do than get into an argument with the red haired female locked within his stomach, the whisker marked ninja walked over to the slumped warrior.

The man had certainly seen better days. While Naruto could not see much thanks to the armor covering most of the guys body, the nasty looking spiral markings on his stomach more than made up for it. Of course, considering a normal powered Rasengan would have shredded the warriors stomach, he should probably consider himself lucky.

"Now," Naruto murmured as he knelt down next to the masked figure. "Let's see who you really are." His hand reached out towards the helmet and face mask, intent on taking it off so he could see who he would be interrogating. However, he was forced to jerk his hand away when purple smoke began emitting from every hole within the Cursed Warrior's armor, "What the hell!?"

Naruto watched in shock as whatever that smoke was literally melted his captured enemy into a green, viscous liquid. Skin shriveled and liquefied, bones hissed and melted, and the man's internal organs turned into goop. It was an altogether unpleasant sight, and not one Naruto had ever wanted to see before.

"Well that's... gross..." an understatement if there ever was one. Naruto crinkled his nose as the armor containing the warrior fell apart now that there was no longer anybody inside to hold it together. After a moment or two, he sighed. "And it looks like I'm back to square one."

Man, that really sucked. After all the work he had put into capturing this prick alive, the idiot had to go and use some kind of acid to melt himself. The jerk. Life was so unfair sometimes.

_**'Maybe not.'**_

_'What do you mean, Kyuubi?'_

_**'I mean we still have that Kōmei guy around,' **_Kyuubi said in that 'duh' kind of tone that she used when saying something she thought was obvious. _**'You could interrogate him or...'**_

_'No,'_ Naruto decided after a moment's thought. _'Somehow, I don't think he knows anything. He may suspect something, but I don't think he knows what's really going on.'_

_**'You do know that everything that has happened points towards him being the culprit, don't you?'**_

_'Which is why he couldn't possibly be the culprit,' _Naruto reasoned. _'So far all of the evidence is pointing directly at Kōmei, so much so that it's like painting a bull's eye on his back with the words 'Here I am! I did it!'. It's too obvious, almost like...'_

_**'Someone's trying to set him up to take the fall,'**_ Kyuubi finished for him.

_'Exactly, there is simply too much evidence pointing towards Kōmei's guilt for him to be truly guilty, which means that someone is setting him up so that whatever plans this hidden player has in the works goes on unnoticed.'_

_**'So then, what do you plan to do?'**_

_'Well,'_ Naruto said, a predatory smile growing on his face. With the whisker marks on each cheek stretching across his tanned skin, the spiky headed blond truly did look like a kitsune about to play a prank. _'When setting a trap, it's always good to use the correct bait.'_

* * *

**Here we are, another chapter complete. Sorry it took so long to get this one out; I was having some problems writing it. This is actually my sixth rewrite of this chapter. To be honest, I'm still not satisfied with this chapter, it's too canon for my tastes. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any ways to make this not canon since all of the parts in it are important.**

**Thankfully the next chapter should contain more original work, I hope. **

**Well, I'm outta here, I got places to go, people to see, and time to waste. So I will see you fools later.**

**Pokemaster12 out.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 40: A Job Not Finished**

* * *

Naruto once more found himself sitting in seiza position within the room that he had first met Mōsō. Just like last time, said man was sitting before him, his happy smile etched upon his plump looking face. This man really did remind the blond Uzumaki of a clown or jester with that smile.

"I would like to thank you on behalf of Tori no Kuni for solving the mystery of the Cursed Warrior," Mōsō was saying. At least, that's what the blond thought he was saying. Naruto was only paying half attention to the man. He had already heard this spiel before back in Nami no Kuni after the battle on the bridge. He hadn't felt like listening to anybody's platitudes then, he didn't feel like listening to them now. Albeit, for different reasons.

Sitting beside Mōsō was none other than Chishima, the guy who even now kind of reminded Naruto of a puppy. The fact that he was looking at Mōsō like he was the sole center of the universe really only hammered that fact home.

Really, sometimes he wondered about that guy.

_**'Naruto...'**_

_'Right. Focusing.'_

"You're welcome," Naruto responded automatically simply to be polite. Ugh, diplomacy. The one reason he might actually rethink his decision to be Hokage. It wasn't necessarily that he _minded _diplomacy per se, just that he didn't like having to actually think about what he was going to say before he spoke. If people got insulted or offended by what he said, that was there problem. They should learn to be more secure about themselves and take his words with a grain of salt, dammit! "I'm just glad I was able to figure things out so quickly and before anyone else was seriously hurt."

"And you did a marvelous job," Mōsō continued heaping on the praise. Really, didn't this guy know when enough was enough? "Chomei has already made his confession. It seems the Cursed Warrior was all a ploy to stir up unrest from the public so he could seize the Daimyo's throne."

_**'Naruto...'**_

_'I know.'_

"I'm surprised you managed to get a confession out of him so soon," Naruto rubbed his chin in a look of thoughtful contemplation. "I mean, it's only been a few hours since I brought him in." He sighed. "And here I was thinking he would have held out a little longer."

"Well, Chomei has always been more of a tactician than a warrior," Mōsō answered with that damnable smile. Was there ever a time when this guy was not smiling? "I suspect he realized that once we managed to bring out all the evidence, he would have no chance of stealing the throne. In this case, simply admitting to his wrongdoings will earn him a lighter sentence."

Which essentially meant that instead of outright executing him, they would allow him to commit seppuku. Basically they were going to let the guy commit ritualistic suicide by disemboweling himself in front of a group of witnesses. Not exactly what Naruto would call a consolation prize.

So much for lighter sentences.

"So the bad guys been caught and it looks like peace will soon return to Tori no Kuni," Naruto hummed.

"Indeed," Mōsō stood up from where he sat and walked over to the open shoji screen doors so that he could gaze upon the land outside of his humble home. "Peace will come to this beautiful country now that the terror and unrest Chomei tried to set upon our society is gone. And with it, your mission is now complete." The man turned his head, offering Naruto that ridiculously large close eyed smile. "I hope you have a safe journey home."

"Thank you," Naruto said, standing up along with Chishima as the meeting between himself and the odd fat man concluded. With those last pleasantries finished, Naruto found himself walking back to the room he had been allowed to stay in. It was a small room, with the only equipment inside being the futon he had set out and a couple of scrolls he normally carried with him at all times.

As Naruto knelt down and began rolling up his futon, Kyuubi decided to contact him.

_**'So what do you plan on doing now?'**_

_'I'll leave a kage bunshin here to keep an eye on things,' _Naruto told his tenant, withstanding the urge to shrug his shoulders. _'That Chishima tends to get himself in trouble from what I've seen, and there's definitely something up about that Mōsō character that I don't like. Maybe because he smiles too much. Anyways, my clone will be an eye on them both. In the meantime, I'll need to do a little investigating of my own.' _

_**'I don't see why you're doing this in such a roundabout way,' **_Kyuubi huffed, and though he could not see her, he knew she was crossing her arms under her chest and glaring. **_'If it were me, I would have just killed him.'_**

_'If it were you, you probably would have squashed him flat. Along with the rest of the village,' _Naruto countered.

_**'Hmph!'**_

Chuckling a bit at having managed to pull one over on the red head sealed inside of him, Naruto finished sealing his futon into the scroll he used for camping supplies.

He stood up, pocketing his scrolls and looking ready to begin his journey home. It was in that moment that Chishima walked in, carrying a box wrapped in a light blue cloth. Naruto's nose told him it was some kind of food, or at least something that smelled vaguely like food.

"Yo, Chishima," Naruto greeted. "Did you need something?"

"No," Chishima shook his head. "I'm actually here because I wanted to thank you. You've done so much for my country and Sagi-Sama that I don't know how I could ever repay you, and I can't help but feel bad that we weren't able to pay you the amount that missions like this would have normally cost." He held out the box for Naruto to take. "It isn't much, but I wanted you to have this as a token of my appreciation."

"Ah, well, thank you," Naruto looked at the box curiously, his nose twitching as the unusual scent got stronger. "So, um, what's in the box?"

"A local delicacy," Chishima said with a bright smile on his face. Naruto felt dread welling up in his stomach. "Bean Jam stuffed wings."

Within his mind, Naruto got an image of a very skinny looking bird wing with little to no actually substance stuffed to the brim with bean jam inside. It wasn't the prettiest picture he'd ever seen. Just how anyone could actually enjoy the full and meaty taste of bird wings and the sweet taste of bean jam combined was beyond him.

This was, of course, neglecting the fact that the bird wings of Tori no Kuni seemed to lack much of the meat that made wings taste good.

_**'That does not sound pleasant at all. I hope you don't decide to eat any of those, because I am so not going to be helping you with indigestion if you do.'**_

_'Ugh, what makes you think I would eat those?'_

…_._

…_._

_**'Do you really need to ask?'**_

Naruto's eye twitched.

_'Shut up, Kyuubi.'_

"Naruto-san, are you alright?" asked Chishima in concern as he saw Naruto's right eye twitching violently.

"I'm fine," Naruto said, his right eye still twitching. He could hear Kyuubi snickering in his mind as he tried to gracefully accept the... gift, bestowed upon him by the well meaning, if naïve man. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll be able to make good use of this on my journey home." Maybe he could use it to feed the birds?

Chishima smiled in obviously relief. Maybe he thought Naruto would refuse? Well, he wanted to, but it wouldn't have been polite if he did. And Chishima was an upstanding guy, even if he was naïve. He didn't want to hurt the man's feelings.

"Thank you very much. I wish you luck on your journey."

Yeah, luck. As if he needed luck.

* * *

Naruto smiled as he stood on a ledge overlooking Tori no Kuni, just taking a moment to get some rest in before he headed off towards his destination. It really was a beautiful scene. The small village looked like nothing more than a bunch of tiny dots to represent buildings, their more earthen colors offset by the blue lines that signified the rivers running through the town. And the village was nestled into a surprisingly dense forest with just the right combination of lakes and clearings to give off the mood of a country at one with nature. It may not have anything on Konoha, but Tori no Kuni definitely possessed a beauty of it's own.

"Well, time to head home, I guess," Naruto said to himself, seeing as there was no one around for him to talk to.

Patting down his holsters, Naruto made an about face in order to turn himself towards the road. Without any fanfare, the young shinobi shot forward, running along the dirt road that would take him out of the country.

As the blond disappeared down the road, part of a large stone sitting on the side began to shift and morph. two shapes emerged from the stone. They were both human. One was large and stocky, with what looked like a wide brimmed hat. The other was thin, but possessing what looked like a large coat of some kind that went down to it's knees.

The human like figures with rock-like skin attributes began to change even more. The many gray hues of rock that made up their skin shifted into colors. It soon became clear that the two figures were, in fact, human.

Both figures were male. The stocky looking one had a face that was just as blocky as his body, with a square jaw and nose and black eyes. He was wearing a drab gray poncho that wrapped around his torso and covered much of his upper body, a pair of tan pants that looked more like a sack that had been cut into pants and was tied around his waist by a piece of cloth. On his head was a wide brimmed hat, his feet were strapped into a standard pair of waraji, and wrapped around his wrists were a pair of gray bands.

The other figure was indeed wearing a coat of some kind, a long, tan colored haori that opened at the front to reveal a nagajuban** (1) **that was tied together with a black obi. His pants consisted of a pair of gray hakama that closed around his ankles by the fish net wraps he was wearing. This mans hair was a light blue, and had a single string that looked more like it was used more for decoration than anything else. He had one large bang framing his face on the left side, and a smaller one framing his face on the right, allowing his larger than average black eyes and slightly more feminine features to be visible.

"Hmm. It looks like the interloper is finally leaving," the blue haired one spoke.

The blocky guy did not look over at his companion, but responded all the same. "Do you want me to follow him?"

"No, that's alright. You go on and report back. I'll follow him and make sure he leaves the border."

"Right."

The two shinobi soon disappeared, one heading back to Tori no Kuni while the other made to follow Naruto, leaving the small roadside empty once again.

* * *

Mōsō smiled as he sat in his quarters, idling drinking tea. It was the same smile he had worn during his meeting with that blond brat, Naruto. Yet for some reason, the look on his face was not mirthful or joyous like the one that had been presented to Naruto. This one seemed to be more malicious, malignant, and just plain evil.

Considering he still looked like a clown the evil effect was ruined, but it was the thought that counted.

Bringing the tea back down to his face, Mōsō's eyes caught site of a figure kneeling upon his ceiling from the reflection on the teas surface. The figure turned out to be the same blocky ninja that he had sent to follow Naruto along with his other subordinate. He hoped that meant what he thought it meant.

"Your report?"

"The Konoha shinobi has been seen crossing the border," the blocky ninja reported dutifully. "It appears he is heading back towards Konoha."

"Good. Very good."

Everything was going according to plan. Chomei had been convicted of a crime he did not commit and was going to be committing Seppuku some time today after he listed off the man's crimes to a crowd of citizens and defaced him in front of the public. And soon, the Cursed Warrior would also be dealt with. Yes, everything was going exactly as he intended.

"You are dismissed."

The shinobi kneeling on his ceiling bowed his head before disappearing, leaving Mōsō to drink his tea in peace.

Neither of them noticed the tiny mouse hidden underneath the tatami mats, listening to every word that had just been spoken.

Mōsō also didn't notice the puff of smoke that appeared when the rat was dispelled.

* * *

_'Hoh?'_ Naruto turned his head in the direction of Mōsō's home, his eyes gaining a contemplative look. _'So the fat man is the one behind all of this? Or at least, he's the one controlling the ninja that had been sent to kill Sagi. I suppose I should have expected this.'_

_**'I'm still not sure why you didn't just kill him when you had the chance,'**_ always quick to give her opinion, Kyuubi spoke up from where she was most likely lounging around her bed in the seal. **_'We already knew he was a ninja. You might not be a sensor type, but you have enough aptitude in sensing chakra to feel how much he has. That man's only got the equivalent of what you humans call a Chunin. You could have slaughtered him by now.'_**

_'I could have,' _Naruto conceded, _'but I knew he wasn't working alone, but I don't know how many ninja he is working with,' _he answered patiently as he turned back around. He was standing outside of the small wooden hut that he had caught Chomei and the Cursed Warrior at last night. Since he had no leads on where he should go from here to discover the Cursed Warrior's identity, this was the only place he thought of to come. _'Plus I don't know if he's the one in charge, or just an underling doing the dirty work for his boss.'_

_**'Ha...' **_Kyuubi gave a monumental sigh. **_'Ok, I suppose I could see why you wouldn't just turn the fat one into a bloody smear on the wall. I still don't like it. You're my vessel. As far as I'm concerned, that makes you my avatar for this world since I can no longer take part in it. How are you supposed to generate a proper amount of fear in humanity if you pussy foot around like this.'_**

Naruto rolled his eyes. Of course Kyuubi would be thinking in terms like that. How could he have ever thought she would think any differently?

_'You don't have to like it,' _Naruto responded a touch dryly. _'And I am not your avatar. I just have the misfortune of having you sealed inside of me.'_

_**'Misfortune?'**_ Uh oh. There was something dangerous in Kyuubi's voice. And not the normal kind of danger, this was Danger with an emphasis on the D. **_'Am I really that horrendous that you think having me sealed inside of you is so horrible, Na-ru-to-kun?'_**

As Kyuubi spoke, her voice taking on a hint of seductive overtones, an image came unbidden into Naruto's mind. An image of Kyuubi, completely naked, with her nine tails around her as the only things covering her modesty, and they weren't doing the best of jobs as there was far too much skin being shown. Really, the only thing he couldn't see were her nipples and her sex.

Naruto's face burned, it burned so hotly that the blond was sure sticking it in the sun would have cooled it down. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if he found out that steam was pouring from his ears that was how hot his face was getting. The blood that had begun dripping down his nose didn't help.

_'N-Not now, Kyuubi,' _Naruto wiped at his nose, grimacing as he did so, his face still a mass of mottled red. _'I need to focus.'_

Kyuubi huffed. _**'Fine, fine. Go do your ninja thing. I'll just sit here, doing nothing, being bored. Pay me no mind.'**_

Naruto rolled his eyes. Sometimes that woman could be so over dramatic.

Frowning, Naruto looked around the clearing that contained the little, broken down wooden shrine. This was where he had ran into the Cursed Warrior, twice he might add. There had to be something about this place that was special.

Looking around, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. At least at first glance. A closer look however, showed Naruto something that anyone who was not a ninja probably would have missed.

_'Are those kites?'_

_**'Looks like it. They're all black. How... unsightly.'**_

The pair found themselves looking at what appeared to be several kites that had been combined together in order to form one very large kite. The kites were all diamond shaped, and painted black. They were currently hanging from a tree that they seemed to have gotten snagged on. Naruto was surprised no one had come to pick them up.

_'Well, at least now we know how the Cursed Warrior was able to fly. He used these kites, and since their black, they blended into the night, essentially making them invisible.'_

_**'The things you humans come up with to accomplish something beyond your nature.'**_

_'We can't all be powerful spiritual entities made entirely from youki.'_

_**'Very true. I'm so glad you've finally admitted to my superiority over you apes.'**_

Naruto ignored Kyuubi's words. She was probably just bitter about being sealed inside one of those 'apes' as she called humans by another 'ape'. That woman could carry a grudge with the best of them.

Deciding there was nothing more that could be learned from the outside, Naruto figured it was high time he took a look inside.

Walking into the shrine, the first thing Naruto noticed was that the place was empty. There was absolutely nothing there. The ground was covered in a thick layer of dust, the walls were barren. There was nothing to indicate that anyone, Cursed Warrior or otherwise, had ever used the ramshackle shrine before.

Of course, that just made the place even more suspicious to Naruto. That there wasn't even a footprint when he had seen the Cursed Warrior come out of this very shrine not but a day ago was enough to make anyone paranoid.

_**'There's a breeze coming through here.'**_

_'I know,' _Naruto looked around, his eyes narrows as a soft breeze ruffled his hair. He walked further into the room, trying to determine where the breeze was coming from. _'It's coming from below us.'_

Kneeling down, Naruto began groping along the ground until he found where the breeze was coming from. A small crack in the floor. The dirt covered it well, but not well enough to mask the breeze coming through the floor. There was a secret entrance right there, and Naruto aimed to uncover it.

Pulling out a kunai from the seal written on his hand, Naruto spun the tiny implement around by the ring before grabbing it in a firm grip with the blade pointed down. He found it almost ironic that he was about to use the kunai for a purpose that was close to the original one it had been created for, rather than the ones ninja used them for.

After stabbing the kunai into the crevice several times, Naruto finally discovered the reason there was a breeze. A set of wooden doors that were often found outside of houses that led to the basement were embedded into the floor. Undoubtedly, this was why the Cursed Warrior always came back to this place after terrorizing the town. It was likely that this trap door led to the place where the Cursed Warrior was quartered up in.

Naruto was quick to pry his hands in between the doors and pulled them up. The hinges creaked a bit, showing they were old, but it was a lot quieter than he would have expected. Someone had been oiling these hinges recently.

With the doors lifted, Naruto saw the passage they revealed beneath them. A set of decrepit stairs descended into darkness. It was only thanks to Naruto's enhanced vision that he could see through the darkness creeping up from the depths of the passage way.

Curiosity got the better of him as he wondered where this passage would lead to. Taking the plunge, Naruto began walking down the stairs and into the darkness that engulfed the passageway.

_**'I hate being in the dark like this.'**_

Naruto raised his eyebrow at the strange inflection in the young looking woman's voice.

_'Oh? So even the great Kyuubi has something she fears?'_

_**'I do not fear the dark!'**_ Though Naruto could not see her, he could practically feel the scowl she was giving him. Were she able to physically manifest herself outside of the seal, the blond was sure she would be drilling a hole through his head with her eyes at that moment. _**'I just dislike the feeling of claustrophobia I get whenever I'm in dark, enclosed spaces. I am the Kyuubi no Yoko. Do not forget that. I enjoy open spaces and freedom.'**_

That was the whole reason she hated humans so much. They were the ones who took her freedom away, locking her up in a cage so they could use her powers for their own purposes. Oh sure, they might say it's because they thought she was too dangerous to let go, but she knew otherwise. Humans were greedy and selfish. They wanted power, and they didn't care if they forced others into servitude and slavery to acquire it.

_'Well, I suppose that makes sense,' _Naruto admitted. _'I know I would hate to have my freedom taken away like that.' _Really, it did kind of put a whole new perspective on his perception of the woman who was sealed into him. She actually seemed to have a reason for not liking humans. The blond could only imagine how he would feel if he was locked away behind steal bars.

Eventually, Naruto reached the end of the tunnel. Frowning, the blond looked at the dead up before switching his gaze up towards the ceiling. There was a small square patch that was textured differently than the rest. Where most of the ceiling was dirt packed together and filled with rocks, this part of the ceiling looked like cement.

_'A way out?'_

_**'There's only one way to find out.'**_

Naruto nodded, climbing up the wall using chakra until he was 'standing' above the potential exit. The square patch that might very well lead to the outside world was small, he noted, only big enough to fit maybe someone a few inches wider than him. Just how did someone wearing all that armor fit through this?

Shrugging the thoughts away, the blond put his hands against the cement and pushed. Whatever the thing was, it was a bit on the heavy side. Nothing he couldn't handle of course, but something noteworthy. He pushed the object up and then began sliding the panel away, allowing sunlight to filter in through the hole. This was definitely the way out.

Grinning, the blond looked at his new surroundings, pleased to be out of that stupid passage. He was surrounded by a lot of greenery, mostly shrubs, but there were a few trees as well. The one thing he noticed the most was the large building he was next to. It was much more majestic than the rest of the buildings in Tori no Kuni, and it was familiar to him, even if he had only seen it from a distance.

_'That's the Daimyo's residence.'_

Within the confines of his mind, Kyuubi chuckled.

_**'If that isn't damning evidence I don't know what is.'**_

_'Now, now. Let's not be too hasty. There may be a perfectly logical explanation as to why there is a secret passage that the Cursed Warrior just so happens to be using that is near the Daimyo's palace. This could be part of the plot to implicate the Daimyo should Mōsō plans to implicate Chomei not work out.'_

_**'Do you really believe that?'**_

….

….

_**'Thought so.'**_

_'Let's at least check things out before we jump to conclusion, ne?' _Naruto asked with a slight sigh. It wasn't that he didn't agree with his tenant, because really, this was just too suspicious to be a coincidence and not even the most paranoid people would believe his previous proposal. Still, things never turned out well when someone made a conclusion about a situation that ended up being wrong. False assumptions led to death.

Anko had driven that into his head quite painfully.

A loud splash caught his attention.

_'What was that?'_

Looking over to the side, Naruto saw a large bamboo fence blocking off a large section of the area. Frowning, the blond Uzumaki carefully moved forward, using all his stealth skills, which were quite considerable, to not make a noise. He eventually reached the fence and leaned in to see what the noise was.

What he saw was... honestly not that surprising.

The first thing he noticed was steam. A lot of steam. So this was an open air bath than. Made sense. This was the Daimyo's palace.

The second thing he saw were the beautiful surroundings. The placid water that had steam rising up from it, the small waterfall that seemed to be recycling the water, or maybe bringing it in from an underground hotspring.

The last thing he took note of, which was really the first thing he took note of, was the naked woman washing herself. He couldn't see much of her because her back was turned to him, but what he could see showed that whoever this woman was, she was incredibly gorgeous.

Naruto's face began to redden as his eyes gazed at the small, shapely rear that was just barely visible above the waters surface. It sloped into an elegant backside that was surprisingly toned. Slender shoulders and a graceful neck were visible as the woman's long hair was currently parted at the base of her neck and moving down her front.

He watched as she lifted the pale filled with water and her left hand and used it to wash herself, dumping the water on her back. Naruto felt himself gulp as he saw adventurous droplets of water trail a sinful path down the woman's back, right before he jerked himself away from the sight, doing his best to keep steam from pouring out of his ears.

_'Dammit! I shouldn't be peeping on girls like this!' _Naruto cried out within his mind. _'That's ero-sensei's job! I'm not a pervert!'_

_**'Could have fooled me.'**_

Naruto was about to snap a quick retort at Kyuubi when he paused.

_'Are you ok?'_

_**'Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?'**_

_'I don't know. You just sounded... a little odd. Are you sure your ok?'_

_**'I am perfectly fine. Now why don't you focus on what we came here to do.'**_

Naruto frowned. Maybe it was just him, but Kyuubi sounded a tad different than she usually did...

Whatever. It was probably just his imagination playing tricks on him.

* * *

Walking down one of the many narrow hallways in the Daimyo's palace, a young woman strode forward unimpeded. Her hair, tied into a tight not on top of her head and hidden by the Daimyo's hat, was a lustrous black and her eyes were just as dark. She had pale, snow white skin and soft lips that were set into a hard frown. Her figure was hidden under several layers worth of clothing, masking her gender from everyone, even her personal bodyguards that were stationed around the palace.

The young woman had the look of someone whose heart had long since hardened, her mind stuck in the past, constantly replaying the reason she had taken up the role that should have been her brothers.

* * *

_Tears leaked from her eyes as she stared at the prone figure of her brother. Her mind was left reeling as she tried to come to terms with what had happened, with what the empty husk she now saw laying before her, but found she could not._

"_Sagi..."_

_How could this have happened? Her brother couldn't be dead. Not now. He was supposed to be the Daimyo and rule over their people. He was supposed to be here with her, protecting her just like he had promised to always do._

"_Why? Why did you have to leave me? Why did you leave me all alone?"_

_As tears continued to spill from her eyes, Toki fell forward, her face burying itself on the thick, quilted blanket covering her brother's dead body. She cried tears of anguish into the quilt, soaking it in her sorrow._

"_I can't lose you," she choked out through her sobs. "Please don't leave me! Please!"_

_It just wasn't fair. First her father died and now her brother, who had been her best friend in the whole world, was dead as well. Why? Why couldn't she been the one who was taken? She didn't want to live without her brother. She couldn't._

_She couldn't take it. She just couldn't take the pain of losing both her brother and father. Grabbing the kaiken she always had hidden within the sleeves of her kimono in case she needed to defend herself, Toki raised the blade to her throat, more than prepared to end her life. It was the only way she could see to end her pain, to stop the gaping wound of loss she felt at her brother's and father's death. And maybe, just maybe, she would be able to join them wherever they were. She hoped so. She wanted to see them again._

_Just as she was about to plunge the knife into her throat she was stopped by a hand. Startled, Toki opened the eyes she had closed, only to gasp in shock when she saw what had stopped her._

_It was her brother. Only, he wasn't quite her brother. He was pale, translucent. Like a ghost._

_Toki looked down at the futon to see the body of her brother still laid out on it, then turned her gaze towards the ghost of her brother._

"_S-Sagi," she stuttered, her emotions inverting upon themselves as shock settled over her fair features. The shock she felt was not just from her brother's death now, but also from seeing his ghost. "W-What are you –? How did you –?" despite making an attempt to, Toki couldn't seem to articulate the questions she wanted to ask the ghostly form of her brother. Would he even answer? Could he answer?_

_The ghost of her brother held one of her hands in his, while his other hand reached down and grabbed something laying by the futon. Gently, he placed it in her hand, removing his own so she could see what he had given her._

_It was a pocket watch, a very old pocket watch made of silver and bronze. Toki recognized it almost immediately. The pocket watch was a family heirloom that had been handed down from father to son for generations. _

_Why had he given this to her? Was this some kind of symbol? Was he trying to tell her something? She looked down at the watch again. It was broken now, she noticed. The hands had stopped moving._

_Toki looked back up at her brother's pale face, her eyes narrowing in determination as she realized what she had to do. What her brother was telling her to do._

"_I promise, your murder will be avenged. Then time will pass once again for you, whose hands were stilled too soon."_

_This was the only thing she could do, Toki realized as she began to don the outfit her brother had once worn. In order to allow her brother to rest peacefully, she needed to avenge his death by killing the one who murdered him. Then and only then would time finally begin to move again and she could pass on to be with her brother and father once more._

* * *

That had been the day where time began to stand still for her, and until she had her vengeance against the one who murdered her brother, she would never be free.

Maybe that was why she felt so unsatisfied with how Mōsō planned on having Chomei executed. How was she supposed to get her vengeance if someone else killed the one responsible for the death of her brother?

Which was why she had no intentions of letting Mōsō or anyone else kill Chomei. That was her responsibility. Her right. She was the only one who was allowed to kill him. It was the only way her thirst for vengeance would be sated. The only way she could force time to start moving again.

Making her way down the hall, Toki slid the shoji door opened to her room, shutting it behind and her walking deeper into the room where she would begin getting dressed for the Cursed Warrior's last debut.

Only to freeze when she saw there was someone else in the room.

"You!" she said in shock. There, sitting on her bed was that annoying blond boy who had the gall to call her an asshole. And now he was here in her room!? Sitting on her bed!? Such insolence! "What are you doing here!? How did you get passed the guards!?"

"Uh... hello, ninja," Naruto said, pointing to himself an unrepentant grin sitting on his face. That look only served to piss Toki off more. "And I came here because I needed to talk to you, Mr. Cursed Warrior-san. Or should I say, _Ms._ Cursed Warrior-san?"

Toki's eyes widened in shock. He knew?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Toki tried to play off her shock and anxiety with a scoff and some anger, both of which she directed towards the blond. "Now get out of here before I call the guards and have you killed for breaking and entering into my palace!"

"Come now," Naruto's grin got even wider. "You may be able to fool everyone else, but you can't fool me." The blond sniffed the air. "Mmm... lavender and lilac. Not a very manly scent, is it?"

Toki gaped at the blond. That was how he had discovered she wasn't a male? Her scent? Toki felt like cursing. How could she have been so stupid as to neglect something as basic as changing her scent. Such a thing had never even occurred to her in the past.

Then again, she hadn't really expected to meet anyone capable of sniffing out the subtle aroma of her perfume. She didn't even know ninja were capable of doing that. Or was this one different?

"So you found out," there was no use hiding it from this boy. If he could actually smell that she was not a man than lying would do little good.

"Wasn't that hard," Naruto thumbed his nose, the vulpine grin still on his face. He really looked like he was enjoying himself. That was something she would have to rectify soon. "The moment we first met and I caught your scent, I knew you weren't a man. No self respecting male would wear perfume, especially one with such a feminine smell."

"It doesn't matter," Toki unsheathed the kaiken hidden within her kimono. She regretted not having her katana or naginata with her, but then again, maybe that was a good thing. Those two weapons were much longer, and while they provided her more reach, they would be difficult to swing in these enclosed quarters. "Now that you know, I can't allow you to live."

There was nothing left for her to say. Everything that needed to be said had been said, and now all that was left to do was kill this stupid boy for being foolish enough to interfere in her affairs.

She closed the distance between them as quickly as she could, her kaiken coming up to stab Naruto in the chest. It was her hope to end this as quickly as possible. She could not afford to dally here.

Sadly, Naruto proved to be a much more formidable foe than she had imagined. The blond quickly fell backwards, dodging the attack as he rolled off her bed on the other side and got back to his feet.

"Oh, not bad, not bad," Naruto said, his tone playful and teasing. She wished she could wipe that smirk off his face. "You're pretty quick on your feet, Hime, but you should know that your pretty much moving at a snails pace in my eyes."

Toki nearly snarled as she jumped on the bed and tried to slash out Naruto's left eye. A kaiken was not a weapon made for slashing, being such a short bladed sword. They were mainly used for stabbing, but that didn't mean they couldn't easily slice an eye out if given the chance.

Naruto was not going to allow her that chance. Quick as whip, the blond stepped to the left and twisted his body, letting the blade pass him by a few inches. This girl was quick, but she didn't have the ability to enhance her body with chakra like a ninja or those Samurai in Tetsu no Kuni did.

Lashing out with his right hand, Naruto knocked the kaiken from Toki's grip. The startled girl gave a gasp and tried to jump back, only for Naruto to grab a hold of the bed sheets she was standing on and give them a quick yank.

Toki fell back with a yelp of surprise and a harsh crash, hitting the ground and getting the wind knocked out of her. She coughed several times as her lungs tried to fill themselves with the oxygen they had been so brutally deprived of. It took a good deal of time, time which Naruto used to grab her kaiken and move to stand several feet away from her so she couldn't try anything.

She made to sit up, her long raven hair spilling out behind her head as the fall knocked both her hat askew and undid the knot in her hair. Looking over to see the blond boy... man, staring at her with a surprisingly calm look that had not been there before, Toki let out a sigh.

"If you're going to kill me than you might as well get it over with," she said harshly, causing the blond to frown.

"What the hell makes you think I'm here to kill you?" asked Naruto. Toki blinked and looked up at him in surprise, causing the blond to lose his calm look snicker a bit. "You didn't seriously think I was here to kill you, did you?"

Toki felt her face warm up. She was surprised she could actually feel any emotions at all, much less embarrassment. But for some reason, this man laughing at her for what seems to be an incredible misunderstanding if she were to judge from his words, embarrassed her a great deal.

"Well if you're not here to kill me, then just why are you here?" she asked, huffing a bit as she stood up. Sighing as more of her hair fell out of the knot she had made to keep it in place, Toki began retying her hair. She then looked around for her hat. It wouldn't do for people to see all the hair she was hiding. Thankfully it wasn't too far from where she had taken her fall, and she quickly scooped it up and put it back on her head.

She then looked over at the blond, who was staring at her with a strange look.

"What are you looking at?"

Blinking several times, as if just now realizing what he was doing, the blond offered a shrug.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about how you look much nicer with your hair down," he replied honestly. His words caused another reaction in Toki, who felt herself feeling a bit flush again. It wasn't that he was complimenting her. Before she had put up the charade of pretending to be Sagi, men had complimented her all the time and it hadn't bothered her than.

No, the reason she was feeling flustered was because of how unassuming his tone was. It was like he wasn't actually complimenting her and just stating an honest opinion.

"W-Whatever," Toki huffed, turning her head to the side a bit in a poor attempt to hide her blush. Not that it was needed. Naruto didn't seem to be paying attention to it anyways. Shaking her head, she decided to try and finally get down to business and discover why the blond was here. "Now why don't you tell me why you're here, and be quick about it!"

"Alright, alright, yeesh," Naruto grumbled. "You need to learn to relax, Hime." When Toki just glared at him, the blond Uzumaki sighed. "The reason I'm here is because –"

Before Naruto could even begin to give out his explanation, which he felt was pretty damn important seeing how it could mean the difference between sending an innocent man to the gallows (so to speak) and letting him live, the shoji screen door was practically slammed off it's hinges as a soldier rushed into the room with little heed for the current situation.

"Sagi-Sama! I bring you urgent news! We just found – eh?"

The random soldier who had barged into the room looked between Toki, who thankfully had her hair hidden and now looked like her brother, Naruto, who was just looking confused, and the bed that looked like it had taken a heavy beating.

"S-Sagi-Sama!" The soldier squeaked, his voice ricing several decibels. His face was turning red too. Obviously, he had come to an entirely wrong conclusion about what was happening in his Daimyo's bed quarters. "I-I had no idea you were into _that _kind of thing!"

At the man's words, Toki found herself groaning. This was just what she needed, someone believing that she was gay and they had just interrupted her with her male lover. Why was this happening to her now? All she wanted to do was get revenge on the bastard who killed her father and brother. Was that too much to ask?

"Well," Naruto chuckled a bit. He sounded more amused by the whole situation than offended. Bastard. "This is kind of an awkward situation."

"Shut up," Toki snapped, before whirling on the hapless guard. "And you! This isn't what it looks like!"

"Ah... um... oh, of, of course," the man stuttered. He seemed to still be trying to come to grips with the fact that his Daimyo might be gay if he weren't actually a she in disguise. Not that he knew that. Hence the coming to grips part.

"You said you had important news," Naruto pressed, causing Toki to blink. That's right. He had come barging in saying he had urgent news.

"What did you want to tell me?" she asked, her voice sounding very much like her deceased brother's now that she was with someone who didn't know her true identity.

"Ah! That's right!" The man snapped back into focus as he was reminded of the urgent news he had to give his leader. He cast a suspicious glance over at the blond, who merely waved at him with a cheerful smile.

"You can trust him," Toki said, sighing a bit as she realized there likely wasn't much she could do to make him leave anyways. "This is the ninja from Konoha that was responsible for apprehending Chomei."

"Right," the guard still didn't seem sure of what to think, but at least was game enough to just ignore the awkward situation for now in favor of delivering that news he had considered urgent enough to barge into his Daimyo's bed quarters were. "We just found Chishima. He was washed up on the shore of the river and it looks like he was severely injured. He's being treated as we speak."

"What!?" Toki almost slipped out of her Sagi persona at the news. Her friend was injured? When? How? "Take me to him!"

"Of course, Sagi-Sama!" the guard snapped off a salute and began exiting the bed chamber. Toki moved to follow, only pausing when she saw Naruto come up along side of her.

"I'm coming too," Naruto said, his face surprisingly serious. "I have some information you're going to need to hear. I'm pretty sure I know who attacked Chishima."

Toki was surprised by the news, but quickly nodded as they both hurried to catch up to the guard as he got further and further away. She would hear his news later. Right now she had a friend who was injured. A friend who, despite her being cold to, still meant a lot to her. After she determined that her friend was safe, she would listen to Naruto's words.

And then she would get her revenge on those who wronged her.

* * *

**Chapters kind of short. I couldn't really think of any way to extend it, and I felt this was a good place to end. Please let me know what you think. Reviews are always appreciated.**

**Also, please be sure to check out my new blog: The Thoughts and Wonderings of a Fanfiction writer****. All of the questions you guys ask in your reviews will be answered there.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 41: Ronin**

* * *

"Chishima!"

Toki's shout was proceeded by her rushing into the room where her friend was lying on a bed. Less than a second behind her was Naruto, who walked in much more calmly than his current hidden gendered compatriot.

As he moved over to stand beside Toki, who was now kneeling down on the bed and looking at her friend with barely concealed concern, Naruto let his eyes wander towards the young man laying out on the bed.

Chishima's body was bandaged fairly well, and it looks like they had been changed recently. Even still, blood was beginning to seep into the white bandages at a slow yet steady rate. Naruto's eyes focused on what he could discern from the wounds while they were covered and, judging merely from the way they were bleeding, determined they had most likely come from a projectile. Likely a shuriken as they tended to do more damage than a kunai.

Chishima was also hooked up to several machines meant to monitor his vital signs, an IV drip that was putting lost fluids back into his body and a breath mask that was being used to help regulate his breathing, meaning he had likely suffered damage to his lungs. Naruto listened to the steady beep coming from one particular machine that monitored his heart rate, the man's steady breathing the only accompaniment to the noise.

"We found him washed up on the riverside near the old shrine just an hour ago," the guard who had accompanied them said to Toki, who was still in her guise as Sagi. "He was half conscious and kept mumbling about how he had something important to tell you." Despite the fact that Toki was obviously not paying much attention to him, the soldier shouldered on. "He's stable now, but he was in pretty bad shape when we got him here."

"I see," Toki said in her male persona voice as she finally turned away from the sight of her friend lying unconscious on the bed. "Thank you for informing me of this. You may leave now."

"My Lord!"

The soldier snapped off a salute, took a another glance at Naruto, before turning on his heel and marching out the door.

Silence permeated the room. The only sound being the steady beep of the monitors and Chishima's fitful if slightly ragged breathing. Toki looked at her best friend, worry evident on her features, before turning to Naruto.

"You said you had something you wanted to tell me," Toki prompted. Now that they were alone, her voice no longer sounded like a male's. There was no use in masking her voice in front of him.

"Yes," Naruto shifted. Unlike before, when Naruto had snuck into her room, his countenance was serious instead of playful. "I believe I know who attacked Chishima."

"Go on," Toki gestured for the blond to continue. He gladly did so.

"After I caught sight of Chomei meeting with the Cursed Warrior, I felt everything was far too convenient. The response of the guards when it came to arresting Chomei was too quick, it was almost as if they had been ordered to apprehend him before I had even caught him in the act."

"And then there was his quick confession," Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I looked up what I could on his past, and Chomei was supposed to be Tori no Kuni's most prominent tactician, and a decently skilled warrior. A man like him would not be so quick to confess his crimes, had he committed them, without some serious... encouragement."

"What are you saying?" asked Toki, her own eyes narrowing.

"What I'm saying is that Chomei was not the one responsible for the unrest happening in your country, nor was he the one who killed your father and brother." Toki's eyes widened in shock. "It was Mōsō."

"Mōsō?" Toki's voice betrayed her surprise. "But... how could that be? Mōsō is nothing more than a wandering old man. A peddler who managed to gain my father's good graces and become this kingdom's adviser through his parlor tricks."

"Parlor tricks?" Naruto blinked at the term, but quickly shook his head. He didn't need to know. "I don't know much about the man's past, but I can assure you Mōsō is the one responsible for everything that has happened so far. After apprehending Chomei, I created two shadow clones. One left the country in my stead in order to fool anyone who might have been following me to make sure I left. The other stayed at Mōsō's residence hidden as a mouse. It saw Mōsō ordering a Ronin to give him a report on whether or not I had left."

"Ronin?"

"Ronin are like missing nin," Naruto said in response to Toki's question. "Except, unlike missing nin, these shinobi never had a home to go missing from. I heard from Anko-nee-chan that they are ninja who wander the world stealing jutsu from other hidden villages." Anko had actually clashed with a few of them before. Apparently, they had tried infiltrating Konoha a time or two, and at least one of those times one of their numbers was caught. He killed himself before Anko could get anything out of him, but it let her know of their existence.

Toki stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought of everything she had just been told. Could she have been wrong? Could it be possible that Chomei was not responsible for the death of her brother and father? That it was actually Mōsō who killed her family?

"E-Everything he says is true, Sagi-sama."

Two heads jerked in the direction of the bed to see Chishima, his eyes barely open, looking at Toki still hidden in her Sagi disguise. It was a wonder the man was even awake considering the state he was in.

"Chishima!"

"E-Everything N-Naruto just told you... is true," Chishima continued as Toki knelt down by the bed once more. "I-I saw him talking t-to... several ninja with m-my own two eyes. H-He mentioned something..." Chishima's eyes began to droop as he spoke. He was likely on drugs to dull the pain he was undoubtedly in. "H-He said they had... that they had f-found wh-what they were searching for."

"What they were searching for?" Toki questioned, frowning. She turned her gaze towards Naruto, who shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'don't look at me, I don't know what he's talking about'.

"Sagi-Sama," Chishima gasped, bringing attention back to him. "You must... must... mu...s..."

"Chishima?" Toki's eyes widened as Chishima's eyes closed and his body went completely slack. "Chishima!"

"Relax," Naruto placed a hand on the woman's shoulder to try and calm her down. "Look, he's just sleeping. I'm surprised he even woke up. It looks like those doctors put some serious anesthetics in his system."

_**'I'm surprised you know what anesthetics are.'**_

Naruto barely managed to keep from frowning. Was it just him? Or was Kyuubi being a bit more belligerent and haughty than she usually was?

_'I've been in a hospital enough times to have picked up a few things.'_ It probably helped that the doctors had often been forced to drug Naruto near constantly in order to keep him in bed, otherwise he would sneak out. He hated hospitals.

"So you were right," Toki stood up, her eyes narrowed in anger. "It was Mōsō who betrayed me and my family."

"If it's any consolation, I doubt he was ever loyal to you at all," Naruto said bluntly. "I'm pretty sure he was just here to find whatever it was he was searching for, and got into your father's confidence to improve his chances of finding it."

"That doesn't really help," Toki deadpanned.

"Well, can't say I didn't try," Naruto shrugged, before giving Toki a serious expression. "Now that you know who really betrayed you and your family, what do you plan to do about Chomei?"

"Nothing."

"What?" Naruto blinked. He stuck his pink in his ear as if to clean it out. "I'm sorry, I think I had something crazy stuck in my ear. Could you repeat that?"

"I said I'm going to do nothing," Toki told him bluntly. "If I rescue Chomei then Mōsō will know that I'm onto him. If he knew that I knew about him, it would be nearly impossible to get my revenge."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at what he heard. "So you'd sacrifice an innocent man for the sake of your revenge? That is not how a Daimyo is supposed to operate. It's your job to protect those who work under you."

"There is nothing that I can do," Toki looked away from the blond, unable to peer into those accusing eyes. "Chomei is guarded by an army of soldiers. We could never save him by anything less than starting a civil war."

"Would you just listen to yourself for a second!" Naruto grit his teeth as he forced himself to remain calm. "Are you or are you not the Daimyo of this land? Who the hell do you think controls the soldiers here?! If you ordered them to stand down, they would stand down!"

Under the blond's accusing stare, Toki turned away. There was something incredibly unnerving about that glare.

"Tch," Naruto scoffed. "Fine, if you're not going to do something, then I guess it will be up to me."

Turning around, the whisker marked shinobi began walking towards the door, preparing to mount a rescue mission of Chomei. Unlike Toki, he was not willing to allow someone to die for the sake of maintaining secrecy. Not like there was any point in trying anyways. If that Mōsō guy was as well informed as Naruto believed, than he likely already knew who the real Cursed Warrior was and would be dealing with Toki soon enough.

"H-Hey!" Toki shouted in shock as she saw the blond walk away from her. "Where are you going!?"

Naruto paused. He did not turn around, but he did turn his head to look at the woman who was staring at his back in shock.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to do what you can't. Or should I say, what you won't."

It just wasn't in Naruto's nature to leave someone to their doom if he could save them. He wouldn't say it was a hero complex so much as it was his belief on helping others if you were able. If someone had the power to make a difference, then they should put it to good use. And Naruto had the power to make that difference here.

Toki bit her lip in frustration as she watched the blond leave. Should she go after him? What would she do if she did? What would she say? What _could _she say? Was there even anything that needed to be said?

As much as she didn't want to admit it, the young blond had gotten to her more than she thought. There was just something about the way he spoke, the look in his eyes, and that disapproving frown on his face that made her feel like a child who had disappointed her parents. It was almost like her brother was staring at her with disapproving eyes instead of the blond, even though the two did not look or even act remotely similar.

She looked from the door to Chishima and sighed. Toki could do nothing about Naruto right now. He was probably already gone to save Chomei, but she could at least look after her friend until he got back.

XoX

Chomei found himself being led into a clearing surrounding by the traditional high wall with sloping tiled roof on all sides. His arms were bound to his torso by rope, and his hands were similar bound except the rope was extended like a leash so the soldier in front of him could hold it and lead him around. Surrounding him on either side were soldiers, there hands resting on the hilt of their katanas, prepared to cut him down should he try to escape.

The situation looked very bleak.

As he was led towards the spot where he would be forced to commit sepukku, Chomei eyed his surroundings. Mōsō was sitting in the center of a table that was set up on a veranda that elevated him above everyone else. He was being protected by several guards standing on either side of him.

It looked like Mōsō meant for this to be a spectacle. On the other end were several dozen guards, all of them standing before what looked like the entire civilian populace. Chomei could see hundreds of faces, all of them staring at him with mixed looks. Some looked in shock, others disgust, some pity and still some confusion. Yes, there was no doubt Mōsō wanted everyone to witness this event in order to cement his place as their savor.

A well played move.

Forced to kneel down in front of the veranda upon which Mōsō sat, Chomei remained inexplicably calm in the face of his demise. If this was to be his end, he would not do so by groveling before this man.

Mōsō picked up the scroll that had been laid out on the table before him, breaking the seal and unrolling it even though he likely already knew the contents. He should. He was the one who wrote it.

Bringing the scroll to his closed eyed face, Mōsō spoke. "A verdict has been reached, Chomei-dono," his grave voice rang throughout the clearing where Chomei's execution would take place. He was good actor, if nothing else. "Betraying your position as Chief Tactician to our late Owashi-sama, you conspired in his assassination, as well as his daughter Toki-sama."

Hushed and startled whispers broke out among the crowd of civilians. The rustling of fabric as those in the back tried to get a closer look at the proceedings was only superseded by those up front who were leaning into each other, their hands up to their mouth so they could share their opinions with the person closest to them without interrupting. Several Samurai watched the civilians carefully, taking care to watch for possible dissidents among the crowd.

Chomei remained calm, impassive. It was like looking at stone. He would not be quailed under this man's accusations.

"Furthermore, you and your subordinates were responsible for creating the apparition known as the Cursed Warrior. Your purpose being to spread panic among our people, undermine the authority of Sagi-sama, and usurp his role as Daimyo of Tori no Kuni."

"You are a traitor of the worst kind."

_That _did elicit a response from the so far quiet man. Chomei looked up at Mōsō, his eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation.

"Chomei-dono, you must pay for what you've done!"

Gasps erupted from the crowd at those words. Shock rippled through the people and the speaking began to get louder as the seconds passed.

All that was second to Chomei's laughing, however, which started off soft but began to pick up volume as the seconds ticked by.

"I see. So that's your game, Mōsō."

Chomei's head was bent down towards the ground, his eyes just barely visible.

It didn't last.

Chomei's head shot up so he could glare at Mōsō with all the hatred and anger he could muster.

"You've finally sprung your trap!"

Mōsō's eyes finally opened so he could stare at Chomei with a half-lidded gaze. There was frown etched on his face.

"I'm disappointed in you, Chomei," he said. "If you're a warrior then at least die like one!" He looked towards the guards surrounding the man and the executioner standing by in case Chomei did not commit sepukku. "Help him carry out his setence."

"At once, Mōsō-sama!"

One of the guards moved behind Chomei, forcing him to sit in a more upright position as opposed to the slouch he had been in. The executioner, meanwhile, raised his blade in preparation to take Chomei's head should he fail to kill himself.

Chomei opened the front of his loose fitting white kimono, exposing his scarred torso for all to see. A few of the scars were recent, as in, less than a day recent. These ones were given to him courtesy of Mōsō's men doing a number on him to get a confession out of him.

He picked up the small kaiken, the dagger which he would use to commit ritualistic suicide, and unsheathed the blade. Holding it in a reverse grip, Chomei prepared to plunge the dagger into his stomach.

Before the dagger could reach him a loud hissing sound erupted all around the clearing. Purple mist began to cover the area, thickening with each passing seconds. Before too long, the entire execution ground was covered in a blanket of purple mist so thick people had trouble seeing their own hands unless they were brought directly to their face.

"What the – what's going on?"

Mōsō and everyone else looked around at the strange mist that had covered the area, as if doing so would help them discern where the mist was coming from. It was a futile gesture, however, the only way they would be seeing anything more than six inches in front of them was if they blew the mist away with a wind jutsu or, failing that, waited for it to dissipate naturally.

Even Chomei was looking around at the surrounding blanket of purple haze, feeling both wary and cautious. He was not sure what to make of this, but he did have a hunch. And if his hunch was right...

"Never mind! Kill him now!"

As Mōsō's orders came through the fog, the words enough to penetrate the shock that permeated those surrounding Chomei. The executioner quickly prepared his sword, readying a strike for where he knew Chomei was based on where he had last seen the man.

It was a strike that would never hit.

Before the executioner even had a chance to stroke his blade down on Chomei's neck, an armored figure appeared before him. A warrior clad in white armor with a red oni mask. The Cursed Warrior.

The Cursed Warrior reacted far more quickly than the executioner did, bringing the butt end of his bade towards the executioners stomach before the man could even blink. There was a loud 'whooshing' of air from the man meant to kill Chomei as he was hit with the hilt of a katana in the solar plexus. It was such a jarring hit that not only was he deprived of much needed oxygen, but his eyes rolled up in the back of his head and he slumped to the ground.

No one inside of the mist could even see what was happening. No one, except for the Cursed Warrior apparently, who was already moving in on his next target.

The man he targeted was not even aware of what was happening when he received a chop on the back of his neck. He too fell to the ground with a dull thud, unconscious before his body hit the dirt.

One by one the guards surrounding Chomei fell to the physical prowess of the Cursed Warrior until, just like that, there was no one guarding the man slated for execution. And with nothing left to guard him, Chomei was ripe for the taking.

Plucking the startled man from his spot on the ground, the Cursed Warrior picked up Chomei and held him under his arm like a sack of potatoes. Seeing how there was nothing left do, the white armor clad warrior held up his hand and, much to the shock of Chomei, both he and the one carrying him suddenly shot off the ground and into the air, leaving the execution grounds still covered in thick, purple mist behind.

XoX

Naruto sighed as he found himself soaring through the air using those kites he had found a while back. His other arm still had a tight hold of Chomei, who was staring at him with a slightly stupid expression of shock. He wasn't really paying attention to that man right now, though. There were more important things to worry about.

_'Sweet Kami! Why the hell is it so hot in this thing?'_

_**'Well, it is a suit of armor. You know, metal. Metal tends to get hot when it's in the sun.'**_

_'Ugh, I think I finally understand why Toki always did her Cursed Warrior business during the night. It had nothing to do with cover of darkness and everything to do with how fucking hot it is in this thing. How Samurai could stand to wear this crap is beyond me.'_

Complaining about the heat aside, Naruto also had to steer the kites that he was using to fly him and Chomei to their destination. Deft turns and flicks of his wrist allowed him to make the minute adjustments needing to control where they were being taken. It wasn't long before his maneuvering managed to bring the two of them to their destination: the run down shrine where the Cursed Warrior often made it's appearance.

As he set down, the blond ninja disguising himself as Toki who disguised herself as Sagi who disguised himself as the Cursed Warrior (that's a mouthful) let Chomei stand on his own two feet. The Chief tactician for Tori no Kuni used this opportunity to look at the armored figure standing before him, as if doing so would somehow allow him to discern who was hidden behind the mask.

"Sagi-Sama, is that you?" he asked. Naruto tilted his head, as if pondering the question. He really wasn't, but there was no need to tell this guy that. Eventually, he began walking towards the shrine, gesturing for Chomei to follow him. The man did so after only a moments reluctance.

_**'Naruto,'**_ Kyuubi's voice suddenly came to him through the seal. **_'I sense a chakra signature exactly ten meters to your left.'_**

_'Hmm... so Mōsō was expecting something like this,'_ Naruto hummed thoughtfully. _'It's a good thing we planned for him to know what we were planning that way we could countermand any plan he has in the works. Hehe, sometimes I even amaze myself.'_

_**'That's not a very hard thing to do,'**_ Kyuubi quipped, causing Naruto to frown.

_'Such a mean thing to say...'_

XoX

As a Cursed Warrior disguised Naruto and Chomei entered the shrine and descended the stair case, one of the rocks scattered across the clearing shifted on one side as a man with rock colored skin stepped out. The skin (and clothes he was wearing) changed back into their normal colors. The blocky looking man stood before the shrine, a smirk on his face.

He had been waiting here for a while now. Mōsō had been very sure that the Cursed Warrior would make an appearance and save Chomei once news that Chishima's body had not been found came to him. It looked like all that forethought and planning had paid off. Now all he had to do was report to Mōsō and inform him of where the Cursed Warrior and Chomei were headed and they could take out both nuisances in a single strike.

Just than a strange feeling passed over him. It sort of felt like a soft breeze had ruffled the back of his neck, but it was slightly different and there was a stinging sensation following it.

A second later the blocky ninja's, whose name was never learned, head slid off his body with only a little bit of blood flowing out due to how clean the cut was. As the head rolled along the ground and came to a stop near the foot of the shrine, the body crumpled to the dirt like a puppet with it's strings cut off.

A clone of Naruto stood behind the now dead ninja, his left hand holding onto Kubikiriboucho, the blade glowing with a light sheen of green light that coated it like a second skin. Sticking his blade point first in the ground, Naruto held out his left hand, palm pointed towards the headless corpse.

A ball of flame appeared before the palm. It was about the size of a small ball, and brilliant white in color. The flame looked very much like a miniature sun.

"Kitsune-bi (Fox Fire)."

Launching the small ball of fox fire at the deceased ninja, Naruto watched dispassionately as the flames spread across the body, blackening and burning it until there was nothing left but ash that soon scattered on the wind. Another burst of fox fire and the head near the shrine was destroyed as well.

With his mission done, the Naruto clone dispersed itself in a cloud of smoke, altering the real Naruto that he had accomplished his mission.

XoX

_'That was kind of pathetic,' _Naruto thought as the memories of his clone hit him. _'Are all ronin supposed to be so weak? He didn't even feel my clone sneaking up on him.'_

_**'How should I know? It's not like I've ever dealt with ronin, unless you count the ninja who were around before the birth of the hidden villages, but they at least had clans.'**_

_'You've fought ninja before?' _asked Naruto, before realizing everything his statement entailed and hastening to correct it. _'I mean aside from when you were attacking Konoha.'_

_**'Of course,'**_ Kyuubi said, and Naruto got the feeling she was flipping her hair at him in a gesture of haughty arrogance. **_'I have fought many shinobi in my time, both in my fox form and my human form. I have even fought your Shodai Hokage.'_**

_'Really?'_

_**'Mmm. The first time I was actually in my human form. Apparently, I had not been as careful as I usually was when manipulating you humans and someone had put a hit on me. Long story short, he and I fought. I managed to win, but he escaped.'**_

Naruto didn't know what bothered him more, how Kyuubi could speak so casually about using humans, or how he wasn't even getting angry like he used to.

_'Wait? I thought the Shodai's Mokuton was able to suppress your youki? How did you manage to beat him?'_

_**'For starters, he didn't use his Mokuton. He didn't know who I was, and as I was using my fox fire, which is hot enough to turn anything it touches into ash, he probably didn't think it would matter.'**_

_'Huh. You learn something new everyday.'_

After reaching the exit, Naruto crouched down after sliding the lid out of the way. Linking his hands together, he looked over at Chomei, making it clear what he wanted from the man.

A nod was his answer. Chomei walked up to Naruto and stepped onto his linked hands, allowing the armor clad blond to hoist the man up so he could pull himself out of the exit. Naruto followed soon after, jumping through the exit with a chakra enhanced push. His bulky, armored frame was just barely small enough to scrape through.

"This is... the daimyo's palace," Chomei said, turning to the blond as he dusted dirt off his armor. "So it's true, Sagi-sama, it is you."

Naruto wondered if he should correct the man, but decided not to. Technically speaking, he was right... sort of. Though the fact that 'Sagi' was actually 'Toki' he wasn't really right either.

Ah, whatever. He would leave explaining everything to Toki.

Gesturing with his hand for Chomei to follow him, Naruto led the man through a hidden door that led into the Daimyo's palace. Chomei followed him as he walked down the narrow path, coming out behind a hidden door hidden behind a portrait. A few more twists and turns and Naruto finally came to the room where he had left Toki.

He entered the room, Chomei behind him, to see that Toki was pretty much exactly where he had left her, sitting at Chishima's bedside. Chishima was also where he had left him, laying unconscious on said bed while being hooked up to numerous medical devices. As they walked in, Toki looked up, and Chomei stopped in shock.

"S-Sagi-sama!?" He looked back and forth between Naruto and Sagi. "But I thought that – aren't – I could have sworn Sagi-sama was the Cursed Warrior."

"Oh... _he_ is," Naruto said, putting a very slight emphasis on the word he. Toki narrowed her eyes. "I was just borrowing this for a little while so I could mount my rescue mission."

"I see," Chomei frowned. "Then... who are you, exactly?"

Naruto grinned as he placed a hand on the oni mask and pulled it off, revealing his face to the Chief Tactician. Chomei's eyes widened.

"You're that Konoha Shinobi from the other night!"

"Wow," Naruto's dry voice cut through the air. "You're pretty smart to have figured that out all by yourself." He looked over at Toki, who was glaring at him. "Anyways, why don't we let... Sagi, explain everything so you can get up to date on what's happening."

XoX

"I see, so Sagi-sama disguised himself as the Cursed Warrior in order to lure out the person behind Owashi-sama's and Toki-sama's death."

Chomei and 'Sagi' were now sitting in seiza position on the floor several meters apart from each other. Toki had just finished explaining everything that had happened up to this point, and Chomei was nodding along as she finished her tail.

Naruto was standing several feet behind Chomei, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. He wasn't particularly interested in listening to this spiel again, so he spent most of his time talking with Kyuubi.

_'So just how strong is the Shodai anyways? You should know, right? Since you fought him and all.'_

Kyuubi let out a small chuckle.

_**'Let me put to you this way. As everything stands right now, Hashirama could destroy you and the entire village of Konoha with little more than a thought. The shinobi of this era are incredibly weak when compared to those of the last two generations. Even your beloved Fourth Hokage would have been nothing more than a fly compared to Hashirama.'**_

"Yes," Toki still in her disguise as Sagi said. "I was hoping that by disguising myself as the Cursed Warrior, I could discover who was behind the death of my father and brother." Her eyes narrowed. "Instead I was used as a pawn by Mōsō. I am truly sorry for the trouble I have caused you."

"It is fine," Chomei waved the apology off. There really was nothing to be sorry for, especially when he had not made an attempt at facilitating communications between him and the young Daimyo either. "It is I who should be apologizing. Perhaps if I had caught onto his plans sooner, none of this would have happened."

_'Was the Shodai really that strong?'_

_**'He was beyond strong. Your Shodai Hokage was the strongest shinobi of his time, and I should I know, I fought most of those shinobi at one point or another. While many of the stronger ninja managed to survive against me, they only did so because they were not alone. Hashirama fought against me and survived on his own. Sure, he was half dead before he escaped, but considering he had underestimated me and not used his Mokuton ninjutsu that's saying something.'**_

_'What about the teme's ancestor? That Madara guy?'_

Kyuubi hissed angrily at that name.

_**'Do not ask me about that man ever again! What happened between Madara and I is something that shall never reach the light of day!'**_

_'Alright, alright. Yeesh, no need to get so angry. A simple 'I don't want to tell you' would have done it.'_

_**'Don't expect me to apologize. I've done enough of that with you already.'**_

Naruto rolled his eyes. _'Don't worry, I don't.'_

"What do you plan to do now, Sagi-sama?" asked Chomei.

"What do I plan to do now?" Toki repeated the question with a hint of sarcasm. "I plan on making Mōsō pay for everything he's done." She stood up, her fists clenched. "I'm going to kill him and avenge my father and brother."

"And I suppose you're going to do this all by yourself," Naruto spoke outside of his mind for the first time since Toki started explaining everything to Chomei. "That's what you're going to do, isn't it? You're just going to go off and try and kill Mōsō on your own, without even asking for our help."

"Naruto, you've done a good job with everything so far, and have helped me out, and I am grateful." Toki narrowed her eyes. "However, I do not need, nor want your help for this. Mōsō will die by my hands and no one else's."

There was a very prominent frown on Naruto's face as he stared Toki down. The young woman tried to give him a defiant glare, but after several seconds she looked off to the side, unable to maintain it in the face of his steadfast expression.

"I see," the blond said quietly. "So revenge is more important to you than your country? The country your father and brother gave their lives for? You're just going to throw everything away so you can kill this guy with your own two hands, all for the sake of your petty revenge."

"You don't understand anything!" Toki shouted, teeth grit and fists clenched so tightly they were shaking. "I have to do this! I need to kill Mōsō! If I don't time will never start flowing again!"

She yanked the watch he had seen her holding out from where it had been hidden within her sleeves.

"You see this watch! This watch was passed down from father to son for generations, but no more! This watch is broken! It's time has stopped just as mine has, and until I've settled this with my own two hands, my heart will remain as broken as this watch!"

The intense star down between Naruto and Toki lasted for only a few seconds. Yet, for some reason, those seconds seemed to stretch on for hours.

In the background now, Chomei observed the pair with indecisiveness.

"I see," Naruto closed his eyes. "You really are lost, aren't you?" He chuckled bitterly while Toki bristled. "Then go ahead and do what you want. If you want to throw away your life for the sake of something as stupid as revenge, I won't stop you."

Toki bristled at Naruto's blatant disregard for her need for revenge. He knew nothing about how she felt! She needed this! More than anything else, she needed that final release that would only come from completing her vengeance on the one who wronged her. Why couldn't he understand that!? Why... why...

… Why did she care about what he thought of her so much?

Taking a few deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down. Her fists unclenched, and her posture relaxed.

That's right. She shouldn't care about what he thought. She didn't. Naruto's opinions didn't matter to her. All that mattered was killing Mōsō and avenging her father and brother. Anything else was superfluous at best, and unimportant at worst.

Toki prepared to leave the room so she could get dressed and head out. She had to kill someone after all.

"You can't be serious!?" Chomei finally spoke up, having recovered from his shock at seeing the blond Konoha shinobi arguing with his Daimyo. "I know you are hurting right now, Sagi-sama, but revenge is not the way. It will only lead to more pain and suffering."

"I don't care," Toki said harshly. "So long as I attain my revenge, nothing else matters. I would gladly suffer a thousand years if it meant I could claim vengeance over the one who wronged me."

Naruto closed his eyes. This woman reminded him so much of Sasuke, the boy that had lost himself to darkness and willingly given himself over to an S-ranked traitor. She was willing to do anything if it would allow her a shot at revenge.

He didn't want to see someone take the path Sasuke took. While he would not really consider himself or Sasuke to be all that close, he had still been a comrade and someone he saw as a rival for a good portion of their time together. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, it had hurt when Sasuke left the village. Naruto didn't want to witness that happening to someone else.

But what could he do?

_**'What you always do...'**_

_'Kyuubi?'_

When Kyuubi didn't respond to his words, the blond frowned. Do what you always do...

What he always did.

A smirk made it's way to his face.

XoX

"Are you sure that was wise?" Chomei asked with a frown as he looked at the door Toki left through. His eyes darted back to Naruto to see him standing by the bedside where Chishima was sleeping, looking down at the person who was probably Toki's most loyal supporter. "Letting Sagi-Sama leave like that. You know as well as I do that Mōsō is likely far more dangerous than he realizes. Sagi-sama may very well be moving into a trap."

"Of that there can be no doubt," Naruto looked away from Chishima to eye his compatriot for the moment. "I would be honestly surprised if Mōsō didn't know that Sagi is the Cursed Warrior." He shook his head at using Toki's brother's name. He should probably tell Chomei the truth about her, however, it wasn't his information to tell. "Chances are he's prepared a reception for your Daimyo and is just waiting for Sagi to make an appearance."

"If you knew it was dangerous, knew that Sagi-Sama was being led into a trap, then why did you let him leave!?" Chomei looked about ready to rip his nearly nonexistent hair out. Seriously, couldn't this boy have tried a little harder to keep Sagi-sama from leaving?

"If I had done that, all it would have done is make Sagi even more bitter," Naruto closed his eyes, thinking about another person who had lost themselves to vengeance. He often wondered what would have happened had he caught up to Sasuke that day. If he had stopped the Uchiha heir from leaving, would Sasuke have been grateful? Or would he have become even more bitter and resentful towards others?

It was a question Naruto would never find an answer for.

Opening his eyes less then a second later, the blond fixed Chomei with a look.

"Right now your Daimyo is in a bad place, and unless he gets some sense knocked into him, he's likely not going to be leaving that place any time soon." Naruto broke out into a grin. "Besides, who says I just let him go?"

It only took a few seconds for Chomei to understand the context of that sentence. When he did, his eyes widened.

"You mean...?"

"That's right," Naruto's eyes closed as the grin etched on his lips stretched across his face, making the whiskers stretch along with it. He truly looked like some kind of kitsune right then. "I'm just a Kage Bunshin. The real Naruto has been trailing Sagi since he left."

XoX

The darkness of the night was only barely offset by the light provided by the moon and stars. A velvety layer of black had surrounded the land of Tori no Kuni. Everything was covered in darkness, masking the kites Toki was using to sail through the air well.

Once more dressed in the garb of the Cursed Warrior, Toki prepared for her final showdown with Mōsō. No matter what happened from here on out, nothing mattered except for her revenge.

The place she was heading towards was very easy to spot. She could see the building where Mōsō resided. It was marked by the fire from several torches, which crackled and wavered gently in the cool night air. Mōsō himself was standing on the veranda.

So he was waiting for her to arrive. That was fine. It would make things easier for Toki now that she didn't have to search for him.

At least, those were Toki's thoughts until a fire ball shot out of Mōsō's mouth, illuminating the entire area and showing the man she had come to kill how she was managing to stay aloft.

"What!?"

This was followed by Mōsō going through a set of handseals that she could not see due to the illumination from the receding fireball, which was just as quickly followed by a stream of fire that was launched from Mōsō's mouth again, this time hitting her kite and reducing it to ashes.

With her kite no longer able to keep her afloat (kind of hard when it's been burnt to cinders), Toki began to fall. Her feet managed to find purchase on a tree branch, but it was unable to support the combined weight of her and the armor she was wearing, thus it snapped under her and she fell to the ground.

Thankfully, she was able to land on her feet. Or mostly her feet. She was forced to kneel on one knee due to how far she had fallen in order to absorb the impact. At least she was alive.

Not so thankfully, her oni mask was beginning to get unbearably hot, which she soon realized was due to it being on fire. Moving with frantic haste, she yanked the mask off and cast it to the side, showing her face.

"Hehehehe..." Mōsō chuckled lowly at the sight of Toki as she knelt there on the ground. So he found this amusing, did he? She would ensure he wouldn't find it so amusing after gutting him with her naginata. "...I bid you welcome... Cursed Warrior."

"Make your move Mōsō," Toki scowled at the man as he stood there, cool as a cucumber. "I will give you reason enough to fear me."

"Save your breath, it's among the last you shall take."

"Fitting epitaph!"

With a shout that seemed to unleash all of her anger and hatred for this man, Toki lunged forward with her naginata, wanting nothing more than to see this man impaled on the long pole weapons blade.

It wasn't going to happen.

With surprising quickness, agility and strength, Mōsō jumped up over the blade meant to stab him in the chest. Then, with surprising lightness of feet, he landed on the blade itself. Another surprise was that even though he was standing on the blade, Toki was able to hold it up just as easily as if he were not standing on it, like he wasn't even there, or as light as a feather.

"You thought it would be easy, didn't you?" Mōsō smiled a mocking smile at Toki. "I'm almost disappointed that you would think so. But then, I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything less from someone who I had so unwittingly duped for all these years."

Pushing his feet off the blade, Mōsō jumped backwards into the air, his body flipping over like some kind of acrobat before he landed on his feet several meters away. He looked as unruffled as ever.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself." He gave a mocking bow. "My name is Hoki, and I am the leader of the wandering ninja."

Wandering ninja? Toki's eyes widened. Hadn't she heard Naruto talking about the wandering ninja? She hadn't quite believed him then, but now the evidence was irrefutable. It was staring her right in the face.

"With no land to call our own we drift from place to place, flotsam on the waves, stealing the jutsu nobody will deign to teach us. But the years sit heavy on our shoulders. Our patchwork clan tires of this vagrant existence." Hoki, as he was now calling himself, looked up at the sky as if in contemplation. "That's why we've been looking for a place to end our wandering and set down roots."

And suddenly, Toki understood. She understood everything that had happened to her up to this point. It was all because of this man, for this reason.

"So the truth has finally come out. You've been planning to take over this country from the very moment you arrived here!"

"How dare you judge our motives you spoiled brat! Fortunate has favored you! We wandering ninja suffer in a way you could never begin to understand!" Toki tensed as Hoki opened his normally closed eyes to look at her. "I see no harm in unfortunates like us wanting a place we can call home. But we could have never come this far had it not been for your father."

Toki's hands gripped her naginata tightly at the mention of her father.

"I assumed the guise of Mōsō and charmed my way into Owashi-sama's confidences. All the while the fool never suspected a thing. A dramatic bit of genjutsu was enough to convince him of Mōsō's magical prowess, thus he brought me into the fold as a trusted adviser."

"Chomei alone had enough sense to harbor suspicions about what I was up to. So I painted Chomei as a malcontent, after killing your father."

"That... that was you?" somehow, suspecting something and after that same something confirmed were two very different things. The knowledge that this man had indeed murdered her father was shocking, even though a part of her had already come to suspect that it was he who killed her father. "You're the one who murdered my father?"

"I killed him with pleasure! And after I kill you tonight, no one will stand in our way!"

That was enough. She had heard enough. This man had to die!

"You're evil ends here!" Toki's body shifted. Her left foot moved backwards to give her more support as she lifted the hand holding her naginata behind her back as if it were a javelin. The muscles in her arms and back tensed like a coiled spring waiting to be unloaded. "The dead cry out for vengeance!"

With a quick motion, she unleashed the naginata, sending it flying towards Hoki. Her aim was true. The weapon soared through the air, traveling straight towards her most hated enemy. It was set to impale him through the heart.

It would have too, had Hoki not moved. A quick step back followed by an upward swing of the fan in his right hand deflected the long weapon, not only launching it off course, but sending it spinning end over end towards Toki.

A gasp escaped her lips as Toki tried to move back in order to avoid the weapon that was now coming towards her. While she was able to avoid getting injured, her surprise was such that she did not move wuickly enough to avoid the naginata entirely.

The blade of her naginata hit her helmet, knocking it off her face and sending her long hair spilling over her face.

It was the first time since she had known the man that Mōsō, Hoki she corrected, looked surprised. Well and truly shocked.

"Can it be...?"

"Yes," she said, her left hand gripping the sheath of her katana while her right grabbed a hold of the hilt. "Sagi's younger sister, Toki."

With practiced movements, she unsheathed her katana and held it in a second stance. The sword was being held vertically up and down, with her elbows jutting out. Her body was more or less straight, save for the slight slouching of her upper back, a sign that she was not as well versed in Kendou as she was the naginata.

"This is for my father and brother!"

Wanting nothing more than to but this man down and end this, Toki charged straight at Hoki.

"Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Possession Jutsu)!"

Too bad she forgot she was dealing with a ninja, a wandering ninja at that, and not a samurai. After going through a set of handseals and calling out the name of his jutsu, Toki found herself suddenly incapable of moving.

Her eyes widened as she struggled, her muscles tensing under the strain she as she tried to move. Yet no matter how much effort she put into it, her body refused to budge an inch.

"Well, well, Toki," Hoki said chidingly as he held his hand in a rat seal. "Observe how our shadows intersect. That is the Kagemane no Jutsu, and you are now mine to command!"

As if to prove his words were true, Hoki moved his left hand to the side. Toki's right followed his movements.

"Impressive, I never imagined you were alive."

He seemed to find amusement in Toki's struggles. Such thoughts probably would have pissed her off at any other point, but at that moment all she felt was fear as she realized her life was now in the palm of this man's hand. Which really just meant she wasn't going to live for much longer.

"The wandering ninja will control this land, never to wander again." Hoki moved his fan gripped hand back towards his throat, forcing Toki to rest the edge of her blade along her own throat. "And you who lived as Sagi will now die like him!"

Toki struggled as much as she could against her bodies betrayal. Her arm tensed as she did everything in her power to keep her own blade from slicing through her neck, but no matter how hard she tried, it seemed that whatever strange power Hoki had over her body was winning. With each passing second she found the blade getting closer and closer to her throat.

"About time you finished your monologue Mōsō! Or is it Hoki? Well, whatever, it's not like it matters. What does matter is that I'm here to stomp a mud hole in your ass!"

Toki's eyes widened. She knew that voice.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto?" Hoki blinked. Wasn't Naruto that blond brat who had left early this morning? "So you're still here! I should have known! You Konoha scum are always sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong! Well your too late! Now that Toki is under the control of my shadow there is nothing you can do to stop me from slitting her throat!"

"Who the hell do you take me for!? I've worked with a Nara before, and I know for a fact that cheap imitation of yours is nothing like the real shadow possession technique!" As Naruto said this a swift breeze picked up behind Toki. As one, the many wires that had been hidden under a minor genjutsu were cut, allowing Toki to fall to her knees.

Naruto then chose that moment to make his grand appearance, literally phasing into existence to stand protectively in front of Toki with minor application of the Shunshin.

Should he have just gone and killed Hoki and ended this charade? Probably. But this was Naruto we're talking about.

"Naruto!"

Naruto took his eyes off Hoki (he had shadow clones hidden around the area watching the man in case he tried to pull any funny business) to look at Toki. He offered her a quick grin.

"Sorry it took so long. That idiot over there was ranting so much that I just couldn't find the proper moment to step in and rescue you."

And just like that, any happiness Toki might have felt at Naruto appearing just in time to save the day died a horrible, horrible death.

"You mean to tell me that you could have stepped in at any time but waited?" she asked, deadpan.

"Of course," Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a slightly amused look. "Don't you know that the hero is always supposed to appear at the last moment? It makes for a much more dramatic entrance."

Toki didn't know whether to laugh or to curse the blond for being so... so... him while they were in the middle of a crises situation with the fate of her country and her own vengeance on the line.

"Only you, Naruto," she sighed, before smiling a bit. Toki wasn't sure why, but there was no way she could stay mad at him for this. Maybe it had something to do with him saving her?

"Don't think you can just ignore me!" Hoki suddenly made himself known again. Going through a series of handseals before ending on the tiger seal. "Katon: Gōkyakū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu)!"

Opening his mouth, Hoki released a fire ball from within the depths of his throat and sent it straight towards Naruto.

Naruto? Well, he snorted. Was this guy serious? That fireball was pathetic! Sasuke's was at least five times larger then this guys.

Making a decision on what to do, Naruto reached into his kunai pouch and whipped out a scroll. Unrolling it in mid air revealed a complex sealing array, a complex series of kanji running down the scroll in several rows length wise while a circle of kanji with arrows pointing towards the center was in the middle.

Placing the scroll on the ground, Naruto ran through a small gauntlet of handseals, then slammed his hands on either side of the scroll.

"Fūka Hōin (Sealing Art: Fire Sealing Method)!"

The fireball that had been traveling towards him far more slowly than most fireball jutsu would if they were launched from someone more competent began to stretch. It's body elongated and moved towards the scroll, where it soon became sucked into the paper. As the flames disappeared within the seal, the red kanji for fire appeared within the circle while blue vapor from excess chakra rose from the parchment.

"Fūinjutsu?" Hoki looked surprised to see that someone like Naruto knew the art of sealing. Well, it was an incredibly complex art requiring knowledge of complicated sealing formulas. "I had not realized I was dealing with an adept at sealing. Still, this changes nothing! Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!"

Naruto blinked several times as two very large and very realistic looking dragons with scaly green skin and glowing yellow eyes appeared before him. The dragons roared as they glared down at him and Toki like the two were their next meal.

There was only one problem...

"Ugh... are you serious," Naruto complained as he looked from the dragons to Hoki. "You didn't use anywhere near enough chakra to summon something like that." He then blinked. "And as far as I know there is no such thing as a dragon summoning contract. If there was, it would be pretty damn famous."

"Think whatever you like! Finish him my pets!"

"Yep," Naruto nodded sagely. "Definitely not real. No summon would allow themselves to be called a pet." He thought about his own summons, the toads, and how damn mouthy they were. Boss Gama was particular belligerent. It was probably why they got along so well. And Manda was just as bad with his 'I demand human sacrifices before I would ever fight for you' spiel that he had going on.

Even Katsuya, the most mild mannered boss summon he knew demanded respect.

There was just no way these summons could be real. Which meant...

Spinning about on his heal, Naruto lashed out with a wind blade at a small light that he could see hiding on a tree. The blade flew true, slicing into the holographic projector like a hot knife through butter, or a wind jutsu through paper. The mechanical devise didn't stand a chance.

With the destruction of the holographic projector, Hoki seemed to realize he was outclassed. He grit his teeth, trying to find a way out, but when one did not present itself, it became obvious he would have to take things into his own hands.

Putting a hand to his mouth, a whistle escaped from Hoki, signaling the several ninja that had been hiding out in case things got rough. He had not thought he would have to use them, but now that he was Hoki was glad he had the foresight to position them around his residence.

No one came.

"What the –?"

"I hope you weren't expecting those ninja you had hiding around to come to your rescue," Naruto said, smirking that damnable smirk.

Hoki realized what was happening before it happened.

One by one several clones of the blond came out of the wood works, each one carrying one of his men under them like a sack of potatoes.

"You didn't honestly think I would leave things to chance, did you?" Naruto may not be the brightest shinobi around, and he may act like an idiot half the time, but he wasn't stupid. When the time came to lay down the gauntlet and plan out his moves, the blond Uzumaki could make strategies with the best of them.

He wouldn't be so damn good at pranking if he wasn't.

"You!" Hoki glared at the blond with insanity and hatred in his eyes. "You damn brat! You've ruinned everything!"

"Oops, my bad," Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Sorry about that. I hope you don't have any hard feelings or anything. I'm just doing my job."

Hoki's eye began twitching. He ruined everything! There was no way he could take over the country now. He couldn't even use Toki as a hostage because Naruto was blocking his way, and he was not stupid enough to get in close to the person who just countered all of his jutsu so easily.

"Do you really think you have me beat!" he yelled. "This is far from finished! I may not be able to get my hands on Tori no Kuni anymore, but don't think this is the last you will hear from me! One day, I'll find a place of my own, and then I'll have my revenge!"

"Um, no you won't," Naruto said, and then pointed at something behind Hoki. Like an idiot, Hoki turned around, only to be knocked unconscious when a Naruto clone decked him in the face.

Toki blinked as she watched Hoki crumble to the ground like a house of cards. It had been so easy for Naruto to deal with him. Compared to her, it was like Hoki was nothing to him, nothing but a speck on the wall.

Was this the strength of a Konoha shinobi?

As Naruto watched his clone removing what looked like some kind of large costume from Hoki, he turned to look at Toki.

"You alright, hime?" he asked.

"I... I'm fine," Toki breathed out. She blinked at the hand Naruto offered to her, before taking it and allowing him to help her stand. Looking up, it was only now that they were standing so close that Toki realized just how much taller he was than her. "Thank you... for your help. I... I would have been killed if you had not shown up."

"Why did that sound so hard for you to say?" Toki flushed a bit at the question while Naruto chuckled. "Well, it's cool. I'm glad to have helped out."

"Oyabun!"

Two heads turned to see the Naruto clone that had knocked Hoki on his ass dragging the unconscious man towards them. He dropped the wandering ninja like a bag of rocks in front of them, and Naruto and Toki got their first glimpse of the real Hoki.

"Wow," Naruto whistled. "I always thought he looked like a clown before, but now he really looks like a clown. Is that make up he's wearing? He and Kankuro would probably get along famously."

Somewhere in Sunagakure, a certain cat pajama wearing ninja shook his fist in the air and shouted "IT'S NOT MAKE UP! IT'S WAR PAINT!" much to the confusion of Gara and Temari.

"So what do you want to do with him?" asked Naruto, turning to Toki who was looking down at the man. She looked up at him when he spoke, though. "This is your country that he wronged. As Daimyo, you get to decide his punishment."

That's right. It was her job to punish him for betraying her country. This was her chance for revenge. The chance she had sought for so long. Hoki was now helpless before her. She could kill him and he wouldn't be able to do a thing.

She gripped her katana so tightly that her hand began shaking. Raising her blade above her head and holding it in a two handed grip, she prepared to bring it down on Hoki, killing him and achieving her revenge.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of Naruto, who was looking at her in disappointment. She paused at the look, feeling a small pit of unease in the pit of her stomach. For some reason, Toki did not want that look pointed at her.

She looked back down at Hoki, still unconscious, still helpless, then turned her gaze back to Naruto. He was eying her with a carefully masked gaze now. She could determine nothing from his face, though his eyes had now gone from disappointed to curious.

Taking a deep breath, Toki closed her eyes.

… then brought the blade back down to her side.

"He will stand trial in front of a tribunal and receive punishment befitting his crime," she determined, which meant he would still probably be killed, but it wouldn't be by her hand. Killing a Daimyo and betraying a country is serious business.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, and Toki shuddered at the warmth that seemed to exude from the simple gesture.

"Come on," he said softly. "Let's get you back home. My clones can take care of this trash."

Toki smiled as she reached up and placed her hand over his larger one. She was very glad that it was so dark so Naruto could not see her blush.

Too bad she didn't know Naruto could see in the dark just as easily as he could the light.

"Thank you, Naruto."

"Mmm. No problem."

They began the walk back towards their residence, Naruto with his hands up behind his head in a look of casualness that was only added to by his grin, and Toki with the poise and elegance of a Daimyo, albiet, one who had just been on the receiving end of a minor beating.

"Besides, you still have to explain to Chomei and Chishima why you decided to disguise yourself as your brother.

Toki's eyes widened.

Oh crap.

XoX

Naruto groggily opened his eyes as something disturbed his sleep. He blinked several times, trying to get the gunk and crust out of them without having to use his hands. It would have been too troublesome to actually lift any part of his body right now.

Damn, he felt like Shikamaru.

It had only been a few hours ago that he and Toki returned to her palace. After she had explained to Chomei and Chishima how she had disguised herself as Sagi (which had been very amusing), she had offered Naruto a place to stay until it came time for him to leave. She had even managed to wrangle a promise from him that he would stay until her 'official' coronation as Daimyo of Tori no Kuni.

The bed Naruto was in was very comfortable, more so than anything else he had ever slept in (especially his own bed), which explained why he had fallen asleep so easily and so deeply. Royalty sure knew how to live it up.

That did beg the question of just what had awoken him. While Naruto could be a light sleeper when he wanted to be, when not required, he could easily sleep like the dead.

Blinking several more times, Naruto finally saw the cause of his awakening.

"I had better be dreaming because if you're real, then I'm going to scream."

Floating above him, his form ethereal and transparent, was none other than Sagi. Or the ghost of Sagi, but Naruto really hoped it wasn't a ghost and that this was just a dream.

"I wanted to thank you for rescuing my sister from herself," Sagi smiled at him. A ghostly smile. How creepy. "I entrusted her with the future of Tori no Kuni by giving her my watch, but Toki became obsessed with her intense desire for revenge. For her heart, it was as if time had stopped, and as a mere soul, I was not able to change it."

"But you did what I could not. You restarted her time, pushing her forward into the present. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done."

"Ugh... you can thank me by letting me sleep in peace," Naruto rolled over and tried to ignore the creepy ghost floating above him. It was just a dream, just a dream. It was just a dream. Come on, Naruto. Keep on saying it and maybe it will become true.

"Very well. Fair well, Naruto, and thank you."

"Whatever."

As the strange pressure from the ghostly apparition left him, Naruto decided to just pretend this whole thing had never happened. Maybe now he could get back to sleep.

The sliding of his shoji screen doors disabused him of that notion.

"Naruto? Are you awake?"

"Nggg..." Naruto groaned as he rolled back over onto his back and looked over to see who had disturbed him this time. Damn these interruptions. Couldn't they see he wanted to sleep?

Well, at least it wasn't a ghost.

"Toki?" Naruto pushed himself into a sitting position as he looked at the woman slowly walking further into his room. "What are you..." he yawned. "... doing here so late at night? Is something wrong?"

"No," Toki smiled as she sat down on the bed, causing the mattress to shift to accommodate her slight weight. "Nothing is wrong. I just never got the chance to thank you for all you've done for me."

"Eh?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, confusion evident on her face. "I'm pretty sure you did thank me, didn't you? Right after I knocked Hoki on his ass."

"Maybe, but I wanted to thank you properly."

"Properly? What do you –"

Naruto could not say anymore, for his mouth was hampered by another mouth.

His eyes widened as Toki kissed him. He opened his mouth, whether to protest her actions or for some other reason would never be knowing, mainly because Toki used that opportunity to slip her tongue inside his oral cavity.

The blond was quickly pushed back down onto the bed, Toki straddling as her kiss turned feverish. Her hands slipped under his shirt and began messaging his muscled pectorals and wash board stomach in greater and greater sweeps. Her actions sent a chill down Naruto's spine.

Perhaps it was because his higher functions had shut down, or maybe it had something to do with the incredible taste of her lips, but Naruto soon began returning the kiss with equal passion.

Their tongues danced and dueled. Naruto's hands gripped Toki's lithe waist and pulled her to him. The above him moaned at his actions and began kissing him even harder.

And then she began grinding herself against him.

Naruto's brain rebooted.

With a gasp of shock, Naruto pushed Toki's lips off him, then quickly slipped out from underneath her. He scrambled off the bed, his bare feet touching the cool Tatami flooring as he tried to regain his breathing.

"Naruto?" Toki looked at him in concern and a little bit of hurt. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong!?" Naruto shouted, causing Toki to flinch. "This. What we were just doing is... it's wrong. You just... and we just... you can't..."

Naruto's mind was a whirlwind of emotion and turmoil. He had flirted with girl's before, Tenten and Temari being the two who received the most of his time. But even than, it had only been light flirting between friends. Nothing more, nothing less. He had never done anything like this before, he couldn't.

"I'm sorry," Naruto quickly turned around and dashed out of the door, heedless of the fact that he was wearing nothing but a pair of orange boxers.

"Wait! Naruto!"

Naruto ran down corridor after corridor until he managed to slip through one of the secret passages that led outside. Once there, he found a tree to place his hand against as he tried to regain his breath.

_**'Naruto...'**_

_'Don't,' _Naruto's voice sounded out in warning. _'Please don't say anything, Kyuubi. I want to be alone right now.'_

Kyuubi remained silent after that, leaving Naruto to face the inner turmoil of his feelings alone.

XoX

"I gotta admit, brat, I'm pretty impressed that you managed to solve this little problem on your own," Jiraiya said as he and Naruto stood a few meters from the crowd that had gathered for the official coronation of Toki. It looked like the entirety of the country had come to see Toki become the official Daimyo. Naruto could not even begin to count the number of people that were there, standing just outside of the veranda where Toki would make her appearance. "Usually, only Jonin can do solo missions, even if this one wasn't as dangerous as some."

"Yeah, well, what can I say," Naruto said with a small grin. "I'm just awesome like that."

"Hmph, don't get too cocky brat. You've got a long way to go before you can begin taking on solo A-rank missions like a jonin can."

"Whatever."

"Hmm. Look alive brat, it's starting."

Naruto looked over just as the sound of a drum began beating. The door to the chamber where Toki was waiting opened, revealing the woman in all her splendor.

Toki had taken to wearing a very elaborate Kimono made from several layers. The kimono was a solid pink, and was being held up by a very ornate blue obi with gold edgings. Underneath the kimono were several layers of clothing in blue, gold, green and white in that order. Over her kimono she was wearing a white susokiri with red lining the inner edge and gold lining the sleeves. On top of her head was a beautifully crafted gold crown that, while small and seemingly not as grand as, say, the Fire Daimyo's crown, was impressive in it's own right. Naruto could not help but think she looked magnificent in her ceremonial dress.

"Oooohh~" a blush spread across Jiraiya's face as he caught sight of the beautiful woman before him. He then began to drool. "If I had known what a babe Toki was, I would have come around much sooner – OOF!" Jiraiya winced and held his stomach. "Dammit, brat! What was that for?"

Naruto removed his elbow from where it had hit Jiraiya in the gut, not even bothering to take his eyes off Toki.

"Perv on her even from a distance and I will castrate you with a rusty spork."

"Ugh, your no fun." When Naruto raised his elbow again, Jiraiya back off and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright. I won't admire such a fine example of feminine beauty, but only because my cute little apprentice doesn't want me staring at his crush."

From across the field, Naruto's and Toki's eyes met. Unable to hold her gaze, Naruto looked away and turned a glare on Jiraiya.

"I don't have a crush on her," he snapped, perhaps a little more harshly than he should. "It's called having some decency! You don't perv on a Daimyo, ero-sennin."

"Fine, whatever you say, kid." Jiraiya hiked up the large scroll he was carrying around and turned to leave. "Come on, we should head out soon. I want to get out of here before nightfall."

Naruto sighed, sparing one last look at Toki, before spinning on his heels to follow Jiraiya.

After walking for several minutes in silence, Jiraiya sighed, sounding resigned as he turned his head to look at Naruto.

"Hey brat."

"What do you want, perv?"

A tic mark formed on Jiraiya's head, but he ignored the insult. What he had to say was important.

"I needed to tell you something," he hesitated, causing Naruto to look at him. "It's about your family."

* * *

**And cut. I know, I left you on a quasi-cliffy. But I have a reason for this, a good one, which you will find out about in the next chapter.**

**This chapter is longer than my other ones in recent past. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please be sure to give me as much feedback as possible. What did you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Want me to burn at the stake for writing this crap? Be sure to let me know. I can't improve if you don't tell me what I need to improve on.**

**And be sure to check out my blog, Thoughts and Wonderings of a Fanfiction Writer. The link is on my profile.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 41: Growing Pains**

* * *

Naruto frowned as he walked through the barren wasteland. Squinting his eyes as the sun bore down on him, he tried to use his enhanced eyesight to see if he could discern whether or not there was anything living within this Kami forsaken place. There was nothing. Nothing except for the heat waves distorting the air around him.

"This place..." Naruto murmured to himself in discontent. Even wearing nothing more than a pair of white shorts and an equally white skin tight sleeveless shirt did nothing to quell the heat threatening to bake him like an overcooked turkey. His clothing was liberally caked to his skin as sweat drenched his body only to dry up and leave that disgusting, sticky after feel. "Is this really the rendezvous point where we're supposed to meet our client?"

_'Who the hell meets in a place that's so fucking hot?'_

_**'You know, watching you suffer out there almost makes me glad I'm in here where it's always nice and cool. It almost makes being sealed worth it.'**_

Naruto scowled at the sound of Kyuubi's voice.

_'Ugh, sure, rub it in why don't you?'_

"That's right brat," Jiraiya answered as he saddled up to the blond, one hand on his hip and the other shielding his eyes like a visor. Naruto scowled. "The Prince of Tsuki no Kuni (Land of the Moon) and his caravan should be coming this way. Our job is to meet up with them and protect the Prince on his journey back to his country. You'll want to keep a sharp eye out. I don't think I need to tell you how important this client is."

"I wasn't talking to you, _Jiraiya!_" Naruto snarled at the man, the anger and loathing in his voice earning a wince from his sensei.

"Aw, come on, Naruto. Are you still upset about before?"

"Upset? Upset!" Naruto grit his teeth, his larger than average canine's baring themselves angrily at the man. For a moment, his pupils became slitted, before reverting back to their normal round look. "How could I possibly be upset? I mean, I only learned that my own fucking father sealed the Kyuubi into me and that the man who should have raised me decided his time would be better spent whoring himself out and perving on women in hot springs so he could write those filthy novels."

Jiraiya grimaced.

"I already said I was sorry..."

"SORRY DOESN'T TAKE AWAY THE PAIN FROM THIRTEEN YEARS OF NEGLECT!" Naruto bellowed so loudly the noise echoed across the vast wasteland. "It doesn't change the fact that my own godfather, the person who was supposed to take care of me if something ever happened to my parents ignored me for thirteen years of my life and is only now trying to work his way in! You think you can just come into my life after ignoring me for thirteen years!? Think again, Jiraiya!"

With each word that escaped Naruto's mouth, the wound Jiraiya felt opening as he realized how badly he had inadvertently hurt his godson became deeper. He knew the boy would be angry at him when he revealed their relationship. It was only natural that the child would be angry, especially when his past was taken into consideration.

What the Gama Sennin had not expected was just _how_ angry Naruto would be. Even after two months the boy refused to even speak with him except when they were training. And even then, Naruto would speak only enough to get his point across, then he would continue to ignore Jiraiya as if he didn't exist. This was actually the most he had even heard the boy speak in one sitting since he had revealed Naruto's heritage to him.

Naruto turned around so that he would be facing away from Jiraiya. Just looking at him filled him with so much anger it was taking all he had not to rake his claws down the man's face.

"I will accept you as my teacher, because I know I'm not strong enough to look out for myself or defeat a single S-class ninja much less nine, but that's all you are to me now. I refuse to accept you as my godfather!"

As Naruto began marching again, Jiraiya sighed. He did not regret telling his godson of his heritage, because really, the boy deserved to know who his parents were. It was just as he told Tsunade, the boy had a right to know.

That did not mean having the boy he should have raised since his parent's death ignore him like he didn't exist did not hurt. It did. A lot.

Unfortunately, there was not much he could do about Naruto's anger towards him right now. All he could do was complete this mission to the best of his abilities and hope the boy's anger cooled down soon.

_**'Don't you think you're being a tad harsh?'**_

_'Don't tell me you're taking his side, Kyuubi.'_

_**'You know I'm not. I was just stating that you are being quite harsh and that it's unlike you. And don't take that tone with me. I am not the one who ignored you for thirteen years.'**_

_'No, you're just the reason my parents died,' _Naruto said snidely. Almost as soon as he spoke those words he came to regret them. _'Kyuubi ―'_

_**'Do you think I wanted to kill your parents, Naruto? News flash, I couldn't have cared less if they had lived or died. Had they just let me go, I would have simply left that Kami forsaken village and never looked back. I simply wanted my freedom, but your parents refused to give me that. Your mother had to be an idiot and held me down with her blasted chains while your gods be damned father sealed me into you when all I wanted was to be free!'**_

_'Look...' _Naruto sighed tiredly. _'I didn't meant that. I ―' _he paused, then blinked. _'Hold on, how did you know who my mother was? Jiraiya only mentioned her in passing.'_

…

…

_'Kyuubi?'_ When only silence greeted him, Naruto sighed. _'Great, and now I've just pissed off the one person I can talk to in this fucking wasteland. Smooth Naruto, real smooth.'_

XoX

"What. The. Fuck?"

Naruto had seen a lot of things in his short life, many of which would cause any civilian and even some ninja to shiver in fear... or lose their lunch. He had traveled to a number of different countries and had seen villages both small and large. From the tiny community at Nami no Kuni where everybody knew everyone else to the great city in Tetsu no Kuni, Naruto could honestly say he had seen things that few ninja could lay claim to.

In all that time, Naruto would freely admit that he had never seen a caravan that was so damn big. Stretching out for what looked like miles were dozens, perhaps even hundreds of wagons that looked like they were bursting at the seems with junk. Dozens of paraphernalia that looked like they had come from all over the world filled the wagons. Naruto couldn't even name half the crap that was stuffed in them.

"Who the hell buys so much stuff?"

"I did."

Naruto turned as the wagons all ground to a halt to see a man trying to squirm his way out of the most extravagant looking wagon of them all.

Trying, being the keyword.

Naruto gaped as the man who looked like he was fat enough to eat at least two Akamichi's for breakfast and still have room left over for dessert squirmed and wiggled his way out of the carriage. The man in question had brown hair that was being covered by a red cap, brown eyes and was wearing an extravagant blue kimono with darker blue accents and blue and white triangles on the bottom. Underneath that were a pair of khaki pants and thrown over the whole ensemble was some kind of tassel with the same blue and white triangle patterns in it and a golden crescent moon at the end. In short, the man looked like one of those fat fucks who did nothing but sit around eating all day and spending money like it was going out of style.

The porpoise, for this fat creature could not possibly be a man, continued speaking as he managed to finally get out of the carriage and walk over to Naruto and Jiraiya.

"I saw so many incredible things in all the lands we visited that I just had to have them. So I just kept buying and buying, and before I knew it, I ended up with all this."

Naruto grimaced. "I see..." so this guy really was one of those fat, lazy members of royalty who spent money without a care in the world. Naruto would bet all the money in his gama-chan and then some that this guy had probably never had to work a day in his life.

It wasn't much of a surprise, but Naruto really hated people like this. Rich, arrogant fools who had so much money they could spend a million dollars a day and not run out in there lifetime. These people knew nothing of hardship, of sacrifice. They didn't know it was like saving every scrap of money you had so that you could afford decent clothes and food that was not spoiled. People like this fat prince had everything they could ever want handed to them on platters of gold and silver there whole life.

At least Sasuke worked for his title of Rookie of the Year. Whatever Naruto's feelings for Sasuke were and had been did not change the fact that Sasuke had trained hard to acquire the talent he had. Maybe not Rock Lee hard, but then, who the hell trains that hard besides Rock Lee and his crazy ass sensei?

No one, that's who.

"I am Michiru." The porpoise now known as Michiru placed his hands on his hips as he looked at Naruto and Jiraiya with an interested expression. Kami, even his voice had that soft 'spoiled prince' ring to it. "The Prince of Tsuki no Kuni. And I take it that you two are my shinobi escorts?"

"That's right," Jiraiya stepped forward. Naruto turned his head to look away from the pair. He had no interest in what they said. "I'm Jiraiya and this is Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure no Sato. We're both here to see you back home safely."

"Hmmm..." Michiru looked at Naruto again, and the blond boy felt violated when the fat fuck eyed his arms. He knew they were pretty ripped for someone so young, but come on, there was no need to stare at them like that. "Well, you guys certainly look powerful. I can tell that I'm in good hands."

"Haha!" Jiraiya laughed boisterously, his hands on his hips and his head tilted slightly towards the sky. Naruto rolled his eyes. "That is correct. You are in good hands. Tsunade knows how important your country is, which is why she sent me and the brat here to escort you. We are currently some of the strongest shinobi Konoha has to offer."

"Is that so? Excellent! Please be sure to look after me and my son on our way home."

Jiraiya's boisterous laugh once more filled the air.

"Don't worry about a thing, Michiru-Dono. The brat and I can handle anything that gets thrown at us."

Naruto grit his teeth as the man called him brat again. Who the hell did this perverted fool think he was? Talking about him as if they were family or something. This idiot didn't have the right to speak of him so familiarly!

Instincts suddenly blared to life and Naruto's eyes snapped wide open. At the same time, his hand shot out and snatched the small projectile that had been aimed at his head out of the air.

He brought the weapon down to get a better look at it, and saw that it was a fake arrow with a suction cup replacing the point. A child's projectile.

"You know, it's considered rude to shoot the person who's going to be keeping your ass safe," Naruto looked in the direction the arrow had been shot to see a young boy who looked like a younger, not fat version of Michiru.

He was wearing what looked like a long, white kimono that split at the bottom and had blue triangles bordering it. Below that were dark gray pants and brown boots. A white shoulder cape of the same color and design as the kimono was also being worn as some kind of decorative piece. Lastly, he had a quiver strapped to his back and was holding a bow in his hand, signifying him as the one who shot the arrow that would have him Naruto were it not for his fast reflexes.

Naruto already didn't like him. Just looking at the child let him know the boy was likely a spoiled brat. And what the hell was with the douche baggish cape?

"I would suggest not doing it again, lest you end up pissing off the wrong person."

The young brat glared balefully at Naruto, who returned the stare with one of his own.

"Ah, I hope you'll forgive Hikaru," Michiru said. "He's at that mischievous stage that boys go through."

"Whatever," Naruto mumbled, turning and beginning to walk away. "I'm going to begin checking the caravan and creating a patrol route. You guys do whatever it is you do." And with that, Naruto disappeared in a blur of speed.

"Wow," Michiru said as Hikaru gawked at where Naruto used to be. "So fast... is this the power of a ninja?"

"Partly, however, Naruto is stronger than most ninja his age," Jiraiya stated proudly. No matter if Naruto hated him or not, he was still proud of how strong his godson had become. "He's actually the most promising of our newest generation of leaf ninja."

"Is that so?" Michiru was suitably impressed, which would have caused Jiraiya to laugh some more as he told the man tales of how great his apprentice was, but there was business to be done. Bragging could wait until later.

XoX

The caravan had begun to move again. Slowly at first, but with increasing speed as the horses pulled the large wagons laden so full with crap only someone who was super rich and not afraid to waste their money would bother to buy that it looked like each one weighted a ton. Despite the heavy loads, the steeds didn't seem to be complaining. Maybe they were used to lugging around loads of crap?

Naruto found himself perched on top of one of the wagons, using it as a lookout point so he could see the entire operation from where he was. All around caravan walked a large number of clones, fifty in all. Their job was to dispel if they saw something out of the ordinary so that Naruto could deal with it.

That was the problem with clones, he lamented. They couldn't do anymore because they were so weak. Even if they had all of his abilities and a good portion of his chakra one good hit would destroy them.

He really needed to find a way to make them stronger. Nothing was impossible and Naruto was sure this wasn't either. All it would take was a little hard work and gumption.

Maybe he could use Kyuubi's chakra to enhance them? Naruto wondered what such a thing would do. It could make his clones more durable and able to at least take a few hits before dispelling, or it might have disastrous results like making the clone unstable enough that it could explode.

Which would actually be kind of useful. The exploding clone jutsu was a powerful technique. How powerful would exploding clone's be when filled to the brim with Kyuubi's chakra be?

"Hehe," Naruto chuckled. "I could just imagine the explosion that would make..." The image of one of his clones blowing up and destroying a small mountain appeared in his mind. That would definitely be awesome.

His small moment of amusement was short lived as the poor mood he had been in since discovering his heritage and that Jiraiya was his godfather returned.

Sighing, the whisker marked shinobi got back to work, looking out over the barren wasteland the caravan was currently passing through. Naruto wasn't quite sure what sort of environment this place would be considered. It was boiling hot like the desert of Suna, but there was none of the sand associated with that place. It was really just dried up and cracked gravel with loads of rocks. Could this terrain even be considered a desert then?

Hmm, better stick to barren wasteland.

Right now the caravan was moving next to a large mountain range made of steep cliff faces. As Naruto looked up at the giant cliff that was probably around the same size as the Hokage Monument in Konoha, his mind went through the information about the mission he and the pervert had been given.

They were actually on a B-rank mission, which would normally be given to a four-man squad of one jonin and three Chunin. With all of their ninja already on various missions, he and Jiraiya had been the only ones with a high enough rank in the ninja hierarchy to qualify. If they had not been able to do it, then Tsunade would have been forced to give the mission to a group of genin.

Not a very good prospect for what could end up being a difficult mission. They were protecting a prince, after all, one who had enough money that he could pretty much spend millions of it on a whim without a care in the world. It was unlikely that this mission would end up going off without a hitch. Especially now that he was here. No doubt Murphy was going to find some way to screw them over before the end of this journey.

_**'You're always so cynical.'**_

_'I think I have a right to be,' _Naruto said, rolling his eyes. _'Just look at my mission record. My first C-rank turned into an A-rank where I fought Zabuza and... Haku, then the Chunin Exams came and then there was the Sasuke Retrieval disaster. And let's not forget that mission to Tetsu no Kuni where I fought that prick Ao and the one in Tori no Kuni with the Cursed Warrior. I think I have a right to be cynical when it comes to the missions I'm understaking.'_

_**'Point taken. You have some of the shittiest luck I've seen for this type of stuff. You're the biggest magnet for trouble I've met.'**_

_'Oh gee, thanks.'_

Continuing his survey of the area, his eyes strayed over to the front where Jiraiya was walking alongside the Prince's carriage, talking to the Prince about something with animated gestures and loud belly aching laughter.

Naruto glared at the man for a moment, then decided to ignore him and focus on the carriage itself.

It really was one of the most fancy looking carriages he had ever seen. A large white carriage with golden accents and designs. It looked much more streamlined then the other carriage, which were all large, bulky and plain looking. The thing was obviously designed with the intention of making people green with envy.

Just then, one of the shadow clones guarding the caravan dispelled, sending all of it's memories back to Naruto. This was followed by several more dispelling in quick succession. Naruto's eyes fluttered a bit as images bombarded his mind. Images he got from the clones memories.

Images of several dozen people dressed in filthy rags and bearing rusted weapons. Bandits or highway men most likely.

Opening his eyes, the blond Uzume turned his head and looked up at the ledge the caravan was currently traveling alongside of. There, running down the ledge with weapons bared were several bandits, all of whom were screaming like a bunch if idiots.

Naruto smiled. He had been hoping for an opportunity to release some pent up tension for a while now. He was so pleased to see his wish had finally been granted.

XoX

_**'That was awfully brutal of you.'**_

_'Kyuubi?' _Naruto perked up at the sound of the voice he had not heard since some time yesterday morning passed through his mind. _'Are you finally talking to me?'_

_**'Would you rather I not talk to you?'**_

_'Ah, no. I didn't mean it like that,' _Naruto was quick to let her know he wasn't being rude or sarcastic or anything like that. As strange as their odd relationship was, he did not want to give it up, especially when she was the only person he could now talk to since he couldn't even stand the sight of Jiraiya. _'I was just surprised. That's all. I didn't expect you to start talking to me after you cut out so abruptly.'_

_**'I was bored.'**_

_'Ha...' _Naruto sighed,_ 'figures.'_

With a deep expelling of breath, Naruto fell backwards on the futon he had been sitting on and looked up at the sky. It was nighttime now. The stars painted the velvety canvas above him like a billion small beacons in the night sky. He had to admit, it made for a fantastic sight.

_**'You were awfully brutal during that battle today,' **_Kyuubi continued along her previous line of thought.

_'You mean when I fought those bandits?'_

_**'Mm. I don't think I've ever seen you kill someone so violently. At least, not since that time in Nami no Kuni.' **_Naruto closed his eyes, remembering that time in Nami, the day where Haku had died. **_'I have to admit, I was a little shocked at how violently you ripped that guy with the pick axe apart.'_**

_'Ugh.' _Naruto grimaced as he took remembered the battle, if someone could even consider that slaughter a battle. It had been so one sided that to call it a complete massacre wouldn't even begin to describe how poorly that fight had gone for the bandits arrayed against Naruto. _'Well, I've been pretty angry recently. What with the pervert withholding information on my parents on top of being my godfather who abandoned me to the hatred of an entire village for thirteen years of my life.'_

_**'I wonder how long you're going to hold onto your hatred for...'**_

Naruto frowned.

_'What do you mean by that?' _

_**'I mean you have never been one to let your hatred get the better of you. You even decided to forgive the villagers of Konoha for treating you like utter shit for years. Yet you hold a lot of anger towards your godfather.'**_

_'It's because he's my godfather that I'm so angry at him.' _Naruto closed his eyes as his mind went over the issues he had with the man who should have raised him. _'I can forgive the villagers of their ignorance because they don't know any better. Sure, they could have taken the time to get to know me, but by the time I was old enough for them to possibly move past their hatred, I was beginning to play pranks in order to get attention, which did not endear me to anyone.'_

Naruto let out a heavy sigh.

_'On the other hand, Jiraiya is my godfather, and he does know better. He was the one who taught my dad everything he knows about seals so he knew damn well that I was not you. That means he ignored me not out of irrational hatred, but out of negligence. I can't forgive something like that.'_

_**'Doesn't the pervert have a spy network to take care of?'**_

_'That doesn't change anything, Kyuubi. Jiraiya had to have at least visited Konoha on occasion to give a report or something. Even if he only spent a week out of the entire year every time he came into Konoha with me, I would have been satisfied, but he didn't. He ignored me. I didn't even know I had a godfather until he told me.'_

_**'And now you're upset that he didn't spend time with you. You humans are always so emotional. I wonder, is it because of how short lived your species are?'**_

_'Yeah, well... I'm not really human anymore, am I?' _was Naruto's bitter reply.

_**'Are you still upset about that? I had thought you had gotten over it.'**_

_'I guess it's just now starting to really hit me,'_ Naruto admitted. Truth be told after Kyuubi had revealed her theory on what had happened to him after he absorbed half of her chakra, he had pretty much forgotten all about the possibility that he may be immortal. There had been more important things to worry about; the Chunin Exams, the Invasion, Sarutobi dying, the search for Tsunade and his rising in rank to Chunin. In the wake of all that happened, the knowledge that he was not quite human anymore had been pushed into the deepest recesses of his mind.

His battle with Guran had brought those realizations back. Guren, who was more powerful than him, more skilled then him and just plain better than him. Despite his incredible disadvantage, he had managed to fight her on mostly even ground.

It was not because of his talent as a ninja, nor because of his skills and unpredictability. It had been because of his ability to regenerate from any damage received at an astounding rate. Cuts were healed in seconds, broken bones in minutes. Even getting impaled by a crystal javelin did not keep him down for long. His body had taken all the punishment Guren could give him and simply healed right back up, allowing him to fight longer and harder than what should have been possible for someone of his skill level.

_**'You had better get over that hang up quickly,' **_Kyuubi advised him. **_'Such thoughts will only hold you down from reaching your potential.'_**

_'Whatever,' _Naruto sighed as he wrapped the blanket he had been using to keep warm around him tighter. _'I'm done with this conversation.'_

Uzumaki Naruto closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. However, no matter how hard he tried, sleep would not come. The next day, he would be incredibly irritable.

XoX

Naruto found himself sighing as he realized why the other people who had been hired before him and the old pervert to guard Michiru and Hikaru quit. It wasn't because they couldn't handle the danger, but because they were disgusted by just how lavish and wasteful the Prince was. The man really did spend money without a care in the world.

The group had arrived in a small city not to long ago. It was a nice looking community surrounded by grassy plains. The architecture all followed the same scheme, tan and red brick walls with red tiled roofing. Most of the buildings were houses or apartments where people lived, but there were also a number of shops and stores. Naruto couldn't help but find the peaceful atmosphere soothing.

However, while they were moving through the town, Hikaru had seen a large sign mentioning the circus that was going on in town. Michiru, being the rich and wasteful slob that he was, had no issue spoiling the brat rotten by agreeing to stop for the day so he could buy tickets to see the show.

_**'You shouldn't complain too much,' **_Kyuubi said as she lay against her fluffy pillows, all nine of her tails arrayed around her like some kind of majestic robe. She was watching everything through Naruto's eyes. Even though she had seen circus' before, this was the first time in about two hundred years that she had been able to. It was interesting to see what new acts humans came up with. **_'At least Michiru bought tickets for you and the pervert as well.'_**

Naruto scowled at the mention of his godfather. His eyes quickly flickered over to the man in question, who was sitting next to Hikaru and Michiru while Naruto sat further back.

As if sensing his gaze burning a hole through his back, Jiraiya turned around to look at him. At the same time, Naruto looked back at the woman sitting on the trunk of an Elephant that was balancing on it's hind legs.

Maybe it was just because he was a shinobi, but the sight wasn't all that impressive.

_'I guess you're right,' _Naruto sighed as he leaned back in his seat and tried to enjoy the show.

_**'Of course I'm right. When will you realize, my dear Naruto-kun, that I am always right?'**_

Naruto snorted with barely restrained laughter. He didn't know if she was using that haughty tone for comedic purpose, but he couldn't deny Kyuubi sounded very funny when she spoke with such blatant narcissism.

The circus' acts weren't all bad, Naruto decided as time wore on. Sure, the one where that lady was directing rhinos around in a circle while she stood in the middle with a whip was boring as hell, but the one after that where the man managed to balance six sticks with spinning plates ― one on each foot and two for each hand ― with squirrels in each plate running around to help them spin was pretty damn impressive.

There was also one act where four polar bears dressed in yellows vests with red bow ties and top hats moved around the ring while balancing on bright, multi-colored beach balls. That was pretty cool too. Naruto's favorite act by far had to be the boxing kangaroos.

_**'Of course that would be your favorite,'**_ Kyuubi huffed from inside the seal. **_'You boys and your enjoyment of senseless violence. I swear, no matter how much time passes, human males never change.'_**

Naruto shrugged.

_'I guess I can't really argue with you there,'_ he admitted. _'Still, I don't think this is something only men would enjoy.'_ He paused, thinking. _'I'm actually pretty sure Sakura would be into this kind of thing as well.'_

_**'Probably,'**_Kyuubi sounded amused, _**'I can actually picture the pink one standing up in her seat, swinging her fists as she cheered to see a good fight.'**_

Naruto grinned as he got an amusing image of his pink haired former teammate standing in her seat, swinging her arms half-hazardly, decking several people in the face without knowing it all the while yelling 'fight, fight, fight!' like those party goers who enjoy watching people in drinking contests yell 'chug, chug, chug!'. It was definitely an amusing image.

_'I can see that too.'_

Before Kyuubi could say anything more, the lights dimmed. Naruto sat up in his seat as a single spotlight played on the main circus ring that most of the acts had taken place either on or around.

The ringleader, a man with sandy brown haired, a mustache, and wearing a red suit with a large top hat stepped onto the ring, a microphone in his hand.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's the moment you've all been waiting for!" The Ringleader's voice blared loudly over the speakers. "The one! The only! Chamū, the Saber-tooth Tiger!"

_**'A Saber-tooth tiger?'**_ Kyuubi perked up, **_'Here? In a circus?'_**

_'Something wrong Kyuubi?' _asked Naruto. The single spotlight disappeared as several different spotlights of varying color flickered on around the room. The lights began moving as a drum roll commenced.

_**'Naruto, Saber-tooth tigers are extremely rare,' **_Kyuubi told him. She sounded a bit frustrated for some reason. **_'So rare that before I was sealed, I had not seen one for over two hundred years. You humans hunted them to extinction.'_**

_'Obviously not if there's one still around,' _Naruto pointed out. Kyuubi growled. _'Seriously, Kyuubi? What's up? I don't think I've ever heard you get angry like this. Well,' _he added when he heard her snort, _'Not over something like this at any rate.'_

_**'I'm not angry,' **_Kyuubi denied, **_'I'm just... annoyed.'_**

_'Why? I thought you would be happy to know something like this.'_

_**'You wouldn't understand.'**_

Naruto sighed at her words. That was Kyuubi's answer every time he asked a question that managed to bring up something she didn't like, or something that brought back memories she was not fond of. He wondered what these particular memories were about, but knew he would not be getting those answers out of his tenant for a while, if ever.

He turned his attention back to the stage. The colored spotlights all converged in one area several feet above the ring and to the left, creating what looked like a rounded triangle of light. In the center of this triangle was the creature that could only be Chamū.

Chamū was a very large tiger, easily the size of a standard human in length, though only coming up to the waist of a full grown adult. It was a powerful looking creature, with strong looking muscles, sharp claws and a sleek body that looked streamlined. Clearly, this Chamū was built for speed.

It had dark gray skin and a white under belly that extended all the way to it's face and three diamond patterns of darker fur on it's head. Wrapped around it's neck like some kind of scarf or cape was a bandana that was tied at the end. Beneath that and around it's upper torso was a dark brown vest with lighter brown accents. Like all felines, it had three whiskers on each side of it's face.

Perhaps the most startling feature about this Saber-tooth tiger was the bright yellow eyes that seemed unnaturally sharp and the very large, very sharp looking fangs jutting from it's upper lip. Those were some seriously intimidating teeth. And the dental coverage must be a bitch for those.

Chamū let out a low growl before unleashing a giant roar that had Hikaru gasping in awe and Michiru looking like he was about to shit himself. That, more than anything else, Naruto found amusing.

Acting with what looked like practiced ease, Chamū jumped from the platform he was on to another platform embedded into the wall, then finally the circular platform within the ring. The ringleader quickly jumped up as Chamū gazed at everything around him.

"As rare as he is dangerous. Chamū is the only one of his kind in captivity!"

_**'Of course,'**_ Kyuubi growled, **_'Naturally the only thing that man is proud of is how dangerous that saber-tooth is and how he's essentially enslaved here.'_**

_'Kyuubi? Are upset at seeing someone besides your self being forced into captivity?'_

_**'Che! Of course not! Saber-tooth tiger's may be intelligent, but they're still just animals. Why should I care about an animal?'**_

_'I don't know. I was just asking...'_

_**'Well you can stop asking.'**_

_'Alright, alright. No need to get upset. Yeesh! Someone's touchy today.'_

_**'What was that?'**_

_'Nothing.'_

"And here's Chamū's friend and partner, Kiki!"

_'The hell kind of a name is Kiki?'_

_**'The dumb kind?'**_

More spotlights appeared, this time hovering in the air as a tiny chimpanzee with the same bandana and vest scheme only in reverse colors descended after flipping off a high bar and landed on Chamū's head. Everyone clapped as the tiny monkey stood up, took off it's hat and bowed the crowd.

"And now, Chamū and Kiki have a very special treat for you!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as Kiki climbed onto a tiny platform being raised into the air by a tall tripod. A ball was tossed to him, which he soon tossed to Chamū. The ball was then tossed back when the saber-tooth tiger hit it with his head, after which it went back to Kiki before being returned by the chimp smacking it with his tail.

_'Alright,'_ Naruto said suddenly as he watched Chamū jump extremely high in the air for not being chakra enhanced so he could smack the ball back to Kiki. _'That's actually kind of impressive. I wonder how they trained him to do that?'_

Kyuubi scoffed.

_**'You don't train a saber-tooth tiger, Naruto, they're impossible to train. You're more than likely to get your head bitten off by it than you are to successfully train something like that.'**_

_'Then how is it doing all those tricks?'_

_**'I imagine they managed to coax it into doing that somehow. The monkey probably has something to do with it.'**_

Naruto looked over at the chimpanzee just as it hit the ball back to Chamū. He didn't think a monkey would be that smart, but then, he didn't know much about monkey's. For all he knew, it could be super smart.

_**'Considering your kind is derived from apes, I don't think you have much room to insult the intelligence of a monkey.'**_

_'Owch. Claws out today, Kyuubi?'_

_**'They're always out. You know that.'**_

Chamū ended up doing a few more tricks, namely, jumping through rings that were lit on fire. After the last of the tricks, Chamū jumped back onto the platform. Kiki dropped on his head again, an apple in it's hand this time. It took bite of the red fruit, then tossed it into the air where an arrow from a man who had walked into the ring shot it down and pinned it to the wall.

As everyone else clapped, Naruto snorted. He could have tossed a kunai through that apple with no trouble.

_**'Shooting an arrow and throwing a kunai are very different things, Naruto. Arrows require a lot more concentration, precision and skill to shoot.'**_

Naruto huffed a bit, but didn't say anything. He knew if he did, Kyuubi would just use it as an opportunity to mess with him.

"If you think that was hard, then watch this!"

Kiki began spinning the apple on one of it's fingers. It lifted the spinning apple above it's head as Chamū stood up on his hind legs. The pair wobbled a bit, whether on purpose or because Chamū's balance was precarious was unknown. Whatever the case was, moving around like that would most certainly present a harder target for the archer to hit.

"If he's off even a fraction of an inch, it's goodbye Kiki!"

_'Oh please,'_ Naruto gave a derisive snort, making some of the people sitting near him look at him oddly. He ignored them. _'There are 360 degrees he could shoot his bow, and that's not even going into angles. If the idiot misses, chances are he's going to shoot wide and miss the apple and monkey entirely. Does that man honestly expect people to not realize this?'_

_**'Not everyone's a shinobi, you know,' **_Kyuubi reminded Naruto as she caressed her tails and watched the scene through Naruto's eyes. While she wouldn't say she was enjoying the show, it was at least something different from what she usually saw. That, and she wasn't cynical like Naruto was being. **_'All of these people are civilians. They're so easy to manipulate it's ridiculous. These people will eat up that man's words like they were coming from Kami just because they want a good show.'_**

_'I guess...'_

_**'Good. Now shut up and watch.'**_

Naruto rolled his eyes.

_'Yes, ma'am.'_

The archer soon knocked an arrow back against his bow and pulled the strong taught. While he was taking aim, the ringleader spoke up.

"Alright! We need absolute silence everyone!"

_'If he needed absolute silence then he should make the idiot doing the drum roll stop.'_

_**'My, aren't you the cynic today.'**_

While the drum roll created a lot of noise, the entire crowd had gone silent as they waited on baited breath to see if the archer would be able to hit the apple. Even Naruto was leaning forward in his seat, getting drawn into the suspense in spite of himself.

The archer set his sights on the apple, one eye closed to a squint as he prepared to unleash the arrow knocked back in his bow.

The apple was hit.

But not by the archer.

Naruto blinked as he stared at the apple as it rolled across the ground, a suction cup arrow stuck to it. He turned and saw the brat, Hikaru, standing with his bow out and the string trembling from when it released the arrow.

_'Huh?' _Naruto blinked. _'Well color me orange, the kid's actually not a half bad shot.'_

_**'If someone actually colored you orange I would melt them.'**_

_'It was a figure of speech, Kyuubi.'_

"Easy shot." Even from the distance Naruto was sitting from the others, he managed to easily pick up the words.

_'Wow, arrogant much?'_

"_**Considering you act even more arrogant than he does more than half the time, I don't think you have any right to talk.'**_

_'Key word being 'act' Kyuubi. I know my own limitations, and I know not to be overconfident when my opponent has me outclassed. Don't forget that I just barely managed to stay alive when I fought Guren.'_

_**'Hmph.'**_

"Bravo!" The ringleader shouted, apparently deciding to just make this part of the act. Naruto had to hand it to the man. At least he knew how to go with the flow. "Good eye sonny!" He clapped for a moment. "However, let's see you handle this!"

Apple once more in hand, Kiki began spinning the red fruit on his finger. Chamū jumped off the platform and began running around in a circle, presenting a much harder target to hit than he had the last time. This one would actually take a good amount of skill to hit. Naruto could do so, of course, but only when using kunai.

_'Ten-chan could hit that thing easily,' _Naruto thought fondly to himself. No doubt if Tenten were here, she would have made this entire spectacle a competition with the kid. And kicked his ass in the process. _'I wonder if she knows how to use a bow?'_

_**'I wouldn't doubt it. That girl's a weapons fanatic the likes of which I have never seen before. And that's saying something.'**_

Naruto watched as once again, Hikaru let the arrow fly. And once again, the arrow hit the apple dead center.

"W-Wow."

Everyone soon began clapping for the boy who had proved to be an amazing shot. Naruto didn't, even though he was actually kind of impressed. But that was just because it would be too much of a hassle to actually clap.

Kami that sounded a lot like Shikamaru.

The ringleader walked up to Hikaru, a large grin on his face.

"What a great shot! I've never seen anything like it!"

"Eh? I've made harder shots than that." Hikaru pretended to act all nonchalant, even though Naruto could tell the brat was preening.

_'Wow, hamming it up much?'_

_**'You have no right to talk about hamming anything up.'**_

_'I'm not that bad, am I?'_

_**'Do you want me to answer that?'**_

_'… Not really.'_

"Hmm..." the ringleader put a hand under his elbow and the other hand cupped his chin as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "You deserve a prize for a shot like that... yes... now, let me see... what do you think about a ―"

"I want him," Hikaru interrupted, pointing at the saber-tooth tiger that was walking around the platform. Naruto snickered. Of course the brat would want the largest, most dangerous creature there.

"Wha? You mean Chamū? O-oh, he's too big and dangerous, sonny. Besides, with Chamū gone I wouldn't have a show."

"I don't care. I want him."

Naruto scowled at the brat's words. Like father like son. It seemed the apple didn't fall very far from the tree.

The ringleader tried to get the young boy to see reason, but the spoiled little turd wasn't listening anymore. He just turned to his slightly drunk dad.

"Father please!"

"Sure, why not!" Michiru said cheerfully after he finished his drink. His pink cheeks let Naruto know the man was really feeling the alcohol. "You know I've always wanted my own circus. Why don't we buy the whole thing, tent and all!"

Even Jiraiya seemed surprised by that statement. Sitting where he was next to Michiru, the white haired man spewed out all of the sake he had been drinking and began pounding his chest with a fist as he coughed.

Naruto sighed.

_'So this is how that idiot treats his son? Buying him whatever the hell he wants? No wonder the brat's so kami damn spoiled.'_

_**'Do you know how I dealt with spoiled brats I didn't like?'**_

_'No, I don't,' _Naruto perked up a bit, intrigued. _'How'd you deal with little shits like that?'_

_**'I ate them.'**_

Naruto sweatdropped. She wasn't being serious, was she? He hoped not, or he might never be able to look at Kyuubi the same way again.

_'I... see... somehow, I don't think me eating the kid would turn out well.'_

_**'Hmph. Your loss.'**_

_'...Right...'_

XoX

Hikaru had a very smug smile on his face as he watched his father hand the shaky ringleader a check for the circus. The man in the red suit looked like he was going to start crying in joy any minute now. His whole body was shaking. Naturally, it was because the check with more zeros in it than the budget for most kingdoms.

Who says money can't buy everything?

All around them, the people working for the circus were taking things down and putting it away for the journey to Tsuki no Kuni. Hikaru didn't pay much attention to them. He didn't really care about the rest of the circus. Just the tiger.

"Well, to be honest I've always wanted to do a show in Tsuki no Kuni. It's a delightful place from all I've heard..."

As Hikaru walked beside his father, who was speaking to the ringleader about something ― Hikaru didn't care what ― a sight caught the young boy's attention. Chamū was resting on several crates, his front paws being used as pillows. Meanwhile, the monkey, Kiki, looked like he was about to feed the tiger an apple as the much larger beast yawned widely.

He probably would have too, if he had not spotted Hikaru and bolted for it.

Hikaru walked up to the lounging saber-tooth and picked up the apple Kiki had dropped. He leaned forward, offering the fruity treat to the tiger.

"Hungry?"

At the sound of his voice, Chamū's eyes snapped open and a growl escaped the tiger's lips. Hikaru back away, eyes widening in fear as the over 600 pound tiger stood up and glared at him with lips pulled back into a deadly looking snarl.

The tiger roared, causing Hikaru to fall backwards and land on his bum with a yelp of fright. The young boy's eyes quivered as he stared at the now terrifying creature before him. What had once seemed like such a tame animal now looked like a wild beast ready to rip him limb from limb.

"Ah! Sonny!"

"Hikaru!"

The sound of the ringleader and his father wasn't even heard by the boy as he found himself staring into the eyes of his death. Those dangerous yellow eyes that seemed to speak of untold violence and a desire to kill were glaring at him, and Hikaru could see his life begin flashing before his eyes.

Chamū looked just about ready to lunge when a blur of black and orange appeared between them.

"Sit down," Naruto snarled as he stood in front of the quivering Hikaru and faced down the enraged tiger. Chamū backed up a step, but quickly regained his bearings and roared at Naruto in return, but the blond did not back down.

Instead, his irises began to bleed red and his pupils became black slits as an aura of pure, unbridled power threatened to wash over everyone in the clearing.

Naruto's lips peeled back in a snarl that was every bit as feral as the one Chamū was giving. **"Sit! Down! Now!"**

For a moment, the saber-tooth tiger looked as if he were considering attacking the blond anyways. After several seconds of nothing happening, Chamū eventually did as told and sat down on his haunches. Naruto smiled.

"Good boy," the blond reached up and began absently caressing the large tiger behind the ear. Everyone in the vicinity, including the ringleader was shocked when the giant cat with claws closed his eyes and began to purr.

"Would you look at that?" the ringleader gawked at the sight of the fearsome and terrifying Chamū, purring like some kind of house kitten. "I've never seen Chamū let anyone get close to him. He doesn't even let me get too close to him. How is he doing that?"

Jiraiya, who had also been walking with Michiru and Hikaru watched Naruto work his magic on the large tiger. Only he knew what Naruto had done, using the Kyuubi's chakra to overpower Chamū's rage by showing the saber-tooth that he was the bigger predator. It was an impressive way to deal with something like this to be sure. And it didn't even end in bloodshed.

After a few seconds of pampering the giant cat's head, Naruto sighed and stood up form where he was crouched. He turned around to look at Hikaru, who was still trembling as he stared between Naruto and Chamū.

"Geez, kid. You really are a bundle of trouble, you know?" asked Naruto, shaking his head a bit before sticking his hand out for the boy to take. "You alright?"

"I..."

Hikaru stared at the hand being offered to him like it was something foreign. His mind was still reeling from the shock of the past few seconds. After nearly a second of staring, he slapped the hand away and quickly bolted from the seen, leaving Naruto to stare after him.

"Hikaru! Hikaru!" Michiru shouted after his son to no avail. The man looked like he wanted to chase after the boy, but decided not to in the end. Probably because he was so damn fat he wouldn't be able to catch up with the child anyways.

"Ugh, what an ungrateful little..." Naruto sighed, releasing a huge gust of breath. He looked down at Chamū who was staring up at him with curious yellow eyes and grinned. "Come on, Chamū. Why don't we go find your friend?"

With that, the strange pair of boy and tiger decided to make their own exit from the scene. But not before a certain kitsune left her own parting comment.

_**'Trying to add 'Beast tamer' to your resume, Naruto?'**_

Naruto rolled his eyes at the woman's teasing tone. Some things would just never change.

_'Oh hush up.'_

* * *

**Yeah, this chapter is now done. I'm actually satisfied with it, surprisingly. I just hope my English is good. I checked it over, but, well, you never know.**

**In any case, please let me know how I did. Like it, hate it, want to murder me in my sleep, be sure to tell me.**

**Also, do not forget to check out my blog: Thoughts and Wonderings of a Fanfiction Writer. This is where I pose my thoughts and answer any questions that are asked by my reviewers. The link is on my profile page.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Shifts in Life**

**Chapter 42: Stormy Seas**

* * *

Naruto had to admit that his new pillow was very comfortable. It was soft and warm and fuzzy. All the good things a pillow should possess, except maybe the fuzziness in most cases. Combine that with the mild heat bearing down on him from the sun and the smell of the ocean on the breeze and it was easy to see why the blond Uzumaki looked almost ready to fall asleep.

He was laying against his new pillow on the peer overlooking to ocean. Jiraiya was with Michiru. They were apparently waiting on 'The Royal Yacht' to make station at the harbor so they could load the circus supplies, tents, animals, and all the crap that Michiru had bought during his journey through the Elemental Nations before heading off to Tsuki no Kuni. That in itself was going to be a long, laborious process, one that Naruto did not envy the circus workers for.

_'Who the hell names their boat The Royal Yacht anyways?'_ Naruto complained to himself as he moved the reed he had stuck in between his teeth around. _'That's got to be the most snobbish name for a ship I've ever heard.'_

_**'That's royalty for you.' **_Kyuubi's answer was very airy, uncaring even. Maybe it was because she was too busy filing her nails to care about something as mundane as a ship's name. While her pillows was not as comfortable as the living one Naruto was using, she had a lot more of them, which more then made up for the lack of comfort. **_'Even back when I was hidden under my guise as a human, the rich and spoiled gave items they owned similar names: The Royal Carriage, A Noble Cause, The Sword of Promised Victory. Hmph! Humans like giving grandiose names to things because it makes them feel more important than they really are.'_**

_'Yeah, I guess,' _Naruto sighed. In response to his deep release of carbon dioxide, his pillow shifted, then growled in question.

"Don't worry too much, Chamū," Naruto reassured the saber-tooth he was leaning his back against. "I was just thinking about something. Nothing important."

Chamū growled quietly before laying his head back down on his paws and closing his eyes. The blond grinned, though the tiger could not see it, and decided that Chamū's idea to get some more shut eye was a grand one. The next thing he knew, he too had closed his eyes and began drifting off to sleep.

Or he tried to drift off to sleep.

A set of footsteps caused Naruto's and Chamū's ears to twitch. Two pairs of eyes opened, one bright yellow and the other an azure blue. The blue eyes closed a second later as the blond they belonged to 'tsked' in annoyance.

"Something I can help you with, Jiraiya."

Said man's wince went unseen by Naruto.

"We just got finished meeting with the Dock Master," Jiraiya decided to not let his emotions play on his face as he informed his apprentice of their current situation. "It seems there is a storm at sea and The Royal Yacht ―" Naruto snorted. "― won't be making it for another day or so. We're currently in the process of securing passage on another ship, but it's going to take some time."

"That's nice and all, but what does this have to do with me?"

Jiraiya sighed at his godson's tone. Just how long did he plan on staying angry anyways?

"Since it's going to take time before we can leave, Michiru and Hikaru are heading out somewhere. Since our job is protecting them on their journey, we'll be going with them."

"I see." Azure eyes opened once more before a tired sigh escaped the lips of the person said eyes belonged to. "I guess there's nothing to it then." He stood up, making both Chamū and their companion Kiki look up at him. Naruto gave them a slight smile as he rubbed Chamū's head. "Don't worry. I'm just heading out to keep an eye on the brat and his fat dad. Part of the job I'm afraid."

Chamū made soft growling noises while Kiki went back to eating his apple.

"You two be good, alright?" Naruto told them. "I don't want to hear about you biting some poor man's head off or something." Another growl was his answer. "Alright then. I'm off. See you when I see you."

Naruto made his way over to Jiraiya and together, the two of them began walking away from the peer.

"How can you understand that tiger?" asked Jiraiya as their feet created a steady 'thumping' rhythm against the wood of the dock. "I don't know anyone who has the ability to understand animals like that. It's a pretty impressive skill."

"Why do you care?" asked Naruto. He didn't give Jiraiya a chance to answer as he sped up and began walking ahead of his sensei. Wooden planks turned into cobblestone pavement and the ocean view was replaced with large buildings soon enough.

Jiraiya closed his eyes, hiding the pain he felt at his godson once again giving him the cold shoulder.

_**'How long do you plan on staying mad at your teacher?'**_

Naruto frowned at the question. _'I don't know.' _He looked up at all the buildings surrounding him on either side. They were all pretty colorful; blues and yellows along with reds and oranges seemed to be the most prominent colors being used by the buildings. This was a very bright city. It was a complete contrast to his own thoughts, which were almost as gloomy as Sasuke's. _'It's not as if a want to be mad at him. It's just that every time I think about forgiving him, I remember that those 13 years where I lived alone could have been avoided if he had been a proper godfather and I get so angry just thinking about it.'_

_**'I think I understand, abstractly at least.'**_

_'Ne, Kyuubi. What would you do if you were in my situation?'_

_**'I'd eat him. It wouldn't be the first time I've devoured a human.'**_

_'Right...' _Naruto sweat dropped. _'I shouldn't have asked._

XoX

Naruto looked on in interest at the place they had arrived at. It was a small cottage on the very outskirts of town, next to a small bluff overlooking the ocean. Green grass and a few trees sprinkled along the ground surrounded two sides while the ocean disappeared into the horizon on the West and the small dirt road he, Jiraiya and the carriage carrying the fatso and his jerk of a son were on the East.

The cottage itself was very quaint, but nice. A red tiled roof and paneled yellow wood made up a majority of the small place. Much of the house was surrounded by hedges. There was even a garden, which a pretty, middle-aged woman was tending to.

Said woman stopped pulling the berries from her plants and stood to her feet as the carriage pulled up. Naruto stopped alongside the carriage, hands behind his head and a bored look on his face. Now that they were closer, he could see the woman's features more clearly; a darker not-quite Mocha-colored tan, dark brown eyes, and dark hair down to her back. She was wearing a basic sleeveless green dress and had a shark-tooth necklace around her neck.

The door to the carriage opened and Michiru stepped out of it carrying an armful of flowers. There sure were a lot of them. Flowers, that is. And such variety as well. They were all so colorful. Being an amateur gardener himself, Naruto knew a few of the flowers the man was holding, but the rest were a mystery.

As the fat man stopped just in front of the garden, the woman halted herself at the end, opposite the obese prince.

The flowers came down as Michiru lowered his arms, revealing his chubby face. The moment he saw the woman, his cheeks flushed with pleasure and a large smile crept on his face.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again, Amayo!"

The woman, Amayo, looked at Michiru like he was some kind of idiot. At least until Hikaru stepped out of the carriage. Then she gasped, brought a hand to her mouth and dropped her basket of fruits.

Uncaring of the fruit she stepped on, Amayo began walking forward, her pace hurried. Michiru saw this and dropped all but two of the bouquets in his hands as he raised his arms in joy.

"Oh my honey!"

Amayo walked right past him like he was not even there. She marched up to Hikaru, kneeling down in front of the confused boy. Her eyes began to water.

"Hikaru... is that you?" Hikaru didn't answer. Mainly because Amayo did not give him a chance to answer before wrapping him up in a fierce hug as tears began leaking from her eyes. "Oh Hikaru! My beautiful boy!"

Naruto snickered into his hand as he watched the scene unfold. While some might have called this a heartfelt reunion, he couldn't help but find comedy in the moment. The look on Michiru's face when Amayo waltzed right by him like he wasn't even there was just too much.

_**'I'm glad to see you're amused by this.'**_

Naruto chuckled some more. _'Aren't you? I mean, just look at that idiot's face. I've never seen someone look so constipated before.'_

_**'I don't really care enough to be amused. Now if Michiru ended up getting strangled to death by his own intestines, then I would be amused.'**_

Naruto sweat dropped. _'You... have a really morbid idea of what's amusing.'_

_**'It comes from years of being used by humans who think they can do whatever they want.'**_

_'Ha... right.'_

Naruto focused on what was happening outside of his mind again. Michiru had just had someone pick up the bouquets he dropped for him (lazy ass), and was now making his way over to Amayo who was _still _hugging the life out of Hikaru.

"Ahem." He coughed, holding out the bouquet of red roses. When Amayo ignored him, he coughed again, louder, and began shaking the bouquet in order to get the woman's attention. "Ahem, ahem!"

Ayamo turned around, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. She gave the fat man a deadpanned look that let everyone there know she was displeased at having her reunion with her son disrupted. "Who are you?"

Michiru looked distraught. "How could you say that, Amayo." The numerous bouquets fell from his nerveless fingers, dropping to the ground in a rustle of leaves and fabric. With the last bouquet left in his hand, the roses he had tried handing to Amayo, he pointed to himself. "Don't you recognize me?"

Eyes squinting, she looked at the fat man who seemed to know her with a bit more heedful gaze. After a few seconds, her eyes widened and her face became disbelieving. "I don't... impossible... Michiru?"

"Of course it's me!"

"What!?" Amayo shrieked, her eyes boggling. They looked like a pair of dish pans. "No! No, I don't believe it!" She shook her head almost violently and held Hikaru that much tighter. "You're too fat!"

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face, threatening to split it in half. Now this was entertainment!

"Well, if I am it's all because of you," Michiru accused. Naruto grimaced in disgust as the man blamed Amayo for his lack of self-control when it came to eating. "Ever since you left me, eating is the only thing that can help me forget my loneliness."

Amayo gave one last look at the man who had apparently been much skinnier when she knew him, then groaned.

Naruto threatened to break down in laughter. Truly, watching these people was enough to lift his troubled spirits.

Now if only he could find some way to learn how to deal with a group of S-rank ninja without Jiraiya's help, things would be perfect.

XoX

"I'm so lonely without you. So is Hikaru. Please come home where you belong."

Naruto stared up at the blue sky from where he lay on the roof of the small cottage the fat Prince's not fat former wife lived in. The sky was rather pretty today. It was a shade of blue similar to his own eyes. There were a number of clouds drifting lazily by, going where ever the wind took them. Naruto almost felt like he could just drift off right now.

No wonder Shikamaru did this so often. Watching the clouds, that is. It was addictive.

His arms were behind his head and there was another reed in his mouth that he was playing with, with his tongue. Down below in the house itself, the voice of Michiru and Amayo could be heard.

"No!" He heard Amayo's voice, firm and strong, speak up. It was a stark contrast compared to Michiru's whiny tone. "My only regret is Hikaru. If I hadn't signed that stupid wedding contract, I'd keep him here with me, and raise him myself!"

_'I guess they're having a lovers spat,' _Naruto mused, absently twirling the reed of grass around. _'I wonder... Amayo was surprised by how fat Michiru was. How long has it been since they last saw each other? It takes an awful lot of time to get that fat.'_

_**'Or just a lot of food.'**_

_'Maybe. But even eating until your ready to burst every single day it would take years to get that large.'_

_**'Why are we even talking about this?'**_

Naruto shrugged. _'Cuz I'm bored. And I imagine that you are too.'_

_**'Hmm... it is pretty boring now. There's no battles, no mysteries, and I don't get to watch as humans kill each other because of their own greed and stupidity. It's definitely too peaceful for my tastes.'**_

_'You and your need for violence. You know, you never spoke like this when we first met.'_

_**'That's because I was being cautious. It's important when going into a mutually beneficial relationship that you do not do or say anything to upset the one you are going to rely on.'**_

_'You didn't do a very good job then.'_

_**'Whatever, I could say the same thing about you.'**_

_'Touche.'_

The sound of footsteps underneath the blond-haired Uzumaki alerted him to the fact that two people were pacing. One was light, Amayo's definitely. The other was heavy. Michiru, obviously.

"Why do you hate me so much? I gave you everything you ever wanted, didn't I? Wasn't it enough?"

The pacing stopped.

"Ugh, Michiru. You never gave me the most important thing."

"Huh?" Michiru's confusion was obvious, even to Naruto who could not see the man. The blond could just imagine that idiot of a prince, his head tilted to the side in confusion as he tried to figure out what his former wife was talking about, and failing. "I know! How about a new palace! A pink one!"

"NO!"

BANG!

Scratch that. He wasn't just failing. He was failing epically.

"Then... how about a villa for your parents? That way they could live with us year round, even in the winter."

"RRGGG"

SLAM!

"Oh boy," Naruto whistled. "Someone's getting violent down there."

"Don't be so mean," Michiru started again after a several second pause. "Come on. Come live with me again. I'll give you anything you want. Just name it. You want the royal jewels? You can have them my love. Anything you want. I would even give up Tsuki no Kuni for you!"

Naruto wrinkled his nose in barely masked disgust. This... this was the prince of Tsuki no Kuni? This disgusted, sniveling piece of shit who would willingly give up his entire kingdom just like that?

A man like this was not worthy of calling himself Daimyo. No wonder he had not already inherited the title. He had yet to even understand what should be truly important to him.

Apparently, Amayo felt the same way because a second later there was a loud clattering of something falling to the floor, a chair most likely, followed by the sound of flesh smacking against flesh. If Naruto were a betting ninja, he would have just put all his money on that sound being Amayo slapping Michiru.

"You really haven't changed at all. Even now, you haven't got a clue, have you? About what really matters."

"... What really matters, huh," Naruto muttered to himself, his eyes closing. "Even the best of us don't always know what's truly important to us."

_**'Naruto?'**_

"It's nothing." Naruto shook his head and stood up. He looked out across the land, seeing the grass and trees sway in the breeze, the waves gently caress the ocean shore. "Just thinking."

_**'…'**_

_'Kyuubi?'_

_**'Yes?'**_

_'What do you think is better? Having both your parents alive and well, but no longer together and fighting? Or dead and gone, but safe in the knowledge that they loved each other very much?'_

_**'I... I don't know...' **_Kyuubi sounded surprised and unsure. There was a quiver in her voice that he was not used to. She had probably not been expecting such a question. **_'Why are you asking?'_**

_'No reason, I guess...' _Naruto found his eyes locked on the small figure on the wall. Hikaru. Currently, the young boy was looking into the window of the cottage, his eyes wide and his mouth opened. Naruto wondered what the boy was thinking. _'Just curious...'_

_**'…'**_

Kyuubi had nothing to say to that. No snide remarks, no sarcastic comments, nothing.

The two remained silent, even as the group began to disembark, leaving all parties in varying states of negativity.

XoX

Naruto sat against the rock overlooking the ship they would be using to sail to Tsuki no Kuni. It was a very large steam ship, spanning a total length of 165 meters, an older model that combined both the power of a steam engine and sails. Most of the hull was made of wood, though Naruto had heard from the Quarter Master that it was lined with metal to ensure structural stability. He didn't much care to learn the specifics so long as it could get them to their destination.

The sun was beginning to set. Yet even now Naruto could see the many people from the circus Michiru had bought working to load all the supplies and animals onto the ship. They had been working nearly non stop since they secured the ship as a transport several hours ago and showed no signs of quitting now. It was the hope of all those present that they would be able to set out to sea before nightfall.

With his enhanced vision, Naruto could make out the cage belonging to Chamū. The fierce tiger was lying down on his stomach, using his paws as pillows. Sitting on top of the cage was the saber-tooth's ever faithful companion, Kiki.

As his eyes continued to observe the scene going on before him, his mind went back to Hikaru's disastrous run in with Michiru's wife. Despite not liking the spoiled brat the fatso and Amayo had sired, he couldn't help but feel a little bad for the kid. It must be hard not having a mother, but knowing that she was actually alive and just couldn't live with you because she hated your father.

It also made Naruto think about his last familial connection. Despite not being there when he should have, Jiraiya was the last family he really had. Did he really want to alienate the man just because he was angry?

Naruto inhaled deeply of the ocean air, the taste of salt tingling on his tongue. He held it for a moment, then released it all in a monumental sigh.

_'Kyuubi, do you think I should forgive Jiraiya?'_

…

There was a pause as the great Bijuu was startled from her thoughts. It took several long moments of thought before she was able to speak. Even then, her words were not an answer, but a question.

_**'Why are you asking me?' **_

_'Why wouldn't I ask you?' _Naruto returned, giving her the mental equivalent of a shrug. _'Unlike everyone else, you are the only person I know that can give me an unbiased answer. Any advice my friends could give me would be jaded by their beliefs and thoughts of Jiraiya, one of the Three Legendary Sannin. You are the only one who doesn't give two shits about him or his fame, and I need someone who will give me a straight answer without any form of hero worship shadowing their judgement.'_

_**'I see...' **_Kyuubi paused for a moment. Naruto got the feeling that she was thinking a bit more carefully about her answer than she normally did. **_'I can't give you a straight answer. Being who I am, I've never really felt close enough to anyone to consider them family. Not even the people who first raised me. Still, if I were in your place, I would look at things from a more logical perspective than an emotional one.'_**

_'A logical perspective?'_

_**'You know, looking at what you have to gain and lose by going with either option. Pros and cons, positive vs. negative. Whenever I was making any decision during my time disguised as a human, I would always choose the option where I stood to benefit the most.'**_

_'That's a pretty selfish way of looking at things,' _Naruto sighed, _'I can definitely see you thinking that way.'_

_**'Are you insulting me?' **_Kyuubi asked, a dangerous tone entering her voice. The back of the hair on Naruto's neck began to stand on end. It felt like if he didn't answer this question right, he would be in serious trouble with the woman sealed inside of him.

_'No, no,' _he was quick to reply. _'I was just saying that it's something I can see you doing. It makes sense though. Maybe I should begin thinking that way.'_

_**'Hmm...' **_Kyuubi frowned as she tried to determine whether her container was being sincere. It was always hard to tell with this brat. Still, she couldn't sense any duplicity in his voice, so decided to let his comment go without reprimand. **_'That you should. Humans are greedy, always looking out for their own interests without regard to who gets hurt in the process. That's half the reason wars are started; someone got to big for their britches and ended up over extending themselves in their quest for more.'_**

_'Is that how you got sealed?' _Naruto teased.

_**'Moving on!' **_Kyuubi said loudly, coughing into her hands. **_'You should begin thinking about what you stand to gain and lose from your decision on what to do in regards to your sensei. What are the benefits towards hating him as opposed to forgiving him. What do you stand to lose?'_**

_'Well...' _Naruto's face scrunched up in thought, his arms crossing over his chest. _'I suppose if I continued to hate him, it would make me feel vindicated...'_

_**'It would also hurt him.'**_

_'You think so?'_

_**'Of course. Regardless of whether or not he was there for you when you were younger, he is still your godfather. And you are the last living connection to his favorite student.'**_

_'I see...' _Naruto sighed. _'I don't really care to hurt him. That's not why I'm doing this. I'm just... I'm just so angry at him. I want... I want...'_

_**'Yes?'**_

_'I don't know. I guess I just want to know why? Why did he leave me for twelve years without even visiting me once? Even if he had to live away from me, he could have visited me occasionally. Not even his spy network was stopping him from doing that.'_

_**'You could always ask him,' **_Kyuubi suggested. Naruto said nothing. **_'Anyways, moving on. Is there anything else you can think of?'_**

_'No.'_

_**'Then let's go onto the other option. What do you stand to gain from forgiving him?'**_

_'I don't know.' _Naruto shrugged. _'I guess things would go back to the way they were.'_

_**'You could always extort him if you want.'**_

_'What do you mean?'_

_**'I mean you could use his desire for your forgiveness as a means of getting something out of him, like more training, secret techniques he might know.'**_

_'I.. I suppose I could do that.'_ Naruto frowned uncomfortably. _'But it doesn't feel right to use him like that.'_

_**'But he did ignore you for twelve years, right? It would only be fair play if you got something out of him in repayment.'**_

_'I guess...'_

_**'Well, whatever you decide, I will abide by it. We are stuck together. Though I do hope you remember what I said.'**_

_'Of course.'_

_**'Good. In that case, you may want to deal with your new guest.'**_

_'Eh? New guest?' _

It was only then that Naruto realized he was no longer alone. Standing near the rock he was sitting on was none other than Hikaru, who was staring at him with a strange look. Naruto didn't know what that look represented, but it was kind of creepy if he were honest. Not that he would ever let anyone know that.

"What do you want, kid?" Naruto looked down at Hikaru in annoyance. Even if he felt some pity for the boy, it didn't mean he was gonna be nice to the brat just because of that. As far as he was concerned, the kid was still a spoiled, pampered little prince. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I want you to be my vassal!"

And he just went and proved it.

"You want me to what?"

"Be my vassal!" The boy sounded pretty enthusiastic as he spoke. He was even pumping his clenched fists. "Become my servant, and I'll get you anything you want!"

Naruto stared at the kid with half-lidded eyes. His knee bent before he pushed himself into the air, jumping several meters before descending towards the ground. As his feet touched the wooden surface of the peer, he lowered his center of gravity before standing up straight. Now up close, Naruto stared at the young boy with those half-lidded eyes until Hikaru became uncomfortable and looked away.

"Not interested."

After saying this he turned around and began walking off, leaving a dismayed prince behind.

"Hey! Wait!" The sound of feet hitting the pavement at a quick trot let Naruto know Hikaru was running. A second later the boy in question slowed down as he reached the blond, who simply did his best to ignore the child. "I can give you anything you want! Do you like games? Money? Just name it and I can give it to you!"

Naruto stopped abruptly, making Hikaru almost run into him. He turned, fixing the boy with an intense glare that had the small prince taking a step back.

"You really are just like your dad, aren't you?" Naruto demanded. When the boy just shivered under his gaze he snorted in disgust and turned away. "You really don't understand anything. Just another soiled little brat who thinks he can have whatever he wants because he's rich. You could give me all the ramen in the world and I would never agree to be your vassal."

"Ramen?" Naruto ignored the boy's question as he began walking off. He was getting tired of dealing with bratty little children. This mission seemed to be full of them.

_**'You really love ramen way too much.'**_

_'Shut up.'_

XoX

Many hours later the ship had finally set sail. It had taken a lot of time, hard work and sweat, but with the combined efforts of everyone from the circus they had managed to get all of their equipment, supplies and even the surplus of random junk that Michiru had bought into the ship without too much hassle. Thanks to their efforts the group had managed to set out to sea before the day had ended.

Having been assigned the task of protecting the fat prince and the spoiled prince, Naruto decided to keep his mostly silent vigil away from the others, choosing the higher ground of the mast where he could see everything around them as opposed to sticking up close where the two princes and Jiraiya were sure to annoy him. It was better this way.

Roosting up in the small look-out post, Naruto watched the world move slowly by. His hair blew in the breeze brought about by a combination of the wind and ship movements, swaying in front of his face and occasionally blocking the view of his eyes. Azure irises scanned the event horizon for anything interesting. He didn't need to worry about Michiru or Hikaru getting killed by an enemy sneaking on board. Jiraiya was with them, so he focused on searching out possible hostile vessels before they could reach him.

Of course, that wasn't all he was doing. In his hand was a large bowl of steaming hot ramen, Miso to be exact. It was one of the few Ichiraku bowls he had sealed into scrolls so they would maintain their freshness for when he was ready to eat. This decision to seal up his favorite food was by far his best one. He didn't dislike the instant ramen, but damned if this authentic Ichiraku ramen didn't taste ten times better.

_**'I don't know why you want to eat ramen when they have a veritable feast down below you.'**_

Naruto scoffed as he twirled a strand of noodles along his chopsticks. _'That crap is way to expensive for my tastes. I prefer simpler foods when possible.' _A grin worked it's way onto his face as he brought the ramen up to his mouth. _'Besides, nothing beats a hot bowl of Ichiraku's Ramen.'_

_**'Except for every other food on the planet.'**_

Naruto scowled. _'You just don't understand the greatness that is Ichiraku! If you did, you wouldn't be saying such blasphemy!'_

**_'On the contrary, I know more about Ichiraku than I ever care to. Do not forget that I am sealed inside of you. I have seen everything that has ever happened to you in life, and I've occasionally been able to share your senses whenever you were feeling particularly emotional. And unfortunately, a good number of those occasions were when you ate at Ichirakus. So yes, I do know about Ichirakus, and I still can't see why you would bother eating that crap.'_**

_'I'm not going to stand here and listen to you insult my favorite food! You take that back this instant!'_

_**'No. No, I don't think I will.'**_

Naruto's scowl was fierce as he listened to Kyuubi's voice speak inside of his mind. Oooh, he could just picture that infuriating smirk on her face as she spoke about his favorite food with such derision. He couldn't believe this woman was daring to insult ramen! And to his face!

…

Well, maybe it wasn't quite to his face, seeing how she was locked up behind that seal and they weren't actually speaking face-to-face. But, that didn't change the fact that she was insulting ramen! And not just any ramen! Ichiraku's ramen! The ramen of ramen! This injustice towards the food of the gods was not something that he could just let slide!

_'Now listen here, furbag! I don't care if you are the most powerful Bijuu in the world! And I don't care if you're the hottest piece of ass I've ever seen! You will NOT insult ramen in my presence! Do you understand me!?'_

Silence entered the debate between man and Bijuu. Naruto wished he could actually see the woman he was arguing with. This entire scolding thing would be much more effective if he was actually capable of glaring at the red head. Still, all that meant was that he would have to let his voice convey his anger properly.

_**'So you think I'm the hottest piece of ass you've ever seen? My, such flattery. You certainly know how to make a girl feel special.'**_

Naruto's right eye began twitching and a vein pulsed on his forehead at the sound of Kyuubi's teasing voice speaking up once more. It was really beginning to bother him that he never seemed to be able to pull one over on the powerful chakra entity.

What's more, that strange desire to mess with him that she had seemed to be getting stronger. The number of times she teased him like this were increasing by the day. Naruto didn't know why this was, but it was beginning to drive him to his wits end.

_'Ugh. You know what? I'm done with this conversation.' _The blond slumped down in his seat ― he hadn't even realized he'd shot to his feet during his heated rant ― and began eating his ramen again. _'I don't even know why I bother anymore.'_

_**'I don't either.'**_

Naruto scowled, but he didn't say anything and instead continued slurping up his noodles.

As he began to calm down, Naruto chided himself on letting that woman get the best of him. He really should know better than to let his anger overtake him like that. Not that it was necessarily his fault. Kyuubi always seemed to know exactly what buttons to press to make him lose his top, so to speak.

Letting his mind drift along other veins of thought as he finished off his bowl of ramen, the sound of loud, boisterous laughter caught his attention.

Looking down, Naruto couldn't help but scowl as he saw Jiraiya sitting at one of the tables, a bottle of sake in one hand and one of the circus girls wrapped around his arm. He was clearly quite drunk, as indicated by the streak of red going across his face, and the laughter. Only someone who was super drunk could have such a boisterous laugh.

Focusing on the others, Naruto saw that Michiru was also feeling quite rambunctious that night... or he was just drunk as a fucking skunk. The blond was betting on the latter. The man was laughing quite joyously, dancing around like some kind of loon. The Prince of Tsuki no Kuni spun and twirled like a drunken top. It was a wonder he didn't fall on his ass.

Absently, his eyes went over to the other prince. Hikaru was sitting by himself, his cheek resting on the butt of his hand. He seemed kind of depressed.

Not that Naruto cared. The brat was probably just sulking because he wouldn't become the boy's vassal.

His gaze went to the horizon once more. As they looked out at the sky and ocean beyond, his eyes narrowed. Dark storm clouds were brewing in the distance. Naruto could not be sure, but it looked like they were traveling this way.

Standing up, the young ninja resealed his bowl and chopsticks away. He then jumped down from the look-out and onto the deck below. Michiru and a good deal of the other people did not notice his entrance, drunk as they were. Jiraiya, even though he too was wasted beyond belief, did.

"Hey, Naruto!" The man cheered as he held a bottle of sake in one hand and a cup in the other. "Have a drink with me!"

Naruto rolled his eyes at his sensei. It was moments like these that really told him that the three Sannin may be legendary ninja, but they were also the biggest bunch of crazies he had ever met.

"There's a large storm gathering north-east of us," Naruto informed the man without preamble. "I'm pretty sure it's coming our way. I suspect we'll get hit within the next hour or so."

His words caused Jiraiya to sober up. The man's gaze sharpened a bit as he stood to his feet and walked over to the side of the ship.

Hands clamped to the railing, Jiraiya looked at the gathering storm that Naruto had mentioned. It was much closer now than when Naruto had last spotted it. The winds were blowing it their way.

"Naruto," Jiraiya's voice held none of the drunken cheer it had five seconds ago. "I need you to help me break up the festivities and get all of these people into the ship."

"Right."

Together, the two began informing people of what was going on. They didn't speak to each other much, but it was a marked improvement to the last few days.

XoX

Naruto was not able to sleep. With the storm tossing and turning the boat like it was God's plaything, he had been unable to catch even a wink of sleep. It didn't help that this was one of the first times he'd ever been out to sea.

Thus, he lay there in bed, wide awake. His hands were behind his head, fingers laced together and his legs crossed over each other. Bright blue eyes stared up at the ceiling, counting the lines of the wooden beams. He had gotten to sixty-four when Jiraiya burst into the room.

"Naruto!" The man sounded pretty serious as he picked up Naruto's discarded clothes and tossed them at said blond. "Get dressed and get up. We've got work to do."

"What's going on?" asked Naruto as he did as told, quickly donning his shinobi uniform.

"Because of how violent the storms gotten, the animals to the ship are in danger of being thrown overboard," his white-haired sensei informed him as he waited for the blond to get ready. "We need to get out there and get all the animals into the ship's interior."

Naruto's mind went to the animal friend he made on this mission. No one else would be going near Chamū's cage.

Zipping up the jacket Jiraiya had given him as he and the white-haired Sannin walked out of the hall, Naruto said, "Got it. Is everyone from the Circus helping out as well?"

"Yeah," Jiraiya walked ahead, his pace hurried. "However, they're just regular civilians. That means they'll be slow. It'll be up to us to get the majority of the animals into the ship."

"Right."

"What's the point?"

Naruto froze on the spot. His head turned so that he could look behind him in order to glare at Hikaru. "What was that?"

"Who cares about those stupid animals," Hikaru muttered darkly. "Just let them drown."

"How dare you..." Naruto's harsh growl caused Hikaru's posture to freeze. The blond-haired, blue-eyed, whisker-marked ninja stomped over to the boy, whose eyes had widened in fear. Naruto's teeth were grit so hard that it looked like they might chip and his eyes were shifting from their normal azure blue to a deep purple. "How dare you say something like that! Those animals are your responsibility! You're the entire reason they are on this ship in the first place! But now that you're bored of them, you just want toss them away like trash!"

Hands grabbing a fist full of the boy's shirt, Naruto hauled the child into the air and pushed his back against the wall. With his feet dangling in the air and his hands clenching the blond shinobi's wrists, Hikaru's heart began to beat at an accelerated pace as fear struck him like a hammer.

"You really are a spoiled, little brat, you know that! A shitty little prince who has so much money that you can just buy people and animals like they were a bunch of toys and then discard them when they no longer amuse you!"

Naruto glared at the boy a moment longer before scoffing.

"Tch!"

He let go, dropping the boy to the ground. Hikaru tumbled down, landing harshly on his backside. Naruto turned around and began walking away, leaving the boy staring at his back in fear and tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes.

"Why don't you go back to bed you spoiled, little waste of space."

XoX

_**'You've been awfully angry lately.'**_

Naruto did not outwardly react as he helped move several kangaroos through the door that would lead further into the ship's interior. The two-legged mammals were being very difficult and required a good deal of his focus, so he could not spare much time with facial expressions. And it wouldn't matter anyways, since Kyuubi could not see them.

_'Can you blame me? With everything I've had to deal with, I think I'm entitled to feeling a bit of anger.'_

_**'I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I was just making an observation.'**_

_'Then could you please not. I'm in the middle of doing something and you talking may cause me to lose my concentration.'_

As he spoke with Kyuubi, he looked around at all the other people currently doing the same thing he was. They were all working hard. Several circus workers were carrying boxes of supplies. Most were so heavy they required two people to take in. Others were doing the same thing he was, leading the animals into the ship. For some reason, they were all avoiding the entrance he was using. He wondered why.

Jiraiya was also out there. The old pervert was using his hair ninjutsu and massive strength to pull along several of the larger animals like that elephant. He was probably the only person their who could do such a thing.

It looked quite outlandish, watching a man in his fifties pull a several ton elephant with his hair.

As Naruto watched Jiraiya do something he doubted anyone else would be capable doing, Kyuubi crossed her arms under her bust and huffed. _**'Fine, if that's how you want to be then I won't talk anymore. And here I was, thinking I'd be nice and tell you that brat you berated earlier is out on deck and about to be washed overboard.'**_

"WHAT!?"

Naruto's shout was lost tp the wind. Only his companion heard him and all he did was growl in what sounded like a questioning tone. When Kyuubi didn't answer him, the blond teen scowled and began twisting his head around to take in as much of the ship as possible.

It was difficult to spot Hikaru at first. With the fierce winds causing his eyes to water and the intense rains smacking him in the face, visibility was very low. Only a shinobi with a doujutsu like the Sharingan or the Byakugan, and maybe a ninja with a high water affinity or something, would be capable of seeing anything beyond five feet in front of them. Everything after that was blurred out, smudged. To put it simply, the most Naruto could see after several feet were blurry, indistinctive shapes.

Not exactly good vision when looking for a child.

Thankfully, while his eyes did not work well in this atmosphere, his ears were just as sharp as ever. Focusing everything he had into his hearing, Naruto blocked out the world around him and tried to divide the noises that reached his ears into individual sounds. It was difficult, and would be nearly impossible for most people.

Naruto was not most people.

With his eyes closed and his sense of smell cut off, Naruto's ears were able to pick up each individual noise within the almighty storm that had descended upon them.

The first thing he heard was the wind as it howled fiercely, like an attacking horde of demons come to kill them all and sink their ship.

After that came the intense crashing of the cages as they were rattled and shaken and bounced by the winds, which was mixed with the loud booming of thunder.

This was followed by shouts and clammering of those trying to get all the animals and supplies into the ship, the cry of the animals as they were startled and the clomping of their hooves as they were herded inside.

Through all that, Naruto managed to pick up something else. A noise that was not being made by the natural disaster that had struck them, or the animals, or even the people around him. It was the frightened yelling of a child.

"Come on, Chamū!" Naruto shouted, running off. His saber-toothed companion growled affirmatively and took off after the blond shinobi. Together, the two made their way across the deck towards the opposite end of the ship where they finally found Hikaru, and boy was that kid in trouble.

"Damn it! Hikaru!"

The young prince in question was holding tightly onto the side of the railing as he was struck with rain and water that splashed up over the side of the boat. He was only using one hand to hold onto the rail, thus making his position precarious.

The other hand was firmly grabbing onto Kiki, keeping the young chimp from flying over the side.

Naruto dashed forward as quickly as he could. He would like to say he went by in a blur, but that would be a lie. Due to how wet the floor was, the constant shifting of the water, and the wind compounding the situation, he couldn't use chakra to keep his feet from sticking. He didn't have that kind of control. That forced him to make his way forward conventionally, which meant he was only going a little faster than a civilian finding themselves in a similar situation would.

And while he was trying to make his way over as quickly as he could, Hikaru's grip on the railing was slipping. The young boy could feel his fingers relaxing as the howling winds and slick rain made his already tenuous hold on the wood become more and more precarious. His eyes wide and frantic, he watched as his fingers began to come undone.

Was this the end?

A second later his hand slipped. There was simply no way he could hold on anymore. He wasn't all that strong, and he didn't have the ability to stick to surfaces. His small, fragile body simply could not hold him there anymore.

He began to fall.

Not even a moment passed after he started falling, his mouth open in a loud shout as he and the monkey in his grasp began plummeting to what would surely be their doom, did a hand reach out from beyond and grip his own flailing arm.

"Hang in there, kid! Don't let go of my hand!"

The person who grabbed him was, of course, none other than Uzumaki Naruto. The blond had managed to make it in time with the help from his furry companion. As the young prince was pulled up, Kiki hanging onto his other arm for dear life, it became abundantly clear how Naruto had managed to arrive just in time to save the boy from what would have been a very fatal fall.

Chamū. Unlike Naruto who was forced to rely on standard modes of travel, aka running, and couldn't move very quickly in this kind of environment, Chamū's claws made speedy travel much easier. Digging the claws on his feet into the wooden planks of the deck, the saber-tooth tiger had been able to easily and swiftly traverse the ship and reach Hikaru just in the nick of time.

"Uwoah!"

With a grunt and a heave, Naruto pulled the boy under his protection up, setting the child and monkey in said child's arms in front of him on the large saber-toothed tiger's back. A shaken Hikaru buried his face in the spiky-haired shinobi's chest, his body quivering in a mixture of adrenaline and fear.

"Alright! Let's go, Chamū!"

With a loud growl, the white-furred tiger bounded back towards the ship entrance. The group made it in record time and soon all three bipeds had disembarked there quadruped companion.

Still very much shaken from his near-death experience, Hikaru fell to his knees as his body began jittering even more fiercely than it had been. His eyes squeezed shut as his mind replayed how close he had come to death. There was nothing more terrifying than being caught in the jaws of death, of seeing your end with your own eyes and not being able to do anything about it. Had Naruto not rescued him, he would have...

And speaking of Naruto.

"What the hell was that!?"

The boy in question was not happy with his charge. He and his sensei had been paid a lot to protect this kid and his old man, and all their efforts had nearly been ruined because the boy seemed to have some kind of death wish.

When Hikaru did not answer, Naruto gripped him by the front of his shirt and hauled the kid up to eye level.

"Well!?" He growled. "What were you thinking!? Running outside during a storm like that!? Do you have any idea how close you were to dying!? Well!? Why did you do that!?"

"I'm not..."

"What was that?" Naruto furrowed his brow as he glared at the boy. When Hikaru just mumbled something incomprehensible, he scowled. "Speak up!"

"I said I'm not a waste of space!" Hikaru shouted. Naruto's eyes widened in shock at the boy's words. So that was what this was all about?

"Huh? I guess you're right." Hikaru blinked in confusion as Naruto set him down. The older male looked down at the young prince with a contemplative look. "I guess you're not." He raised a hand. Hikaru flinched, then blinked in surprise when the blue-eyed ninja ruffled his hair. "You did good kid."

Blinking up at his current companion, Hikaru looked downright shocked to receive praise from the blond who had berated and insulted him for the past several days since this mission began.

A tug at his sleeve caused him to look down. When he did it was to see Kiki and Chamū standing there on two and four legs respectively. While the small chimp squeaked in what at least looked like praise, the great saber-tooth tiger began licking at the boy's hand.

"And it seems they think you did good as well," Naruto allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "It took guts to do what you did, and had you not, Kiki might not be here." He looked down at the saber-tooth and his monkey companion. "I guess this is their way of saying thanks."

For a minute, Hikaru looked far too stunned to do anything. However, after several seconds of standing there like some kind of idiot, tears began gathering in his eyes. With a great shudder the boy began crying. He bent down, wrapping his arms around Chamū's neck. The tiger did not attempt to bite his head off this time. Meanwhile, Naruto placed a hand on the young prince's head.

A little ways away, Jiraiya watched this scene with a small smile on his face. It looked like things around here for finally starting to look up. Now if only this storm could leave so they could continue their journey without worry...

Outside the interior space of the ship, said storm continued to wage. It would be some time before this fierce tempest abated.

* * *

**It's been a while since I posted a chapter for this story. Let me know how it holds up.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Okay, so it's not that big, but I do have pretty important news for you guys.**

**By now I'm sure you know that I've been working on publishing a novel. Well, guess what? That novel is now officially published! That's right, the novel is now available in both paperback and Kindle eBook on Amazon. This is the first step into a new journey that I hope all of you will join me on. I know this is asking a lot, but I was hoping all of you would support me by ordering a copy (or if you're too young to have a credit card, getting your parents to order a copy), either Kindle or paperback, and reading it. There is a link to my books Amazon page on my profile. If you don't want to use the link just type in American Kitsune or A Fox's Love on Amazon's main webpage and it should take you right to it.**

******If you need any incentive to order yourself a copy, then tomorrow is my birthday, I'll be turning 25 if any of you are curious**, and no gift could be greater than knowing that the people who have read my fanfictions are now reading my first original novel.

**Thank you all for supporting me!**

**P.S. I know some of you may be worried that I'll stop writing fanfiction now that I'm a published author. You can stop. There are only a few ways I would ever stop writing fanfiction and publishing a book isn't one of them.**

**Chapter 45:**** Betrayal**

* * *

"So, Michiru-Dono has finally come home after his year long sojourn, has he?"

"Yes, M'lord. Reports also claim he is being guarded by two powerful shinobi: Jiraiya of the Sannin and his apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto."

"I do not know this Uzumaki Naruto, but I have heard of this 'Jiraiya of the Sannin.'"

"Jiraiya is one of the most powerful ninja in the Elemental Nations. Dealing with him will be very difficult. I am not sure if we can defeat him, even if all three of us combine our might."

"Do not concern yourself with Jiraiya. Every man has his weaknesses, and I have heard that this Jiraiya has a weakness for women and alcohol. He should not be too problematic to take care of. I shall be counting on you to take care of his apprentice."

"Of course, Shabadaba-Sama."

XoX

Naruto didn't think he had ever felt so grateful to feel the solid ground of the earth beneath his feet again. As interesting as sailing over the open waters was, it got very old very fast. There wasn't much to see on a ship: water, water and more water. As far as the eye could see. If that wasn't bad enough, he was more or less confined to the ship. Oh sure, he could have gone off the side and walked on the water, but he would still be required to stay near the ship. Besides, it's not like walking alongside the boat was anymore interesting than staying on the vessel itself.

At least he'd had Hikaru and Chamu to keep him company. Ever since the storm the little boy had become a much better person, happier...and he wasn't as bratty as before, which Naruto was pleased about. He had not been digging that kid's attitude.

And speaking of those two...

Naruto glanced at Hikaru out of the corner of his eye. The younger boy was walking alongside Chamu, one hand resting on the saber-tooth's back and idly caressing his spine. He was speaking to the animal in low tones, but Naruto was able to pick some of it up thanks to his enhanced hearing. "You're going to love it here, there's so much to do! And there's a lot of open space where we can roam around and play! And we have a really good kitchen filled with amazing food, so you'll never go hungry!"

Chamu gave a noncommittal growl as he listened to the boy. On his head was none other than Kiki, the monkey that accompanied him everywhere.

Turning his attention away from the child, the blond-haired, blue eyed Uzumaki surveyed his surroundings.

They were walking along a dirt path that led to the large capitol city. Lining both sides of the caravan were trees of a more tropical variety. Naruto could pick out a few palm tees amongst the foliage. A mild breeze was blowing through forestry, cooling off the mildly humid air and causing the vegetation to sway and rustle. Naruto's enhanced hearing could pick up the sounds of birds and other creatures within the flora, and if he looked hard enough he could see small animals darting about within the trees.

And standing tall over the cops of trees was what appeared to be a massive palace of some kind. It's design was different from anything he had ever seen before, with large, bulbous mushroom-like tops attached to giant cylindrical spires that rose into the sky like fingers grasping at the heavens. There was a flamboyancy to it that differed greatly from normal Elemental Nation architecture. Naruto wondered if the people who built the palace had been foreigners from a far away land.

It wasn't long before they reached the capitol, Naruto was the first to know when they had gotten close, his hearing able to pick up the threnody of voices coming from within the largest city of the Crescent Moon Kingdom.

The city itself was blocked off by a large wall at least thirty times larger than Naruto was tall. The caravan they were a part of was forced to stop just in front of a large, wooden gate, but only for as long as it took the soldiers guarding it to realize their Prince and his son were a part of the group. They were let in without much fuss after that.

Once the group had moved past the gates, the circus troupe that Michiru had bought began what looked like a routine they had practiced hundreds of times. Fire breathers walked up to the front, all of them lining up as they marched down the street and blew oil onto the torches in their hand to create large gouts of flame; acrobats and gymnasts flipped and spun and twirled about in an incredible display of choreography; even the animals had been let out and were being herded along.

Naruto watched as one particularly spirited acrobat flipped onto a large elephant and do a one-handed handstand. Looking back down he glanced at the large crowd that had gathered on either side of the street upon seeing them. There had to be hundreds, maybe even thousands of people watching them march by. He could see many people whispering about them, and just as many were clapping at the show the circus members were putting on. Children stood in awe as they watched the large caravan walk past.

Michiru seemed to be enjoying himself, Naruto noted wryly. The fat Prince was sitting on a throne on one of the floats they had brought out for this march, waving at his subjects and laughing joyously. The young ninja with whiskers wondered if he even realized that most of the people staring at him were doing so in revulsion, not adulation.

When they finally reached the palace, the group was greeted by a very short, portly looking man with short brown hair that jutted out at the sides to resemble horns, sideburns, and thick mutton chops. He was wearing very stately looking purple robes over a thinner white robe, with a gold collar at the neckline, and a pink sash over his left shoulder. Adorning his fingers were a number of gold rings.

Naruto thought the man looked ridiculous, just like every other pompous politician he had met.

"Michiru-Dono," the man with the pot belly greeted with his arms spread in welcome and a congenial smile on his face. He had a very nasally voice. It sounded he was constantly whining. "A pleasure to see you finally return. How was your trip?"

"It went well, thank you," Michiru said before turning to Naruto and Jiraiya. "This is Shabadaba, my father's adviser." He then turned back to look at Shabadaba. "And these are my new ninja guards, Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin and his apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto."

"A pleasure to meet you," Shabadaba shook hands with Jiraiya. "I have heard much about your exploits, you're reputation proceeds you."

"Glad to know I'm so famous, hahahaha!" Jiraiya let loose with his normal, boisterous laugh.

"Indeed." With the introductions done, the Daimyo's adviser addressed Michiru again. "Since you have returned and it appears you brought some entertainment, why don't we celebrate your return with a party?"

"An excellent idea!" Michiru clapped his hands together, a delighted look appearing on his face. Naruto grimaced in disgust. All this man had been doing since he and Jiraiya became his escort was partying, probably even before that. Hadn't he had enough?

"Good. Come, why don't we show our guests to their room and then we can prepare for the festivities."

Naruto found himself wondering about just how rich the royalty for this country was as they entered the palace. While he had seen Michiru throw away money buying useless and expensive trinkets like nobodies business, the interior of the palace made him realize the money spent was likely just a small drop in the vast ocean of riches he possessed. The floors were made of white marble that was polished to a shine. Columns lined up in rows rose up to the ceiling, ending in elegant Corinthian designs. The walls were inlayed with gold and there were several pieces of expensive looking artwork and busts along the walls.

"Where is father?" asked Michiru as they walked towards a set of stares. "I must inform him of my return."

"You're father is ill, unfortunately," Shabadaba said. Michiru looked startled, but before he could voice his concern, the adviser continued. "It is nothing serious, I was assured. However, it is contagious. For the sake of others health, your father has confined himself to his room and shall not be able to see you right away."

"Oh, I see," Michiru looked a little depressed for a moment, but quickly perked up. "I suppose it can't be helped. I shall simply have to give a toast in his honor at the party."

"A splendid idea," Shabadaba complimented with an odd looking smile. "A very good idea indeed."

XoX

The party celebrating the return of Michiru and Hikaru was just as extravagant and pompous as every other party the fat prince had thrown, maybe even more so. The expansive ballroom that was the setting for this little get together had been decorated up the wazoo; large banners with the words "Welcome home our Prince!" hung from the walls, multi-colored confetti that glittered and sparkled as the lights hit it rained down from the ceiling, there was a famous band playing music on a large stage, and the circus members were performing various stunts to entertain those who weren't dancing. And let's not forget the buffet table, which is where Michiru had been for most of the evening.

Of course, calling this party a "little get together" was a gross understatement in no way proportional to the amount of people actually in attendance. There had to be at least two or three hundred people there: merchants, ministers, politicians, and powerful figures who controlled various aspects of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms economy had all gathered in the spacious and ostentatious room. They mingled and talked, brown nosing and blackmailing. It seemed that even in the midst of celebrating, they were unwilling to let go of their greed.

"It really is a shame my father could not make it to the party," Michiru was saying to Jiraiya as he ate what had to be his twelfth drumstick. The man had bits of meat stuck to his mouth. Jiraiya was doing all he could not to turn green. This man was worse than an Akamichi when it came to food! "You would like him, he's a very lively man, despite his age."

"I'll bet," Jiraiya gave a strained smile. "But I'm sure I'll meet him at some point. We're going to be staying here for a while anyways." Jiraiya had some plans to train Naruto in this more tropical region to get him used to fighting in different environments.

"Of course."

"Jiraiya-kun!"

"Oh look, it's Jiraiya-sama!"

Jiraiya's head snapped in the direction of the very female voices, his jaw nearly dropping when several drop dead gorgeous women clad in elegant kimono's came up to him.

A second later his cheeks were a dark crimson and steam was shooting out his nose like a bull that had seen red.

"Hello there ladies!" He gave them a roguish grin. While most people (namely Tsunade) assumed that Jiraiya was just a pervert, the truth was he could put on the charms when he wanted to. He was quite the ladies man. "What can I do for you this lovely evening?"

"You could start by joining us," one of them said as she wrapped both her arms around one of his; his left arm, to be exact. The others soon followed soon, with one claiming the other arm while the rest crowded around him to form a loose circle. "And then maybe you can continue by telling us of your...exploits. You're reputation has spread quite far, and I'm interested in seeing if some of those tales about your legendary stamina are true."

"I can assure you my dear, they are all true. Hahahaha!"

Moments later, Jiraiya was walking off with the group of ladies, likely to the nearest bedroom so they could do the gods only knew what, probably something so perverted it would make all his smut novels look tame.

While the party was going on inside of the large, ostentatious room, Naruto stood outside on a small balcony overlooking the ocean. He was leaning his forearms against the railing, gazing out at the sea as it glittered lightly with the twinkle of a thousand stars and the moon overhead. A light breeze buffeted his hair, causing his bangs to sway in front of his eyes. Sitting on the tailing by his side was a bottle of saki, which he had purloined for himself.

_**'You don't want to join the party?'**_

_'Not really,' _Naruto answered Kyuubi as she spoke to him,_ 'partying isn't really my thing...and that party's way to extravagant for my tastes.' _He had never been one for parties, or to be more precise, he had never been to a party before now and thus was unable to deal with them. It didn't help that this party was full of brown nosing politicians.

_**'Hmm...I'm surprised you know what extravagant means.'**_

_'Oi! I'm not stupid, you know!' _Naruto pouted as the woman teased him about his lack of, well, intelligence. It had been a long time since he had been an idiotic brat who didn't know complex, multi-syllable words.

_**'I remember back when I used to go to parties like this,'**_ Kyuubi ignored him. Naruto pouted some more, but was also intrigued by her words.

_'You used to go to these kinds of parties?'_

_**'Of course, it is only befitting that one of my stature enjoys herself.'**_ Naruto rolled his eyes. _**'Back then I would find someone of wealth and status and...convince them to take me to whichever lord was hosting a party at the time.'**_

_'You mean you manipulated them into taking you,'_ Naruto sighed. He wasn't sure what bothered him more, her words, or the fact that they no longer bothered him anymore.

_**'Manipulated is such a harsh word,'**_ her voice was sly and mischievous. _**'I prefer to think of it as a mutually beneficial arrangement. I got to enjoy a lifestyle befitting my status and they got to take one as magnificent as myself to a party and show me off. It was a win-win situation.'**_

_'And they probably didn't remember a thing that happened the next day, am I right?'_

_**'Well...'**_

Naruto snorted, then shook his head. Somehow, he was not surprised by the woman's words or thought process in the matter. She had informed him about her thoughts on humanities "uses" plenty of times. Why would this time be any different?

"Naruto?"

Turning, Naruto found Hikaru and Chamu standing behind him on the balcony. As always, Kiki was sitting on Chamu's head.

"Yo..." Naruto raised a hand in greeting.

The young boy and the tiger walked up to him. Chamu rubbed his head against Naruto's leg, wanting to be petted. Naruto had no problem with this and began to absently scratch behind the saber-tooth's ear, making the large, predatory cat purr.

"Are you not enjoying the party?" asked Hikaru as he stopped next to the taller blond.

"Big parties like this aren't really my thing," Naruto told the younger boy.

"Me neither."

"Really?"

"Really," Hikaru nodded, "None of those people really care about me. They're just being nice because they're sucking up to my father. I would much rather be by myself."

"I suppose that's noble life for you," Naruto commented idly. He looked back out at the ocean, even as he raised the bottle of sake to his lips. It wasn't Mount Myobokuzan Firebrand, but it was still pretty good. "It's definitely not the life for me."

"Hmmm..."

Hikaru turned to look out at the ocean along with Naruto, with the blond in question turning his head to look back into the gigantic ballroom one last time. After a moment he shook his head. Definitely not for him.

XoX

After several more minutes of staring at the ocean, drinking sake, the blond Uzumaki decided the party simply wasn't for him. He left with Hikaru and Chamu in tow. With the...flamboyant festivities now behind them, the young Prince decided to give the blond ninja with whisker marks on his face a small tour of the palace. He couldn't show Naruto every place in the palace, of course; the large residence of royalty was simply too big to show off in a single night, but he showed Naruto some of the more important places...like his game room.

"You really like video games, don't you?" Naruto felt a large bead of sweat trickle down the side of his forehead as he looked at the half a dozen television sets lining the walls, each with its own video game console.

"Mm hmm," Hikaru nodded his head as he turned on one of the many TVs and consoles. "Video games are so cool, and fun." The young boy turned his head to look at Naruto. "Do you wanna play?" he asked, almost unsurely.

Naruto thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure," he said. He had never played video games before. It could be interesting.

However, just as he was about to walk over to the younger boy, his instincts began screaming at the same time Chamu let loose with a feral growl.

Reacting with reflexes honed by constant training and a body that had been enhanced several times by Kyuubi's chakra running through it, the young Chunin launched himself into forward roll.

It was very fortuitous he moved when he did, for not a second later the area he had been standing on explode in a shower of marble and dust as a large, shadowed figure dropped form the ceiling and smashed into it.

Launching himself to his feet when he was halfway finished with his roll, Naruto skidded to a halt in front of Hikaru. At the same time his hand dipped into his kunai pouch, about to pull out one of his all-purpose ninja tools.

_**'Watch out!'**_

He didn't get the chance to so much as take his hand out of his pouch before Kyuubi was screaming at him. Without even really thinking about what he was doing, the blond Uzumaki threw himself to the left. In that same instant several dozen objects struck the area he had been previously standing upon. A quick glance at the carpeted floor revealed the objects to be rocks―at least they looked like rocks―in the shape of kunai.

It was just as Naruto finished dodging the strange, rocky looking kunai that several tiny balls of rolled up paper landed at his feet. The young shinobi scarcely had time to look down before they erupted in a cloud of smoke. Coughing several times as he inhaled some of the acrid smelling stuff―just what had they put it in anyway? Gun powder?―Naruto managed to blast it away with a gust of wind chakra.

"Quickly Karenbana!"

Before Naruto had time to truly recover from the surprise of inhaling several lungfuls of disgusting smoke, hundreds―maybe even thousands―of pink leaves surrounded him. No. Not leaves. Sakura petals, Naruto realized. Twirling around him as if being kicked up by a whirlwind which he was in the epicenter of were innumerable Sakura petals, dancing and spinning about him like a ballet being choreographed to a chaotic symphony.

The intense stinging of his flesh being cut directed Naruto to his left arm, where upon looking he saw the cloth of his jacket and his flesh had been torn by something sharp. A kunai maybe? The wound slowly closed up, but in the time it took for that one slash mark to close, several more appeared along his back, chest and other arm.

"What the―?"

Naruto glared into the swirling Sakura petals that surrounded him, trying to find the one who was attacking him. He saw glimpses, flashes of a person with long white hair. But the moment he laid eyes on her, the girl disappeared and several more wounds appeared on his body.

_'Genjutsu?' _Naruto's narrowed eyes stared into the swirling maelstrom of petals. _'Is that why I can't catch more than a glimpse of her?'_

_**'The Genjutsu isn't the problem right now. It's the poison.'**_

_'Kyuubi?'_

_**'They poisoned you, likely when you inhaled that strange smoke,' **_Kyuubi informed Naruto. _**'It's a very fast-acting poison, which is why it's affecting you right now. I'm currently flushing it from your system, but it'll take a few seconds.'**_

Another dozen cuts appeared on Naruto's flesh. Blood dripped down from the open wound and the stinging pain made him remember that he was in the middle of a fight.

_'So all I have to do is survive this onslaught for a few seconds, is that what you're telling me?'_ Naruto grinned viciously as more and more cuts appeared on him. They stung for sure, but he'd suffered worse. _'Seems easy enough.'_

_**'Don't get cocky, Naruto.'**_

_'Hmph! Let me have my fun, Kyuubi.'_

_**'Whatever.'**_

"What are you smiling about, idiot?" A female voice asked. So he was right, one of his attackers was definitely a girl. She was likely the one who cast the genjutsu on him. Women tended to have better control over their chakra than men from what he had seen.

"I'm smiling because that poison of yours didn't work as well as you probably hoped it would."

"What?"

_'There!'_

Quicker than lightning Naruto's hand lashed out in a powerful jab that caught one of his attackers in the face. The feel of his fist meeting soft flesh was very satisfying, almost as satisfying as hearing the pained grunt the woman he just pounded let out was.

Too bad he didn't have time to celebrate his victory. Not even a second after he had struck the girl and the petals dissipated was he attacked again. A strange gauntlet covered in orange lines and possessing what looked like a glowing, orange eye on the back came screaming in towards his face with speed. Reacting on instinct alone, Naruto ducked under the attack, lowering his center of gravity and getting ready for a counter.

Unfortunately no counter was able to be made. The moment he ducked a knee smashed into his nose, sending him tumbling backwards to smash into one of the many TVs in the room. The large technological device broke apart like glass, sending plastic shards everywhere. The internal circuitry snapped and sparked, sending a couple jolts of electricity through him.

Naruto grunted as he ignored the pain. As his back hit the wall, he placed his feet on the surface and used his leg muscles to push himself off towards the nearest attacker.

Now that the surprise of the assault had worn off he was able to get a good look at his attackers. The one in front of him was a man with long, spiky orange hair and a metal headband with no village symbol on it. He had blue eyes and was wearing a blue shirt with pants and a white vest over it. He was also the one bearing the strange gauntlet with the eye on the back.

Several feet away, the female he struck was getting back up. As she stood on her feet and cast a glare at him, wiping away the trickle of blood running down her lips, Naruto saw that she was a tiny little thing. Like, ridiculously small. As in, she looked like nothing more than a child. Her hair was long, white, and shaggy, and she had pink eyes. Like her teammate the headband she wore had no village symbol. The open vest she wore stopped just below the knees and a pinkish long-sleeved shirt that turned into a skirt could be seen underneath it. She was also wearing black shorts and a pair of black gloves.

With his observation―which lasted no more than a second―done, Naruto closed in on the man with orange hair and threw a powerful and speedy punch at the man with the gauntlet. It was dodged, of course, but the orange-haired ninja's eyes widened in surprise at the speed and power Naruto's attack had behind it. His hair was actually blown out of his face by the intense winds the straight jab produced.

His attack having missed, Naruto launched himself into a series of combination attacks that appeared to be completely random and thrown without thought. A left hook became a palm strike to the nose. A coordinated one-two combo masked Naruto's elbow as it tried coming into contact with the man's face. A straight jab turned into a feint for a reverse roundhouse kick. The ninja with orange hair and no symbol on his headband was just barely able to stay ahead of the attacks.

A heel kick was quickly retracted when the man raised his arm to block and Naruto switched feet to catch him in the side. It was blocked, but the attack had enough power behind it to make him grunt in pain as he was sent skidding back.

"You've got some power to ya," the man's voice came out deep and mocking, even as he shook his arm out, trying to rid of the sting from Naruto's attack. "However, I think there's something you're not realizing here."

"Oh?" So these guys wanted to do some mid-combat banter, did they? Very well. He could oblige them. "And what's that?"

"There are three of us."

Naruto's eyes widened just as a loud yell tore through the room. He recognized that voice!

Turning, Naruto grit his teeth and glared in anger at the man who had a firm grip on Hikaru and was pressing a kunai to the boy's neck. He was a very large, very ugly man. His frame was bulky and muscular and he possessed very thick limbs. The nose attached to his face was very large, bulbous even, and his eyes were small, black, and beady. Combine that with his thick lips and you had one ugly mother fucker.

His shaggy brown hair hung about his face, and his clothes seemed to consist of a white vest over a green shirt, a pair of black gloves, and the same symboless forehead protector as the other two.

"Naruto!" Hikaru screamed in fear. He squeaked when the tip of the kunai was pressed to his neck.

"Don't worry, Hikaru," Naruto said, "I'll get you out of there."

"Heh, I admire your confidence, but it's seriously misplaced," the orange-haired man said. He must be the leader, Naruto determined. "You're strong, but strong enough to beat all three of us? I don't think so. I'll admit, I'm surprised my poison didn't work on you, but you're still outnumbered three to one."

Naruto turned his glare onto the spokesperson of their group. The man smirked, but that smug looked quickly left when he saw the glare on the blond Uzumaki's eyes turned into a mischievous grin. "What are you smiling about?"

"You obviously don't know very much about me. If you did, then you would know that I'm never alone!"

Just as Naruto said this several puffs of smoke flooded the room. Before the white substance even had time to dissipate, a trio of Naruto's burst forth from the thick layer of white and engaged the trio in combat.

Caught off guard by the attack, it took a moment for three enemy ninja to respond. However, respond they did, and with extreme prejudice. While the clones might have all the knowledge of the original, they were still just clones, and as such did not last long against the trio of experienced ninja.

"I don't know what you were hoping to accomplish with that...but..." The man with orange hair and the strange gauntlet trailed off as he looked at the room now devoid of both the blond and Hikaru. A second later he grit his teeth in anger as he realized what had happened. "A distraction. Karenbana! Kongo! Find those two and kill them before they can escape!"

"Right!"

"You got it, Ishidate!"

The three ninja soon burst out the door, leaving the room empty save for the now ruined television screens.

XoX

Having realized how untenable his situation was, Naruto felt it was high time for a tactical retreat. Much as it galled him to leave a battle unfinished, it was more important that he get Hikaru to safety...and he couldn't fight those three while protecting the young prince. Yes, retreating right now was the best option.

It wasn't running away, though, Uzumaki Naruto NEVER runs from a fight!

"N-Naruto..."

"Don't worry, Hikaru. I've got you."

Naruto ran down one of the many halls of the palace. The corridor was dark, with only a few oils lamps interspersed along the wall to cast an eery light that created strange shadows on the floor. His feet flew across the red carpet, scarcely making a sound as he moved with a silence and swiftness only a ninja could achieve. Hikaru was riding piggyback, his arms wrapped tightly around the whisker-marked blond's neck as the young Chunin blitzed down the hallway.

"Where is your father's room, Hikaru?"

"It's in the east wing! I'll tell you where to go!"

As he followed Hikaru's directions, the pair saw that there was more to the assault on them than they realized. Signs of combat could be seen the closer they got to Michiru's room; scorch marks on the walls, floor, and ceiling; kunai and swords littering the floor; not to mention several bodies, some that were moaning in pain and others that were disturbingly still.

And that was not even mentioning the blood. Splatters of bright red painted the walls, the wet surface gleaming as the light from the flames reflected off the dark crimson ichor. It was as if someone had taken buckets of crimson paint and tossed them haphazardly against the walls, floor and ceiling. The stench was enough that Naruto almost retched. Hikaru buried his face in Naruto's shoulder, his body shaking at the sight.

Naruto's ears soon perked up as the loud "Clang! Clang! Clang, clang, clang!" of steel on steel reached them. He turned a corner just in time to see Jiraiya send one of the many samurai guarding the palace flying with a rasengan to the chest. The man on the receiving end of the powerful jutsu cracked the wall with the force of his impact before sliding down to lay still on the floor.

"Jiraiya!" Naruto shouted as he closed the distance with the older man. Jiraiya turned to him, relief evident in his eyes.

"Hey, brat! Glad to see you're alright."

"What the hell is going on around here!?" Naruto paused when he got a better look at his sensei. "And why the hell are you wearing nothing but your underwear?"

Indeed, Jiraiya was standing in the hallway in nothing but a pair of black boxers with pink hearts on them. His chest, arms, legs, and feet were bereft of any other type of clothing. Even his headband was missing, allowing his shaggy hair to fall all over his face like a lion's mane.

"Never you mind, brat," Jiraiya tried to dismiss Naruto's accusing tone, waving a hand in the air as if warding off a fly. "We need to get Michiru-dono and Hikaru-dono out of here!"

And that was when Naruto noticed the lipstick smeared all over his sensei's face and body.

His expression deadpanned. "You were perving again, weren't you?"

"I was not perving!" Jiraiya looked insulted.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto gave his sensei his best "I don't believe a single word you just said" face. "Then what were you doing?"

"Entertaining the ladies," Jiraiya's face took on what could only be considered an expression of perversion. There was simply no other way to describe it. He looked like a man who was on the path of lecherous intent...or daydreaming about all the morally ambiguous things he already committed upon various members of the opposite sex. The drool coming out from his mouth did not help erase this image, not one bit.

Naruto deadpanned. "Like I said, you were perving."

"I wouldn't expect a child like you to understand," Naruto growled deep within his throat. "But now's not that time for that. We've got more important things to worry about, such as getting Michiru-dono and his son to safety."

"Right..." Naruto sighed, then put his game face on. "So what's going on around here?" he asked as they entered Prince Michiru's stately room. The prince was there, huddled up and looking like a fat, petrified pig that had just been passed up for the slaughter and knew it had avoided death by a hair. "Is it an assassination attempt?"

"Worse," Jiraiya turned to look at his apprentice, his expression unusually grave. "The adviser, Shabadaba, has taken over the country via a coup de tate."

XoX

After learning about what had happened in this country before they even arrived, Naruto followed Jiraiya's lead as the man came up with a plan of action. Whatever annoyance he had left towards his sensei was put to the side for the moment. Now was not the time for petty anger.

Their first plan of action was getting Michiru and Hikaru out of the palace. With them now being what amounted to enemies of state the two would need to disappear. Fortunately for the two now on the run princes, they had someone who had mastered the art of vanishing from the public eye when he wanted to.

Naruto and Jiraiya led Hikaru and Michiru out of the palace. Jiraiya was in the lead, using all his considerable stealth skills to keep them from being discovered. While they snuck out, the white-haired spy master informed the three others of what he had learned.

"I have no clue exactly when it happened, but according to a couple of the guards I interrogated, Shabadaba successfully implemented a coup de tate and took over the country somewhere around a week ago. It was all hush, hush. No one really knows what happened, other than there was some kind of rebellion within the palace. Most of the citizens seem to think it was just a group of samurai that went rogue and the adviser's doing all he can to keep it that way."

"What about my father?" asked Michiru, who was huffing and puffing as they ran down the corridor. The prince was not used to running like this, or at all, so moving at even a trot as slow as the one they were currently going.

"I'm not really sure," Jiraiya peeked around the corner. The coast was clear. Signaling to Naruto and the other two, they began to move. As they moved, Jiraiya spoke some more. "From what I can gather they were unsuccessful at assassinating the Daimyo, however, his whereabouts are currently unknown."

"Do you think he's alright?" Michiru looked terribly pale, whether this was because of their situation or not knowing about the state of his father was unknown.

"It's hard to say." They were moving through the entrance hall now. The door was just a few meters away. "According to what intelligence I've gathered, several samurai loyal to the Daimyo managed to escort him out of the palace before the killing blow could be dealt, but I have no clue if he's actually alright."

This did not seem to sit well with Hikaru or Michiru. Naruto felt for the two. It must be tough, not knowing if your old man was dead or not after an assassination attempt. At least he could be secure in the knowledge that his parents were gone. Not that such knowledge was very comforting.

The group burst out of the palace doors and into the courtyard. Several meters ahead of them, a large fountain bubbled. The gates were beyond the fountain.

"Come on!" Jiraiya led the group into the courtyard. They moved as stealthily as they were able to with two people who were not ninja. Too bad it all came to naught. Appearing before them within several Shunshins were the three ninja that Naruto had an unfortunate encounter with earlier.

"You four won't be going anywhere," their leader said. "Give up now and accept your fates."

"Hahahahaha!" Jiraiya's boisterous laugh resounded in the cool night air. He stepped forward, looking at the trio in amusement. "You're a hundred years too soon to even think of making threats against me."

"Jiraiya of the Densetus no Sannin," the orange haired man spoke again, "You're reputation precedes you. It is true that you are indeed more than a match for us. Even if all three of us attacked you at the same time it is unlikely we would win in normal circumstances...however." A cold smile appeared on the man's. Jiraiya's eyes widened as he suddenly stumbled forward. "These are not normal circumstances, are they?"

"Ero-Sennin!" Naruto shouted in shock as Jiraiya fell to one knee, one hand on the ground to keep his balance while the other went to his head.

"Wha―? What's going on here?" Jiraiya winced as his vision blurred out of focus for a second before reasserting itself back to its normal sharpness. There was something seriously wrong here, but what...?

"It seems that concoction of ours is finally working," the man with orange hair said, malicious amusement seeping into his voice. "We were actually expecting you to succumb to it much earlier. Your constitution is simply incredible. I guess you're not considered S-rank for nothing."

"Poison?" Jiraiya narrowed his eyes through the pain and glared at the man. "There's no way you could have poisoned me. I checked everything I ate and drank before hand."

"I expected as much, however, it would not have helped, as you can clearly see. That's because the substance we laced with your drink wasn't actually poison. It's merely a natural herb that acts as a slow acting intoxicant that dulls the senses and causes people to lose their sense of balance. In many ways it's similar to alcohol, only much more effective at dulling people's reactions. The only downside is it can take a long time to star working depending on how well their body can process it. I'm actually surprised the brat over there isn't effected at all when he had just as much as you did."

Jiraiya grit his teeth as he tried to stand back up. He succeeded, but only for a little while before his world tilted and he was forced to drop to a knee again. _'Kuso! Whatever this stuff is it's extremely effective. I won't be of much help for a few minutes at least. Dammit!'_

"Karenbana, Kongo, why don't we take care of this trash?"

"You got it!" The one known as Kongo pounded a closed fist into his right palm.

"Teehee!" Karenbana simply giggled childishly as she waltzed up to the group. "This'll be fun."

Both Jiraiya and Naruto were gritting their teeth as their minds ran a million miles per second. their situation was not looking good. As the strongest among them, Jiraiya had the best chance of beating the three in an unfair match. With him out of commission they would be forced to rely on Naruto, and as strong as he was, the blond-haired shinobi wasn't sure if he could defeat three enemy ninja at the same time while protecting Hikaru, Michiru, and Jiraiya.

To put it simply, the situation was not looking good for them.

Just as the three enemy ninja looked like they were about to finish the group off, an explosion rang out near the gates. There were several shouts, followed by several more explosions. Seconds later, a large group of swordsmen wearing the military uniforms of the Crescent Moon Kingdom rushed onto the scene.

"Everyone, protect Michiru-dono and Hikaru-dono!" A man with short dark hair and lines underneath his dark eyes shouted, charging forward and unleashing a loud yell. In response to his words, nearly a dozen swordsman rushed forward, shouting out a battle cry as they raised their swords above their heads.

"Tch," Kongo muttered darkly, "I thought we had taken care of these guys."

"It seems we missed a few insects. No matter. Let us show them why coming here tonight was a mistake."

Naruto quickly noticed that the trio of enemy ninja were distracted by the arrival of the newcomers and hatched a plan.

"Jiraiya! Get Michiru and Hikaru out of here! Have them retreat with the Samurai!"

"Naruto...?" Jiraiya looked at his godson in mild confusion for several seconds, at least until he realized what the boy's plan was. Then his eyes widened. "You can't mean to...?"

"I'll cover your backs and make sure you're not followed," Naruto interrupted. "It wouldn't be good if those three managed to follow you, especially with the condition you're in."

"You can't expect me too―"

"I do," Naruto cut the man off and looked at him with a serious glare. "Right now I'm the only one among us who can hold those three off. You're in no condition to fight, and those swordsman are no match for those three ninja." As if reinforcing his words, two of the swordsman that had attacked the orange-haired man were turned to stone and shattered by a powerful fist. At the same time one of the others had their face literally crushed under the strong assault of Kongo. Two more swordsman were felled by Karenbana as she used her genjutsu to confuse them and then cut them to shreds while they were trying to find her within the hailstorm of Sakura petals. "I'm the only one strong enough to fight them...and with Hikaru and Michiru gone I'll be able to go all out without having to worry about their safety." Naruto sent his sensei a fierce stare that let the man know how serious he was about this. "This is the only option we have right now and you know it."

After several seconds of silence, Jiraiya sighed. "You're as stubborn as your mother."

Against his will, Naruto cracked a smile. "Not as stubborn as my father?"

"You're father was nowhere near as stubborn as your mom was. That women could out-stubborn a mule." Jiraiya stood on two shaky feet, his teeth grit as he forced his body to keep it's balance by reinforcing his legs with chakra and applying some more to his feet. It was difficult (the poison seemed to have messed with his chakra control as well), but doable. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Che, who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Naruto cracked his neck several times before walking in front of his sensei and the two princes.

"N-Naruto!" Hikaru shouted, causing Naruto to turn his head back to look at him.

"Don't worry about me, kid," Naruto gave the young boy a thumbs up, a large, face-splitting grin plastered on his face. "I'll meet up with you later."

Hikaru didn't look convinced, but he didn't have time to say anything as Naruto unsealed the Kubikiribocho from its scroll and charged head-first into the fray. The blond's target? The man with the orange hair who was currently fighting with the dark-haired swordsman. It was clear to Naruto who among those two was the superior fighter: the ninja with no identifying marks on his headband was toying with the swordsman like a cat toys with a helpless mouse.

With nary a word of warning, Naruto appeared between the two, the giant head cleaving sword already swinging at the older shinobi whose eyes widened when he saw the weapon headed his way. He managed to get out of the way in time by jumping backwards, but it was a near thing; several strands of orange hair were cut off in the process, fluttering to the ground between them.

Naruto turned his head slightly to look at the swordsman behind him while keeping an eye on Ishidate. "You! Samurai! Michiru and Hikaru have already left! Take what's left of your men and find them!" He turned his attention more fully on the enemy ninja, his grip on Kubikiriboucho tightening. "I'll deal with these guys."

The man looked like he was going to complain for a second, but seemed to think better of it. Slowly, he nodded. "Very well. I am grateful for the assistance."

"Whatever. Just get out of here."

"Right!"

"How very brave of you to let that man escape from me," Ishidate spoke in the same slow, condescending manner he always did. "Brave, and also foolish."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto waved the hand holding Kubikiribocho dismissively, causing the massive cleaver to swing back and forth like some kind of giant pendulum. Ishidate's eyes followed the sword apprehensively. "I'm an idiot and don't know the difference in strength between us and yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah, etc, etc...I've heard all that before from every other douche who thinks their the hottest shit since the Rikudou Sennin. Until you prove to me that you're different than those other mooks I've killed, you're just another asshole with a chip on his shoulder."

Ishidate scowled at the insults spewing from Naruto's mouth. "You talk too much."

"Oh dear, it seems I've made you angry," Naruto gave the orange haired man a fanged grin, his sharp canine's glinting in the moonlight. "If you think I talk to much, why don't you come over here and make me stop."

"Very well," Ishidate growled. He held up his gauntlet covered arm as bright orange veins appeared all along its length. The eye on the back of his hand slowly opened. "I'll gladly put you in your place!"

Naruto's grin turned positively vicious as Ishidate charged him. Pumping chakra to his legs, the blond Uumaki shinobi blasted off the ground in a burst of incredible speed. As the two met in the center of their chosen battleground, a loud "BOOM!" like the rumble of thunder resounded as they clashed.

The battle had begun.

XoX

Senju Tsunade sat behind her desk, filing paperwork. This was not unusual; she was almost always at her desk signing papers, unless she was needed at the hospital or busy training Sakura.

And speaking of her new apprentice, the girl in question was doing very well. Incredibly well, actually. Sakura's training had progressed at an astonishing rate. What would normally take years to learn often only took a few months for the young girl with pink hair to get the hang of. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge, and while her physical training was progressing much more slowly due to her lack of any physical ability they were still making progress. It wouldn't be long now before the girl was ready to take her next Chunin Exams.

Tsunade was just about to take another sheet from the stack of unfiled papers when a loud "crack!" caused her to freeze just as her hand touched paper. Blinking, the woman with blond hair and a busty figure looked down at the picture frame on her desk.

It was a picture of her, Naruto, Jiraiya, and Shizune. They had taken it just after she had agreed to come back to Konoha; Naruto and Shizune were standing in front, side by side. The older woman had an arm around the blond's shoulder and both were wearing a wide smile―actually, Naruto's was more of a vulpine grin, but that mattered little; they were both happy and that's what counted. Behind them were Tsunade and Jiraiya; the white-haired pervert had a hand placed on Naruto's shoulder and Tsunade herself was ruffling the young Chunin's hair. All of them had rather prominent smiles, yes, even her.

In the center of the frame, where Naruto's image could be seen, there was a large crack running along the glass.

"That cannot mean anything good," Tsunade mumbled to herself, "I hope that's not an omen of some kind."

Then again, this was Naruto. He was quite capable for someone who was only fourteen years old. Yes, she was sure he would be fine.

So why did she feel so uneasy?

XoX

Explosions and sonic booms reverberated throughout the large courtyard in front of the Crescent Moon Kingdom's palace. Large gusts of wind created violent updrafts that lifted rocks, gravel and debris into the air before tossing them aside at speed. These large chunks of debris struck walls, the ground, and surrounding foliage with impunity, creating a mess of whatever they crashed into.

The once beautiful courtyard had been destroyed. It was nothing more than derelict ruins now; the fountain was just a heap of rubble, the once golden gates were twisted lumps of metal, and the ground was full of holes and pock marks from explosions and missed jutsu. Even the hedges at the very edge of the courtyard had been completely ripped out by the roots.

In the center of this destruction was Naruto and his three ninja opponents. The young shinobi with azure eyes was glaring daggers at his opponents, his eyes narrowed dangerously and his teeth grit hard enough that his gums were beginning to bleed. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the three ninja he was locked in mortal combat with were smirking.

"You seem to be having a bit of trouble," Ishidate's voice was nothing if not condescending, "Where's all that confidence you were boasting earlier?"

"Where's all the shit you were spouting earlier!" Naruto snapped back, barely withholding a grimace. As much as he didn't want to admit it, these three were giving him some serious problems.

The battle had started off well enough, with Naruto getting in a number of good licks on Ishidate without receiving any serious injuries in return. However, all that changed when Karenbana and Kongo entered the fray. Ever since they joined in, the young Jinchurikki had been having some serious problems.

It wasn't that these three shinobi were all that strong. Placing them on a scale, he would have to say that Kongo and Karenbana were probably around Chunin level, and Ishidate was as good as the average Jonin. Naruto wasn't one to brag, but he was strong enough to fight off most Jonin, exceptions being the really talented ones like Kakashi, Maito Gai, Kirabi, and Yugito. Even then he was sure that, given the chance, he could give Kakashi a run for his money these days. So no, none of these shinobi were a threat individually.

The problem was they weren't fighting individually.

Naruto threw himself to the left, his feet and legs shifting to accommodate the abrupt change in direction and momentum. Several seconds later, Kongo smashed into the area he had been standing on with force. The cobblestone that made up the courtyard shattered. It broke apart and several large chunks were flung through the air to smash into ground several meters away.

Several of those large chunks of debris were blasted at Naruto, who was forced to cross his arms in front of his face and whether the hailstorm of rock and rubble. Large cuts and several bruises appeared on his arms where particularly sharp or large rocks struck. The blond Uzumaki winced each time one of the rocks hit him.

After the hail of hard, make-shift projectiles stopped, Naruto let his arms fall to his sides...only to find himself on the receiving end of dual assault by Karenbana and Ishidate. While the orange-haired ninja went in for a frontal assault, commencing a taijutsu match with Naruto in which several shockwaves were generated by the force of their punches, Karenbana struck at the Jinchurikki's blindspot. Only hard earned instinct saved the young shinobi from being skewered with a kunai to the back, making him turn to the side just as the young woman tried to impale him.

As Naruto spun his body away from Karenbana, his right hand stretched out and snatched onto the white-haired female's forearm. Continuing to rotate a full three-hundred and sixty degrees, Naruto took the much shorter, younger looking woman with him.

"What the―!?"

With a loud shout, Karenbana was tossed several meters away from where the center of the battle was taking place. Rather than land on her backside like Naruto had been hoping, the woman flipped her body around like an acrobat and landed on her feet. She did skid several more feet due to the force of his toss, but that was about it.

His disappointment was shorted lived as other, far more pressing concerns made themselves known. The moment Karenbana was gone, Kongo and Ishidate were in his face. The pair engaged him in a vicious two-on-one taijutsu assault that left the blond little time to do anything more than dodge. Every single one of his higher thought processes had shut down completely as he relied almost entirely on his insanely fast reflexes and finely honed instincts to keep from becoming a bloody smear on the ground.

"Hold still, you little shit!" Kongo roared as he threw several fast jabs that packed so much power the air actually whistled around his fists. Naruto swerved, his body bending and contorting in unusual ways as he dodged each blow sent towards him. Each blow Kongo sent towards him, at least. With so many limbs to keep track of, the blond-haired Jinchurikki completely missed one of Ishidate's feet slipping into his guard.

The foot struck his stomach, forcing Naruto's body to bend over as all the breath was stolen from his lungs. The kick was powerful enough to lift him off the ground for several feet as he was launched backwards.

His body skidded backwards as his feet hit the ground. Dust was kicked up as his feet created small trenches in the gravel. He traveled several meters back before finally stopping.

_'Dammit!' _Naruto growled as he rubbed his now aching stomach. That attack had actually hurt. Had he not been reinforcing his body with chakra he was sure something would have broken from that kick. _'These guys might not be the strongest shinobi around, but their teamwork is superb. Not only do they cover each others weaknesses well, but they've managed to keep me from using any ninjutsu throughout this entire fight. I've hardly even had time to launch my own attacks with straight up taijutsu!'_

He had also been forced to reseal Kubikiriboucho. While he liked using that sword, it wasn't a very good weapon for dealing with multiple opponents. Not in the hands of an amateur like him at least.

Naruto's mind quickly went about analyzing the groups fighting style in the hopes of discovering a weakness he could exploit. _'That girl is their genjutsu specialist, though most of her illusions seem to focus on letting her get close and taking out her opponents with taijutsu. Kongo is pure muscle, he just uses his massive strength to inflict as much damage on his opponents as possible. Crude, but effective. And Ishidate...'_

Naruto grimaced as he looked at his left hand. Several of his fingers had yet to change back from their gray, stone-like appearance, though he could see the skin slowly returning to normal.

_'That gauntlet of his can somehow turn anything it touches to stone...' _he tsked. _'What a troublesome power...'_

"Karenbana! Kongo! Let's put an end to this brat!"

"Right!"

His small moment of inflection was abruptly halted when all three enemy shinobi engaged him again. The first two to reach him were Kongo and Ishidate; they came in fast and hard.

Naruto bared his teeth as he bent his body backwards at an unnatural angle. A large, meaty fist sailed over his head. Kongo then. Latching onto the offending limb, the young Uzumaki used it to swing himself up until he was handstanding on top of it. He would have used this moment to attack, but was forced to push himself into a parabolic arc in order to dodge Ishidate's latest attempt at turning him into stone.

Pink sakura petals kicked up around him as he landed on the ground some distance away. They swirled clockwise around his body, as if he were in the center of a small tornado. Before Naruto had time to counter the genjutsu―Kyuubi was busy trying to heal his petrified fingers and couldn't counter it―a number of cuts appeared on his skin as Karenbana disappeared and reappeared all around him, biting into his flesh with a kunai.

Naruto's lips peeled back in a feral snarl as he tried to counter the illusion with his chakra only to receive more cuts that tore apart his clothing and bit into his flesh. He knew her speed was all a part of the illusion. He was faster than her, way faster. But he also sucked at genjutsu and needed to actually concentrate in order to dispel them.

_'A little help here would be nice!'_

Several more cuts appeared on his skin.

_**'Shut up, brat! In case you haven't noticed, I'm busy! Unless you want your fingers to remained frozen like that for the rest of your life!'**_

Something sharp and painful stabbed him on the left side of his torso. Ichor began pouring from the wound as the kunai used to impale him was removed.

_'Better to have frozen fingers and keep my life than end up dead!'_

Instinct warned Naruto of an impeding attack just in time to avoid getting his throat slit. He still ended up getting cut, though, and blood spurted from the now open wound on his neck. That had been close, too close. It had just barely missed his jugular.

_**'Shut up! Kami, just give me a few more seconds!'**_

Naruto tried jumping into the air, out of the ring of sakura petals, but that ended up doing nothing. The petals followed him and so did Karenbana.

"That won't work~!" came the young woman's sing-song voice from within the swirling maelstrom of pink petals. Sixteen more slashes appeared on Naruto's body. By now, blood was pouring freely from a large number of open wounds. The cuts were appearing faster than his regeneration factor could keep up with them.

As his glaring eyes traveling all around him in search of the woman, Naruto landed on the ground again.

More cuts appeared. He tried to dodge as many of the incoming attacks as he could, but without knowing where they would be coming from, dodging them proved nearly impossible.

_'Kyuubi!'_

_**'Done! I hope you're grateful for this brat! And you'd better not lose!'**_ With that, she gifted the boy with a small dose of her chakra. It wasn't much, but it should be more than enough to deal with this rabble.

A red cloak of bubbling, vile energy seeped out of Naruto's pours like steam shooting up from a geyser. The disgusting, malicious feeling chakra cloaked his body like a second skin. Two long fox ears soon emerged on top his head. All the wounds and injuries that had been inflicted on him were healed at an astonishing rate as his regeneration was kicked into overdrive.

"The hell is this!? What kinda of chakra is that!?"

The sight of this strange phenomenon was so unusual that it caused Karenbana to stop her assault. Or more like her body froze as the overwhelming feeling of death washed over her.

Crass mistake.

With a roar that sounded more monstrous than human, Naruto unleashed a powerful burst of the red chakra from his mouth. The results were impressive. Not only was the genjutsu dispelled rather forcefully, but Karenbana, along with a good chunk of the earth around Naruto, was flung away at speed. The young woman with long white hair screamed in surprise and fear as she was launched through the air like a ragdoll. She didn't even have time to right herself before she struck the wall surrounding the palace at the opposite end of the battlefield. The force with which she struck was so great that the wall broke apart, crumbling inwards and burying her under a pile of rubble.

"What the hell is that power!?" Kongo shouted in shock and fear. Ishidate didn't answer, but he too was staring at the blond wreathed in a crimson flame of chakra with wide eyes. The young shinobi looked much different than he did before. His hair, while always spiky, now looked jagged and sharp; his eyes, once an azure blue as pure as the sky, had morphed into a bloody crimson with slits for pupils; the once thin whisker marks had become thick and jagged, and his already sharp canines had elongated until they were jutting out from his upper lip. In short, the boy no longer looked like a simple boy, but a monster, a demon.

The demon turns its eyes towards them. Freezing them in place.

A malicious smile formed on its face.

**"Let's see how you two handle me now!"**

With a ferocious roar that would have caused most people to run away in fear, Naruto charged towards the two, the ground he was standing on exploding violently as he kicked off.

**"It's time for round two!"**

XoX

Jiraiya stopped walking as a malicious and powerful killing intent washed over him. His mind froze, for a single instant, everything came to a screeching halt.

Several feet from the white-haired Toad Sage, the two princes and the Samurai force that had come to their rescue also stopped when they realized their ninja companion was no longer moving.

"What are you doing?" asked Korega, the samurai in charge of the forces still loyal to the Daimyo. "We have to keep moving!"

Jiraiya didn't answer the man. He looked behind him, his eyes distant as if he could see through the thick foliage that surrounded them. Animals and bugs chirped and croaked and cawed all around him, but he ignored that, none of it reached his ears.

_'This chakra...'_

"You guys go on ahead," Jiraiya stated, turning around to look at the place he and the others had left just minutes ago; the place where his godson was still fighting against three ninja of unknown strength and skill. "I'll catch up later."

He did not give them time to respond as he dashed off at a trot. The drug was still affecting him, his chakra was still shot to hell, and his balance was not what it should be, but it was better than before. Hopefully, it would be enough. It would have to be enough.

_'If Naruto's using this chakra than those three must be giving him trouble,' _Jiraiya thought, his teeth grit as he pushed his body to move faster. _'I need to hurry.'_

XoX

Before any of the three enemy shinobi could even think of moving out of the way, Naruto's body appeared among them. There was no warning whatsoever. One second he was standing several meters away, the next he was right in their midst. It would be more accurate to say he had simply teleported there then physically moved.

Several seconds later, the ground that Naruto had been standing on exploded, as if it just now realized how much force the demonized blond had used to kick off with.

The young whisker-marked shinobi's first move was to take out Ishidate with a double palm strike to the chest. He attacked quickly and viciously, leaving no time for the older ninja to dodge. The clap of thunder the blow unleashed was deafening; the shockwave that unfurled because of it calamitous. Violent winds were released from where Naruto's palms met Ishidate's chest as the air around that small point was displaced. It caused their hair to fly wildly in all directions and the gravel beneath their feet to scatter like so many tiny particles.

Ishidate was sent flying. He crashed half a dozen meters away and began to tumble along the ground like an angry god had picked him up and tossed him. The one who was responsible for Ishidate's impromptu flight smiled in satisfaction before his crimson eyes locked on Kongo, whose own eyes widened in unsuppressed fear.

A second later, Kongo's body was rolling violently along the ground like a ragdoll tossed away by a petulant child. His body crashed straight into the already destroyed fountain, plowing straight through it. Large chunks of marble and cement shot into the air and scattered in all directions.

"Kongo!"

Karenbana would have been better off keeping her mouth shut.

Bloody crimson irises locked onto frightened pink.

Naruto moved. In the time it took for the human eye to blink, the shinobi with the childlike body was folded over a fist, blood, bile and saliva spraying out of her mouth as she gasped in agonizing asphyxia. While Naruto's left hand was buried itself in her gut, his right hand grabbed onto Karenbana's shoulder, keeping her from moving. He pulled the fist in the woman's stomach back, and then let it fly.

Once.

"Gyaa!"

Twice.

"Guuu!"

Thrice.

"Gaaa!"

On the last punch Naruto's right hand let go of Karenbana, sending her shooting backwards like a rocket. The woman went soaring several meters, her progress only halted when she crashed into a wall. The cement and brick cracked as her back smashed against it.

Several meters from where Karenbana had a back meeting brick encounter, Kongo and Ishidate were coming to their senses. The two stood slowly, warily, to their feet.

"Where is all this power coming from?" Ishidate wondered out loud. "He didn't have this kind of power before!"

**"Oh, you two are still alive."**

The two shinobi froze as Naruto's bloody irises landed on them.

**"How disappointing...I'm gonna have to correct that."**

In a blur of speed, Naruto disappeared. His movements were so fast he actually left a trail of destruction in his wake as dust and debris was kicked up from his passing. Ishidate and Kongo both hastily scrambled to prepare some kind of defense against this monstrous shinobi. Naruto was almost upon them, his clawed hands eager to tear their faces apart...

**"Ggg!"**

...When he was forced to stop as pain unlike any other wracked his body. Naruto knew pain. He'd had a whole arm crushed by Gaara's sand and then regrown. That was painful. However, that pain he'd suffered back then was nothing compared to the soul searing agony that lanced his body right now. It was like a million red hot needles being speared into his skin, burning him from the inside out. His insides felt like molten lava had been poured into his veins. It was unfathomable and all consuming, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"W-what the..." _'Kyuubi!? What...what the is going...on!?'_

_**'I don't know!' **_the Kyuubi sounded just as shocked as he was. _**'Your body seems to be rejecting my chakra for some reason! I...I'm not sure what's going on!'**_

_'What? But how could it be rejecting your chakra? And why now?'_ Unfortunately, Kyuubi did not have an answer for him. She did not know either.

A little ways away, Ishidate, Kongo, and a now recovered Karenbana watched the young blond who had been defeating them handily fall to his knees and begin coughing up blood.

"I don't know what's going on, but it seems the young man has reached some kind of limit," Ishidate said, a small smirk appearing on his face. "Why don't we use this opportunity to pay him back for all the trouble he's caused us?"

"Couldn't agree with you more."

"Kongo."

"Right!"

Moving incredibly fast for a person of his size, Kongo's form blurred out of focus, only to become visible again when he was right next to Naruto. The whiskered ninja didn't stand a chance as the older shinobi smashed a foot into his gut. The young man with blond hair and blue eyes coughed up more spittle and blood as he was launched several feet into the air. A hand reached out and grabbed onto his leg, however, preventing him from going too far.

"Guh!"

He was pulled back with a violent yank and a knee was planted into his stomach. The force of the blow generated a minor shockwave that caused Naruto's hair to blow out of his face. His eyes widened as all the air left his lungs, leaving only asphyxiating agony.

"Gah!"

Again the knee plowed into his gun. And again. And again. And again. It was only after Kongo was satisfied that he'd gotten his licks in that he let the blond go.

Of course, he had only let go so that he could kick Naruto's body straight up into the air. The young Konohagakure shinobi was sent sky-high, his body spinning and tumbling. As he reached the apex of his flight, a single blue eye cracked open...only to see a foot mere centimeters from his face.

The sound of Naruto's nose breaking was drowned out by the loud "boom!" of the foot crashing against his face. With gravity working against him, and the force of the kick being enough to displace the air and generate a small sonic boom, the blond Jinchurikki was sent spiraling to the ground.

Darkness engulfed his vision for a moment as pain eroded his senses. When he came to everything around him was blurry, out of focus. There was a ringing in his ears, a static noise like you'd sometimes get when your radio had bad reception.

After a few moments, Naruto realized was lying in a crater of some kind. There was gravel all around him, he could see it out of the corner of his eyes. Up above was the night sky.

He thought he would be in pain, but for some reason, there wasn't. In fact, he couldn't feel much of anything right now.

_**'Naruto!? Naruto! NARUTO!'**_

That voice? He knew that voice, didn't he? Yes, yes, he recognized it.

_'K-Kyuubi...?'_

_**'Stay with me, Naruto!' **_The Bijuu who had taken on the form of a beautiful woman sounded like she was on the verge of panic. Why did she sound so frightened?_** 'Don't pass out now! I need you to hang in there!'**_

Naruto could not say anything anymore, not even in his mind. His head felt like the gods had decided to play soccer with it. All he could do was nod as darkness crowded around at the edge of his vision. He could hear her screaming, but it sounded so far away, and he was tired...so tired. All he wanted to do right now was sleep.

The last thing he saw were three figures standing on the lip of the crater he'd made when his body hit the ground. The last thing he heard was someone yelling his name, mixed in with the sound of explosions.

_**'NARUTO!'**_

* * *

**Before I end this chapter I would like to just say a few first.**

**First, I want to thank everyone who reads my fanfictions. Very few things give me greater joy than knowing you like reading my stories.**

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**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Before we begin, I would like to thank everyone who ordered a copy of my book. Your support means a lot to me. I wish there was some way I could express my gratitude with more than just words, however, there is not. All I can do is continue to show my appreciation by producing more chapters.**

**For those of you who have not ordered a copy of my first published novel, I would like to ask that you do. If you enjoy reading ecchi humor, a story written by an author who's not afraid to break the fourth wall, a tale about someone who finds themselves thrust into a brand new world never dreamed possible, and most importantly, if you enjoy rading my fanfics, I can pretty much guarantee you'll enjoy my book. And your support by ordering a copy would mean a lot to me. If you forgot how to find my copy, there is a link to it on my profile page, or you could type in either American Kitsune or A Fox's Love on the Amazon homepage. It's available as both an eBook for Kindle and paperback.**

**For those who do go and order a copy after reading this, you have my most heartfelt thanks.**

**Chapter 44: Infiltration and Pawnage.**

* * *

When Naruto regained consciousness it was to discover that he was lying on his back, with something soft underneath him. There was no pain, no tiredness from combat, no aching muscles. Nothing. Just the soft feel of whatever he was lying on.

His face scrunched up. The last thing he remembered was fighting those three enemy shinobi, using Kyuubi's chakra, then nothing. Where was he?

"Are you finally awake?"

That voice...ah, now he understood. He was within the seal. Pain and other physical ailments from the outside world couldn't reach him.

Opening his eyes...Naruto was greeted by another pair of eyes.

"Holy shit!" He screamed in surprise, even as his body instinctively made to scramble backwards, if only so those eyes would not be so close.

"Well that was rude," Kyuubi huffed as she watched Naruto press his back against the head of the bed. She was sitting in a position that was almost seiza, except her legs were spread further apart...which was due to the fact that she had been straddling him before he'd freaked out on her.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto clutched a hand to his shirt, feeling his heart rate settle down. He was still breathing pretty heavily from the surprise of having the red-haired woman practically touching noses with him. "What the heck were you doing so close to me!?"

"I wanted to see how you'd react."

Naruto's right eye twitched. "So you were screwing with me?"

"Pretty much."

Lifting a hand, Naruto used said appendage to tired rub his face. "Whatever," he sighed, running the hand all the way down the length of his face. He then looked at Kyuubi with a frown. "I think we need to talk. What happened back there? How come I couldn't use your youki?"

"Ah, that," Kyuubi coughed into her hand a couple of times. "Yes, well, it seems your body is no longer capable of using my youki."

"No longer capable of using your youki?" Naruto parroted. "Why? How come?"

"Because your own youki has now fully integrated with your body," Kyuubi answered. Knowing Naruto would not understand what she meant, the red-haired female continued. "When your body first took half of my youki, it began an integration process, turning my potent energy into something a little more malleable and usable for a human. Except for the instances in which you did that strange transformation when you were fighting the snake man, the youki in your body remained mostly unused. It was a separate power from your chakra."

Kyuubi paused and looked at Naruto to make sure he was following along. When she saw him sitting there, staring at her intently, she continued

"However, now that power, your chakra and your youki have fully combined to form a single power composed of about one-fourth chakra and three-fourths youki. And because your power is composed of a fourth of youki, my own youki is no longer compatible."

"I'm not sure I understand," Naruto scratched the back of his head. His was confusion was rather evident to Kyuubi. "Wasn't that youki originally yours? How can it not be compatible with your power."

"Because it no longer is my power," Kyuubi explained, "It's yours. The thing you have to understand is that two such potent powers cannot be used at the same time." She paused, her head tilting. "Think of our powers as magnets. Back when your chakra was entirely human, your polarity was negative while mine was positive. However, now that your chakra has fully integrated the youki the seal took from me, the polarity of your energy is now also positive. Two powers that equal positive cannot combine. They reject each other, pushing each other away. In your case, that rejection was violent and painful because the two separate energies inside your body were pushing against each other, causing the two powers to run rampant through your body."

After taking in everything Kyuubi was telling him, Naruto only had one question. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you can no longer rely on my youki to get you out of tough situations. Even using it passively to heal your wounds out of the question as it could very easily lead to your body being torn apart."

"I see," Naruto sighed as he leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Well, that sucks." Kyuubi's youki had been one of his aces for when he found himself running out of options. It had also been instrumental in keeping his body in top shape whenever it had been injured. The healing factor her youki provided was invaluable. He would never have been able to beat the likes of Gaara during the prelims had it not been for her youki.

"It's not all bad," Kyuubi informed him. Naruto perked up. "Now that your youki has become fully integrated with your chakra, you should have increased control over it. Your youki should also provide you with a healing factor similar to what you had when you used my youki." She shrugged. "I doubt you'll be growing arms back any time soon, but things like poison and minor wounds will heal quickly. You can probably even regenerate from losing fingers and toes, maybe even a hand or a foot."

"But not an arm or a leg?"

"Not until you learn to master your youki," Kyuubi said, "Your control over it might improve, but youki is very different from chakra. It's much more potent, as you well know."

Naruto blew out a long, slow breath and closed his eyes. It seemed the problems were just adding up today. "So how would I go about learning to control my youki?"

"I imagine you would do so by entering that transformed state of yours, but I can't say for sure." When Naruto opened his eyes to stare at her, Kyuubi frowned. "What? It's not like this has ever happened before. We're in completely new territory. I'm just as much in the dark about all this as you are."

"So I guess I'll be figuring out how to control my youki on my own." Naruto had never been one to turn away from hard work, but he really wasn't looking forward to the prospect of trying to do something as dangerous as learning to control a power no other human had before now.

"I'll help where I can," Kyuubi informed him, "I'm just not sure how much help I can be...what? What are you staring at me like that for?"

"Sorry, it's just," Naruto chuckled a bit, "I guess I never thought I'd see the day where you would offer your help so readily. Even when you helped train me during the Chunin Exams, you did so begrudgingly."

"W-Whatever," Kyuubi turned her head away from Naruto. "Don't look too much into it. I just don't want a weak vessel. That's all."

"Hai, hai."

"And don't act so patronizing either!"

XoX

"You let them get away!" Shabedaba screeched at the top of his lungs as he glared daggers at the group of ninja under his employ. He couldn't believe it! These three, three ninja he had paid for with his own money—his own money!―had let not only Princes Michiru and Hikaru escape, but hadn't been able to kill either one of those two ninja that had come with them. "If you can't even kill a single one of my enemies, then what the hell am I paying you for!?"

If they were going to be this incompetent, he might as well not pay them at all. Failures like this didn't deserve even a cent of his hard-earned coin!

"The brat was more competent then we thought," Ishidate said through slightly clenched teeth. He was doing his best to keep his composure, but it was difficult when his employer was acting like an ignorant and spoiled prick. "Not only was he immune to our poison, he was easily at the same level I am. He also has a strange power that I've never seen before."

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" Shabedaba shouted, pointing a quivering, fat finger at Ishidate. It took everything the villageless ninja had not to cave the mans face in.

Standing on either side of him, Karenbana and Kongo looked like they were also having trouble trying to keep themselves restrained. Kongo was visibly shaking and Karenbana had clenched her fist so tightly her already white knuckles looked like they might start turning translucent.

Shabedaba turned away from the trio of ninja and walked towards the window that showed a splendid view of Tsuki no Kuni, his kingdom. He clasped his hands behind his back as he surveyed his domain. Ah, his domain. He really did like the sound of that.

Seeing his land before him helped calm Shabedaba down, at least enough to think rationally.

"Because I am so magnanimous, I am going to give you three another chance," he told them, never taking his eyes off his kingdom. "You are going to kill those two shinobi who are guarding the prince and bring both Michiru and Hikaru to me. Do this and I shall forget all about your failure."

Ishidate glared at his employers back. His left hand was clenched into a fist so tight his knuckles were turning white and several pops could be hard from the joints in his fingers cracking. After a moment, he allowed his hand to relax.

"Very well," Ishidate said, shocking his two companions. "We shall exterminate those two ninja and bring both Prince Michiru and Hikaru to you."

"Ishi―" Karenbana started, only to be silenced by her leader raising a single hand.

"Good, good," Shabedaba nodded, seemingly pleased. "I'm glad to hear that. However," the portly man turned to give Ishidate and the other two a look that would have been fierce on anybody who wasn't shorter than five feet and wider than two. "Know that I will not tolerate any more failures on your part. If you fail to accomplish this task, you'll not receive a single cent from me."

"Understood." Ishidate placed an arm in front of his stomach and bowed slightly at the waist, just enough to be respectful, though the fact that he was doing so in such a condescending manner took any respect the gesture may have had away. "We shall take our leave now. Come on Karenbana, Kongo."

Their leader turned around and swept past them, his long cloak billowing out behind him. After several seconds of staring, they also rushed out of the room, leaving Shabedaba alone.

The group walked down the hall in silence. Candles were spaced every meter, lining the walls and casting a pale orange on the ground, floor and ceiling. Their forms cast eery shadows that flickered as if alive every time they moved past a candle, and their footfalls gave dull thuds as they hit the crimson rug that lined the center of the hall.

"Ishidate, do you really think it's a good idea to continue supporting Shabedaba after what happened?" Karenbana asked. She did not like the idea of facing that blond-haired brat again. Just remembering how those crimson irises had looked at her while radiating enough bloodlust and killing intent to fill a lake made her shudder.

"Don't be ridiculous, Karenbana," Ishidate almost snorted. "Our only shot at getting rid of those two was when we had the element of surprise." They had been counting on Jiraiya's guard being down and the poison hampering the Sennin's ability to fight. The moment where they might have been able to win had long since passed. "Now that Jiraiya is aware of us and knows that we have an odorless, tasteless poison, he'll be on guard. Our moment of surprise is gone, and with it any advantage we may have once possessed is gone as well. What's more, I doubt it'll be just Jiraiya we'll have to deal with. We'll also have to take care of that blond brat too...and he has proven to be every bit as difficult to take out as Jiraiya. Then there was that strange power..."

Karenbana shuddered.

"So what do we do, then?" asked Kongo.

"We'll stick around for a while longer," Ishidate said after a moments thought. "Jiraiya and that Naruto brat will no doubt come here with that army of their to retake the palace. We'll use the chaos caused by those two to make our escape, but not before helping ourselves to some of Shabedaba's riches." After the way they had stuck their necks out and nearly been killed for it, it was only fair.

XoX

Jiraiya sighed as he sat in seiza beside the fuuton he had placed Naruto in. The cave the two of them were currently located in was dank and dark, moisture coalesced on stalactites lowering from the ceiling. The "drip, drip. Drip, drip" of water hitting the ground sounded several decibels louder than it should and was working on Jiraiya's already frayed nerves and patience.

As the Sennin looked at his apprentice, a growl tore itself from his lips. He smashed a fist onto his knee, cursing himself for his stupidity. To think someone of his caliber would be so off-guard that he allowed himself to be poisoned! It was disgraceful! He was one of the Densetsu no Sannin and spy master to boot! This type of thing shouldn't happen to him!

A grimace crossed his face. He only had himself to blame for getting poisoned. He had been so preoccupied by the current estrangement with his apprentice that he'd been caught completely off guard and allowed himself one of those girls―he had no clue which―to slip him a mickey. It just went to show even the most experienced of ninja could still be taken by surprise.

"This is all my fault," Jiraiya muttered to himself as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists. His apprentice was lying there, dead to the world, completely comatose. "If I hadn't been so stupid..."

A groan made Jiraiya halt mid-sentence. He opened his eyes and looked at Naruto. The blond teen was finally beginning to stir. His eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times, then tilted his head until his eyes landed on Jiraiya.

"Ero-Sennin," he muttered lowly. Jiraiya sweat-dropped. He wasn't sure if he was pleased his apprentice was calling him "Ero-Sennin" again, but figured it could only be a good thing. "Where am I?"

"You're in a hideout that the...rebels?" Jiraiya paused in thought before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I guess that'll work. We're in the hideout the rebels are using to hide Michiru-dono and Hikaru."

"I see..."

"Listen, Naruto―"

"Ero-Sennin." Jiraiya furrowed his brows. There was something strange about the way Naruto said that, an unusual inflection in his voice the Sennin had never heard from the young man before. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Jiraiya blinked. "Sorry for what?"

"For the way I've been treating you," Naruto sighed. Jiraiya stared at the boy in surprise. "I've been thinking about it a lot. I know how much my old man meant to you; you always talked about how he was like the son you never had, and I imagine it must have really hurt when he died. It probably hurt so much that you had to get away from Konoha because it reminded you of him, sort of like how baa-chan left because the village reminded her of her lost lover and little brother."

"Naruto..."

"Look, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand why you never came to see me...and I can accept that. So," Naruto turned his head away from the Gama Sennin, "I'm sorry for being a jerk to you."

Throughout Naruto's little speech, Jiraiya could only stare at the young man in shock. Naruto was apologizing. Naruto, the loudest, most obnoxious person he had ever known, someone who was more stubborn than anyone he'd met in his entire life, was apologizing. Jiraiya wasn't sure what he should do.

This must be a dream. He pinched himself. Nope, not a dream.

"Ah...uh...it's okay." Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head, an uncomfortable expression on his face. He had never been good with this kind of stuff. "I should have come to visit you, at least once in a while. I knew life in Konoha wasn't easy for you, I got the occasional report from Sarutobi telling me as much, but I was so consumed by my own sorrow that I never thought about coming back."

"Ha...I guess we're both sorry then," Naruto said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So what now?"

"Now?" Jiraiya's expression hardened. "Now there are a few things I need to tell you."

XoX

It took a bit of searching; the person he was looking for had not been in the cave the rebel faction still loyal to the king was hiding out in, but Naruto eventually found Hikaru. The young prince had climbed on top of the small cliff that was situation by the cave. He was sitting with his back against the cliff face, his legs curled into his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. There was a despondent expression on his face and still wet tear tracks on his cheeks.

Naruto sighed as he walked up to the young boy, who had not even acknowledged his presence despite not making an effort to mask his approach.

He sat down next to Hikaru and looked out at the view. It was very beautiful, the sun was setting, casting a brilliant, multicolored glow on the earth. The trees were a mix of reds, yellows, blues and purples. He could see the sea in the distance. The sun coruscated off its surface and the rippling waves made it look almost alive.

"I heard about what happened...to your grandfather, I mean," Naruto said softly. Hikaru stiffened. "I was told that your grandfather was the one who sent you and your dad on that tour, that he did it to protect you when he went to confront the ministers he'd been disagreeing with on the path your kingdom should take." When the boy didn't respond, he sighed. "Wanna talk about it? It's not good to leave this kind of stuff bottled up."

A sniffle. "He said that...he said that happiness and wealth weren't the same thing." Another sniffle. "He told us that he wanted a place of peace and harmony. And...and he kept talking about what really matters." More sniffling. "My grandfather was always very kind to me. He made that boat for me, and he always used to watch me practice." Tears began flowing down Hikaru's eyes as he sniffled some more. He tried to wipe the tears away, but it was futile gesture. "And whenever I made a bulls eye, he was even happier than I was. I loved him so much."

Naruto sat there silently for several minutes, listening to the young boy pour his emotions out. Night had fallen now, the sky was growing dark and the moon and stars were out. It wouldn't be long before the last vestiges of light left this world.

"Do you think you understand what you're grandfather was trying to say?" The sniffling stopped. Hikaru looked over at Naruto, who was staring back at him. The young boy shook his head. "I think I've got a pretty good idea of what he was talking about. He was talking about what happens here," Naruto thumped his chest, "Right here in your heart."

As Hikaru touched a hand to his chest, Naruto stood up. He placed his hands on his hip and stared at the darkening sky. "Back in Konoha, Sandaime-jisan was a lot like my grandfather. Back when he was alive he would look after me, and when he died, it was like he left everything for me to look after. That's one of the reasons I promised to become Hokage and protect the village in his stead."

Turning his head, Naruto looked down at the young boy, who was staring at him, listening to every word he spoke.

"What your grandpa left is something very precious, and it's up to you and your father to keep it safe."

"If it's really that precious...if it meant that much to my grandfather, I'm not sure I could protect it." Hikaru looked back down at the forest below. All he could see were silhouettes now. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"You may be right." Hikaru looked back at him and Naruto grinned. "You're a little young. Maybe you're not ready to handle that kind of responsibility, but you will be when you grow up, and hey, if you don't even try how can you be sure? Maybe you are ready right now and just don't know it. The only way to know for sure is to get up and go for it."

"But I..."

"We're friends, right, Hikaru?" Naruto knelt down until he was eye level with the younger boy. "That means if you become the Daimyo of Tsuki no Kuni and I become Hokage, Konoha and this land will become friends just like us."

"Really?"

"Yep, and that means that whenever you or your country is in trouble, Konoha will be there to help you." Naruto grinned widely at the young boy, who stared at him in confusion. "Of course, if Konoha was ever in trouble, I'd like to be able to count on you. So how about it?" He held out a hand, his pinky extended. "Friends for life?"

Hikaru stared at the pinky finger in front of him for several long seconds, after which, a smile appeared on his.

"Yeah," he extended his own hand and grabbed Naruto's pinky with his own. "Friends for ever."

XoX

Naruto and Jiraiya stood around a very small table with a map on top of it. Korega and several other men were also standing around the table.

Now that Naruto had woken up and Jiraiya had updated him on their situation, the group of soldiers loyal to the true Daimyo decided it was time for them to reclaim their home from Shabedaba. A number of plans had already been thrown around, ideas had been bounced between all those presence. But so far none of those plans had been accepted as feasible, even though Naruto was sure they could get it done. Hell, he was sure that just he and Jiraiya would be enough to defeat Shabedaba and all his forces, including those three ninja.

"A frontal assault is impossible. There are simply too many soldiers loyal to Shabedaba. Even if we were capable of mounting a full-scale attack, we'd be overwhelmed."

While the adults spoke and tried to plan out their attack on Shabedaba's palace, Naruto studied the map in front of him. It was an intricately detailed map of the palace. Looking it over he could see the map included even hidden passages. There were at least sixteen.

"Does Shabedaba know about the hidden passages?" asked Naruto. The adults all paused and looked at the youngest of them all. Jiraiya glanced at Korega with a raised eyebrow.

"He may know about some, but I doubt he'll know all of them," answered Korega. "There are many hidden passages located in the palace that are only known to the Daimyos and their royal guard. All the royal guards are here," he finished by gesturing towards his men.

"Good," Jiraiya smiled grimly, "that means we'll be able to use one or more of these hidden passages to sneak some soldiers in. With some luck they should be able to make it to Shabedaba undetected while we launch some kind of distraction from the front to keep the main forces attention occupied." The man with the spiky white main of hair cupped his chin in thought. "The question, though, is what kind of distraction should we use?"

"Why don't we use the circus Michiru brought?" asked Naruto, finally looking up from his studying of the map to stare at the other people there. They were all looking at him in surprise. "We could join their troupe and have them perform at the palace. When everyone is busy watching the show, we have several people sneak in from one of these secret passages."

"That could work," Jiraiya murmured. He looked down to study the map intently. His finger traced across the surface before stopping on top of one of the hidden passages. "We can use this one in the south wing to enter. It's the farthest from the palace entrance, which means it'll be the least guarded when we launch our distraction. Now the only question is how are we going to convince the carnies to go along with our plan?"

Naruto gave Jiraiya a large grin that spoke of mischief and mystery. "You leave that to me."

XoX

To the average observer, it would look like an ordinary day; the citizens were going about their business, shops were open and selling their wares and products, and children were running through the street. It looked like a peaceful day.

Too bad it was all an illusion. The citizens attempt at getting on with their daily lives was merely their effort to hide their unease at the recent string of events that had taken place in the last few weeks. First there was that strange commotion at the palace where a rebel faction had attempted to kill their Daimyo, and now they had learned that Princes Michiru and Hikaru were traitors to the crown. It was early that morning when the announcement had been made, stating that Prince Michiru had been the one responsible for the attack on his own father.

The citizens were understandably shocked. Prince Michiru had been responsible for the attack on his father!? How could this be!? There had been no indication that the prince was dissatisfied with his father's rule or that he wanted to usurp his father's throne. And hadn't he been out of the country until just recently?

According to the new ruler, the attack had been planned that way to cast suspicion of Prince Michiru. To make matters worse they had learned that the attack actually succeeded and the Daimyo had died from poison just last night.

Amongst those who had been shocked by the announcement, none were more shocked than the circus troupe Michiru had brought from the mainland. Their reasons for being surprised were far different from the normal citizens though. They did not believe for one second that the prince was the one responsible for killing his father. There was no way someone who acted so goofy and joyful would kill their own father. This entire situation smelled fishy to them.

Despite learning of this, the troupe tried not to let their suspicions get to them. Maybe Michiru really had attacked his father. What did they know of royalty? Nothing. And so they tried to put it out of their minds and focus on their next big gig. They had been contacted by the palace, who wanted to bring them in for entertainment in order to celebrate the rise of their new Daimyo, Shabedaba.

The troupe had just finished practicing. They wanted to pull out all the stops to make this gig the biggest success they'd ever had. If it was successful and the new Daimyo enjoyed their routine, it could really put them on the map.

All of the animals were currently being put back in their cages. The gig wasn't until later tonight so there was no need for them to be outside when they weren't practicing. The only animal not in his cage was Chamū, and that was simply because the big saber-tooth had taken to lounging on top of the cage. Even now, the taskmaster could see his most popular attraction soaking up the sun like some kind of big, lazy house cat.

"Let's move it people!" The taskmaster said as his troupe swiftly and efficiently moved around the small space allotted to them. It was outside of the city grounds, there simply wasn't enough space for them in the city. That was okay though, they were at least located next to the gates. "I want us to be rested and ready to move at a moments notice!"

It was while the taskmaster was directing his troupe that Chamū raised his head and began sniffing the air. Without warning the saber-tooth leapt from his perch and began running off.

"C-Chamū!?" the taskmaster shouted in surprise. "Where are you going!? Come back!"

Grumbling in complaint, the taskmaster followed Chamū as best he could. Several others had also seen Chamū run off and followed after him. The troupe chased after the giant tiger as he dove into the copse of trees, doing their best not to stumble over roots as they moved as fast as they could. Eventually, the group managed to catch up with the star of their show, but that was only because Chamū had stopped running.

"C-Chamū, that tickles!"

As one the troupe dropped their jaws as Chamū smothered Naruto in affection, licking the blond teens face and leaving a wet, slobbering trail.

"Alright, you big lug." Naruto pushed the tiger off him, grinning as he scratched behind the saber-tooth's left ear. "I think that's quite enough."

"N-Naruto!?" the taskmaster shouted in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Petting Chamū one last time, Naruto stood up and addressed the taskmaster, his expression more serious than any of them had ever seen it. Considering he had been brooding almost the entire time they met, that was saying something.

"We need your help."

XoX

Shabedaba was sitting on his throne, enjoying the day, or at least trying to. While he loved his new throne―it was a very comfy throne with a lot of amenities and a really soft cushion―it was indisputably difficult to enjoy when there were so many lose ends that needed to be tied up.

Despite making the announcement about Prince Michiru being a traitor who had killed his own father when the man refused to hand over control of the kingdom, there were many people who were still skeptical. He had done what he could to silence dissenters, but this was a precarious time for him right now and he couldn't just silently "deal with" the people who did not believe him.

Even worse was that Michiru and his brat were still out there somewhere, being guarded by samurai forces loyal to the king and those Konoha shinobi. They were not going to stay quiet for very long. No doubt they would try something, which could disrupt all of his planning and plotting.

Shabedaba slammed his left fist against the arm rest. Damn those Konoha ninja! They were always sticking their noses in where it didn't belong! First they had killed Gato, thereby ending several lucrative business deals he had with the man, now they were protecting that fat, useless fool of a prince and his spawn!

"Those three had better hurry up and dispose of Michiru and his spoiled son," he muttered to himself. He had paid damn good money for those three to do his dirty work. Shabedaba did not like giving away money to begin with, he hated it even more when he gave away money with the expectation of the people he was paying getting the job done and not having those expectations met. If something didn't change soon, those three were going to find themselves out on the street with not even a ryu to their name.

The loud clanging of the door opening brought an abrupt end to Shabedaba's thoughts. The portly politician turned Daimyo looked up to see several of his guards entering the throne room. While most of them stopped a meter or so away, one of them dressed in the uniform of a guard captain, continued walking up to the throne.

A second later he was kneeling in front of the Daimyo, one knee on the floor, the other thrust into the air and being used to support his right arm that lay across it. His head was bowed in deference.

"My lord, the circus troupe you requested for entertainment has arrived."

"Ah, good, good," Shabedaba sat up a little straighter, excitement coursing through him. With all the planning and backstabbing he had been doing, he'd not had much time to relax. With luck, tonight's entertainment would serve to temporarily relieve him of the stress he was feeling. "Let them in."

Standing up, Shabedaba made his way to the veranda. The throne room had it's own balcony which allowed him to look over his kingdom. It would serve as a good place to watch the coming festivities.

XoX

Jiraiya grinned underneath his disguise. Everything was going well. The guards had let them in through the front gate and none of them suspected a thing.

Not that he could blame them. As a spy master he was well-versed in the art of disguise, though even Jiraiya had to admit this particular disguise was incredibly well done, probably even his best one yet.

Not that he expected any less. His disguises were just plain awesome.

His outfit consisted of a large pair of bright red pants and a green vest. He wasn't wearing a shirt, allowing his awesome pecs and abs to be seen by all. The only thing he disliked about his disguise was that no one could see his awesome lions main of hair. Instead there was a large red and green striped hat on top of his head. Still, stupidly large hat aside, Jiraiya had to admit his costume was pretty awesome and allowed him to showcase his awesomeness to the world.

"Ladies and gentleman! Allow me to introduce you to the greatest show in the entire Elemental Nations!"

As the taskmaster did his introduction, Jiraiya glanced around at all those who had come to see the palace's entertainment. He spotted Shabedaba sitting up on the large balcony, looking every bit the spoiled, disgusting politician he was. Surrounding him were several other politicians, advisers most likely, and located around the palace grounds were the many soldiers charged with protecting the palace. He counted at least five dozen. According to Korega there were exactly six dozen squads worth of samurai guarding the palace. That meant twelve samurai were not present.

That was okay. Naruto, Korega and the other Samurai going with them could handle a dozen samurai. Of more immediate concern were those three shinobi. One on one, even two on one, Jiraiya was confident Naruto could win, but according to his apprentice they always worked together, and that was a problem.

An even bigger problem was that he could not see them amongst the crowd.

_'Stay safe, Naruto.'_

XoX

Darkness. Naruto was surrounded by darkness as he, Korega, several samurai, along with Hikaru and Michiru traveled through the small passageway leading into the palace. It was a very tight space, very cramped. The group had been forced to walk single file because of this, and it had caused a good deal of problems when deciding who would go first.

Naruto won by stint of being able to see in the dark.

Korega had not been very happy, but then, he'd been angry since Michiru and Hikaru told them they were going with them.

The addition of the two princes to their company had been a big surprise to all of them. No one had any idea why the two had decided to accompany them and neither one would say. Prince Michiru's only response was he needed to confront Shabedaba about his actions.

A large scale argument had broken out between Korega and Michiru about whether or not they should be allowed to go. Korega had argued that it was too dangerous, and he had a point: there was no telling what kind of dangers they would face once inside the palace―those three ninja Naruto fought came to mind―and there was a good chance of them getting injured or even killed. Despite this, neither Michiru nor Hikaru were deterred.

In the end, Korega had been forced to accede to their demands.

It probably didn't help that Naruto had vouched for them and all but said he would protect them from every danger they faced.

That really hadn't been one of his smartest moments, but then, despite his increase in intellect since becoming a genin, Naruto still didn't have that much common sense. Go figure.

With his now fully developed Yokai being channeled to his eyes, Naruto surveyed the area around them. His purple irises flickered about, looking at the walls that almost felt like they were closing in on him, the dank and wet floor, and the low hanging ceiling that was just a few feet above their heads. This definitely wasn't the type of place someone who was claustrophobic would want to walk through.

"Keep a tight grip on me, Hikaru," Naruto said softly as he felt the boy's grip on the fabric of his shirt slacken.

"Right," the grip instantly tightened again.

"Hey, Tana-san, how much farther until we get out of here?"

"It's Korega," Korega's annoyed voice snapped at him, "And it shouldn't be much farther. Maybe another minute at most."

"Good, I was getting tired of walking through such a dark place...and my eyes are getting sore."

_**'That's because your body is not used to your Yokai yet,'**_ Kyuubi told him, _**'Even though your chakra and Yokai have fully mixed, your body does not recognize it as yours. Thus, it's rejecting your own energy.'**_

_'Is that bad?'_

_**'I doubt it. Your body should adjust eventually. Just give it time. Until then, you'll have to deal with some mild discomfort.'**_

_'Good to know.'_

"How can you even see in this place, Naruto?" asked Hikaru. "I can't see a thing." The only reason he hadn't smacked into a wall or tripped on something was because of Naruto. In fact, Naruto was the one leading the entire group because he could somehow see in the dark while they could not.

"It's my eyes," Naruto told him, "I'm channeling Yo―chakra to my eyes in order to enhance my vision." He turned his head to look back at the young prince and the rest of the group following behind them. His irises were no longer blue, but a purple that glowed brighter than most oil lamps.

"Woah..."

Naruto grinned at Hikaru's awestruck expression. "Awesome, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Quit talking you two!" Korega once again spoke out of annoyance. "We're almost there."

Indeed they were. Just a few seconds after Korega finished speaking they reached a black space of wall with no discernible opening. It was a dead end.

Well...it looked like a dead end, but it was actually the entrance/exit that allowed people to move in and out of the palace without being seen.

"Move it," Korega grunted as he pushed Naruto out of the way. The younger of the two stumbled a bit. Straightening, the spiky-haired blond glared at the older man who was even now holding a torch up to the wall, searching for something.

"The hell was that for?" asked Naruto. "Don't tell me your still angry at not getting to lead. Your shitty torch can't beat the awesomeness that are my eyes...and wait, is it just me or did I sound like an Uchiha just then?"

_**'You did. Please don't do that again.'**_

"Damn," Naruto shuddered. "I don't even have monkey eyes and I sounded like an arrogant SOB. Better be a bit more careful." He shook his head and focused on his newest target, someone who never failed to amuse him. "So, Tana-san, why are you upset at me again?"

He was ignored.

"You're not still upset over the nickname, are you?"

Korega continued ignoring him.

"Oh, come on! Tana-san is a great nickname! You use a katana, don't you? It works, see?"

Several tic marks formed on Korega's head.

"Though I suppose I could call you katana-san," Naruto admitted thoughtfully, "But katana is just way too long to say every time I want to talk to you."

A loud grinding sound emerged from Korega's mouth. It reminded everyone of those machines that are used to grind up minerals.

"That's why I think Tana-san works best," Naruto nodded sagely to himself. He completely ignored the strange grinding noises that came from Korega. "Mm, mm, yes, it is definitely the best name for you. Wouldn't you agree?"

Korega still didn't answer.

"Oi! I'm talking to―"

"Would you shut up!?" Korega shouted, whirling on Naruto and casting him a fierce glare. "Can't you see I'm trying to find the catch that will let us enter the palace!?"

"Oh, is that what you were doing?" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, you were just taking so long I got bored."

"Tch!"

Grumbling to himself, Korega turned back to the secret entrance and once again began searching for the catch. It took a bit longer than it should have―his frustration at Naruto's annoying blathering may have contributed to this―but he eventually found it. After pressing on it, he and the others watched as the door slid open and light spilled into the tunnel.

Naruto grinned as he walked out of the secret passage and into the hallway. "Ah! Finally! I was getting tired of being in that stupid tunnel!" he said, stretching his arms high above his head. "It was so damn cramped in there." He turned to Michiru, eying the fat prince up and down. "I don't know how could you stand it."

Michiru frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing," Naruto dismissed the man's look with a wave of his hand. "Anyway, let's get going. Ero-Sennin's probably started the party by now." As if on cue, a large explosion rocked the entire palace. While Michiru and several others raised their hands over their head, as if expecting debris to fall on them, Naruto snickered. "See what I mean? Ero-Sennin's starting the party without us, so we need to get going."

"What we need to do is move cautiously," Korega countered, "It won't do any good if we rush headlong into this situation and find ourselves overwhelmed."

"Ah, you worry too much!" Naruto slapped the much older man on the back, causing him to nearly plant his face into a wall. The blond-haired boy with whisker marks on his cheeks grinned as the swordsman glared at him. "Don't be such a sour puss, Tana-san. This'll be a snap!"

"It's Korega!"

XoX

The show had gone off without a hitch so far. Shabedaba and the other ministers and politicians appeared to greatly enjoy the circus routine the troupe had put on. The group of greedy merchants and double-speakers had clapped and cheered and "oohed" and "awed." They appeared particular enamored with Chamū, the troupe's saber-tooth and pride of the circus. Unfortunately, it was time for the curtain to fall on this charade.

"And now I would like to introduce one of the newest member of our circus, a man known far and wide for his incredible feats! Jiraiya!"

Shabedaba looked startled. "Jiraiya!?"

Indeed, it was none other than Jiraiya who walked onto the makeshift stage the circus troupe had set up for their act. He was still in costume, but that all changed as he grabbed a hold of his clothes and threw them off, revealing his normal shinobi ware of green short kimono shirt and matching colored pants, red haori with mesh undershirt, geta sandals and spiked headband with the kanji for oil on it.

"For my next act, I'll be showing you how real fire breathers roll!" The man with spiky white hair and an indomitable spirit performed a series of hand-seals. "Katon: Endan!" His chakra spiked as oil gathered in his mouth. His cheeks bulged before he shot out several globs of oil at speed. Each ball of the black, viscous substance ignited in the air before it struck the ground. The earth all around them combusted in a brilliant blaze as the balls of flaming oil exploded against the gravel, sending chunks of earth, grass and cobblestone pavement flying. Several samurai also ended up getting caught in the explosion and were sent packing, their broken and burnt bodies hitting the ground with dull thuds.

"Seize them! Kill them!"

Amidst the chaos Jiraiya's jutsu had caused, Shabedaba began shouting orders in an attempt to bring the situation under his control. If he could just kill off some of those fools from the circus, he should be able to bring everyone to heel. Those people were not fighters and Jiraiya was a well-known bleeding heart. His chivalrous nature wouldn't allow him to let people die if he could help it.

Unfortunately, what the traitorous former politician didn't count on was the circus troupe fighting back. From his position on the balcony, Shabedaba could only gape as his soldiers were smacked around by a pair of kangaroos, or getting trampled by the heard of elephants. Running across the courtyard like a bolt of white lightning, Chamū was also carving soldiers up with his claws and teeth. On his head was Kiki, the monkey, who was currently throwing rocks at the heads of soldiers.

"What are you idiots doing!?" Shabedaba's screech went ignored, not that this deterred him from shrieking some more. "They're just a bunch of circus freaks! Kill them! Kill them all!"

"I don't think so!"

"What the―"

"Dynamic Entry!"

Shabedaba turned his head just in time to receive a powerful kick to the face. The fat and greedy politician was sent flying, his body smacking the stone floor harshly before rolling across it like a rag-doll for several more feet. All of the senators and soldiers gaped at the young shinobi who'd just popped their leader a good one.

"Yatta!" Naruto clenched his fists together in excitement, the grin on his face so large it split his face in half and forced his eyes to squint shut. "I've always wanted to do that at least once! It was so cool whenever bushy brows and bushier brows sensei did that!"

_**'You're taking way too much joy from accomplishing something so simple.'**_

_'Kyuubi, when will you learn? I am just a simple man who enjoys the simple things in life.'_

A snort echoed within his mind._** 'I don't believe that for one second.'**_

_'Really? Yeah, me neither.'_

"Shabedaba!"

"Michiru," Shabedaba winced as he sat up. A large bruise was forming on his cheek, along with some serious swelling. That attack had really hurt. "How nice of you to join us. Now I can finally kill you and your brat of a son."

"You're not going to kill anyone today, Shabedaba!" Michiru actually sounded pretty intense there. Naruto was impressed, just a little bit. "You're under arrest for crimes against the throne and the murder of my father!"

"No, no, no, no, that's not what will be happening," Shabedaba said, standing up. "It is you who will be dying this day. Ishidate! Kill these fools!"

...

Silence.

"Ishidate! I said kill these fools!"

More silence. Naruto looked around with a frown on his face. After a second, he chuckled and looked back at the usurper. "It seems those three have abandoned you."

"No!" Shabedaba's eyes widened. "No! I paid those three good money to do my bidding! How could they betray me!?"

"Money can't buy everything," Naruto shook his head, "They probably knew they couldn't defeat Jiraiya and myself in a fair fight. After their failed attempt at getting rid of us, they most likely knew we would be ready for anything else they could try and decided to cut their losses." The blond shrugged. "It's a pretty smart move of them if you ask me."

"Damn them!" Shabedaba grit his teeth, his anger boiling over. "Damn you, Ishidate!"

"Shabedaba, in the name of the true Daimyo, you are under arrest," Korega declared, brandishing his sword.

"NO!" Shabedaba looked at all of them with wide, insane eyes. "I won't allow you to take me! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"

Those soldiers who were loyal to Shabedaba all unsheathed their swords and charged them.

"Heh," a large smirk appeared on Naruto's face as he crouched down low. "Leave this to me, you guys."

Before anyone there could say anything, Naruto was blasting off the floor. He flew towards the charging soldiers at incredible speeds, his body a mere blur that could not be tracked by regular forces. None of the samurai even knew when Naruto had appeared among them. One second he was standing there, that infuriating smirk plastered on his feature, the next he was amidst them and already taking down his first opponent with a palm thrust to the chest.

Grinning with a savage joy, Naruto spun around on his heels and moved to the left. A sword pierced the air he had been standing on. As the offending limb gripping the sword came into his view, the blond young man grabbed a hold of it in a vice grip.

"ORYA!"

"AAHHH!"

Continuing his spin, Naruto lifted the soldier off his feet and used him as a bat to knock several other samurai away. He only let go after the last soldier had been knocked for a loop. The dizzy enemy swordsman was then sent flying straight into a wall, which he became imbedded into head first, his legs dangling out of the large hole the upper half of his body was stuck in.

"Anybody else want some of this!?"

When all Naruto got were groans, he grinned and nodded to himself.

"I thought not."

XoX

The battle to take control over the palace had been relatively short. With the disappearance of Ishidate, Karenbana and Kongo there was no one with the strength to stand up against either Naruto or Jiraiya. Regular foot soldiers were just not a match for shinobi, especially ones of their caliber.

There was much to do after the battle. All those who had turned traitor had to be sentenced. Most of the normal soldiers had not known the truth about Shabedaba's ascension―which Jiraiya confirmed through interrogating them―and were given a one year prison sentence on the condition they swear their loyalty to Michiru. Those who did not would be given a life sentence.

The politicians, merchants and ministers were another matter entirely. All of them had been aware of Shabedaba's treachery and even lent their support to overthrow the king. They were all given life imprisonment.

Shabedaba, on the other hand, was given the death penalty for not only acts of treachery against the crown, but the murder of the former Daimyo as well. That was a crime of the highest order and not something that simple imprisonment would rectify.

Prince Michiru, now the Daimyo of Tsuki no Kuni, had also been forced to make an announcement letting the citizens know what really happened to their former lord and of Shabedaba's betrayal. The people seemed to take the knowledge well enough. Most of them were aware of Shabedaba's greed to some extent not therefore not very surprised.

With nothing to do, Naruto spent most of his time training. With Kyuubi's yokai no longer being a usable trump card, the young man was forced to turn to other methods of increasing his power. The first thing he attempted was to do was enter that strange state he had achieved during the battle with Orochimru.

It hadn't turned out too well. It seemed that Naruto's body was incapable of handling the stress of that transformation for more than ten seconds. Kyuubi theorized that because his yokai and chakra were now truly one, it was much more powerful than it had been, and that all the power he now possessed put extreme amounts of stress on his body. This meant the only way he could increase the amount of time he was in that state was through constantly putting stress on his body to increase its durability.

It was a lot harder than it sounded. Not to mention painful.

While his relationship with Jiraiya was not what it had been before learning about his father, it was much improved from what it was at the start of this mission. The fact that it was Jiraiya who had saved Naruto from those three shinobi when his body had been essentially poisoned by Kyuubi's yokai was a serious point in his favor.

And with Naruto no longer pushing him away it meant they could get in some serious training. Say what you will about the man, Jiraiya knew his stuff. He was not considered a legend among shinobi for no reason, as Naruto quickly found out during all of their spars.

Nearly a month after the execution of Shabedaba, peace had returned to Tsuki no Kuni, and Naruto and Jiraiya were ready to hit the road once again.

"Do you really have to go?" asked Hikaru, sniffing as he looked up at the older male. Naruto grinned down at him, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia―he couldn't help but think he had been in this situation before―as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"Yeah, I do," Naruto answered, "But don't worry too much. I doubt this is the last time we'll see each other. After all, if I become Hokage and you become Daimyo, we'll have to meet if we want to finalize our alliance."

"Promise you'll come back to visit?" Hikaru held out his left hand, pinky finger extended. Chuckling, Naruto wrapped the pinky of his right hand around the extended pinky.

"Promise."

"Come on, brat," Jiraiya called, "We need to head out. There are a lot more places I want us to get to before the end of this trip."

"I'm coming, Ero-sennin! Stop being so impatient, ya damn pervert!"

"This coming from the boy who created a jutsu that transforms him into a naked chick," Jiraiya shot back.

_**'He got you there.'**_

"Whatever," Naruto muttered, a small blush staining his cheeks. He looked back at Hikaru. "I'll see ya around, kiddo."

As Naruto ran off to catch up with Jiraiya, who he began arguing with not long after, Michiru placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I doubt this will be the last time we see them, Hikaru. I'll have to remember to thank him the next time we meet. While I still don't know what my father meant when he talked about what was important, I think I'm beginning to."

Hikaru looked at his father, then back towards where the blond and his sensei were disappearing into the distance. He hoped this would not be the last time they met as well.

XoX

Several miles from Tsuki no Kuni's capitol city, Ishidate, Kongo and Karenbana sat around their small camp site. The trio of ninja had managed to get out of the palace with a good deal of treasure thanks to all the chaos the circus and Konoha shinobi had caused. While it wasn't enough for them to retire for life, it would hold them over until they found their next job.

"Looks like you were right to leave them, Ishidate," Karenbana said. The fire she was sitting near crackled and popped, the light from the flames cast an orange glow upon her pale face and created stark, contrasting shadows that danced across her pale skin.

"Of course I was," Ishidate said, "Going up against one of the Sannin and his apprentice after our first failed attempt would have been foolish." He was confident in his own skills, but he also knew his limits. He would have stood no chance against the fabled Gama Sennin. "Better to retreat and fight another day than die under the services of some pompous fool."

"Whatever," Kongo grumbled angrily as he slammed his fist into the ground, "I still want to smash that damn brat for making us look like a bunch of fools!"

"Do you now?"

At the sound of the unknown voice, all of their eyes widened. How had someone gotten that close!? They hadn't even sensed anyone approach their camp!

Despite their surprise, the three were still experienced ninja and responded accordingly. Each one leapt to their feet and prepared to destroy whoever had dared to intrude upon their camp.

"Ku ku ku, there is no need for violence," a figure stepped out of the shadows, one that caused all three to quake. The smile on his face did not help ease their fears. "I have no intention of fighting you three. Rather, I have a proposition I think you would find very...beneficial."

* * *

**I have to admit, I'm kinda disappointed you guys thought I would leave you on that cliff hanger like that. I might be a jerk, but I'm not an asshole. Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. It marks the end of the Crescent Moon Kingdom arc and the beginning of the last of the 3 year training arc.**

**And on other thing. I just posted my question and answer form on my blog. For those who are curious to know my thoughts on this story and the answer to questions you may have asked.**


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